More couples are choosing lab grown diamond engagement rings – would you?

Let’s talk lab grown diamonds.

According to Dublin based, high-end jewellers, Bespoke Diamonds a whopping 70% of engagement rings sold in 2022 were made with lab grown diamonds.

For a long time, lab grown diamonds taboo subject in the wedding world, but over the last number of years lab grown diamonds have become more popular, and increasingly more available on the high-street and in turn are shaking off those negative associations.

But, what is a lab grown diamond?

To be clear, a lab grown diamond is a diamond.

Lab grown diamonds are diamonds that have been created using advanced technology in a controlled laboratory environment. Simply put, lab grown diamonds are made or created in a lab. Made using the same components and materials as natural diamonds (ie. pure carbon), lab grown diamonds don’t take thousands or millions of years to develop – rather a few weeks.

They can be created using two methods: High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) and Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD). Both methods mimic the natural process of diamond formation, but in a controlled and accelerated way. Lab grown diamonds are physically, chemically and optically identical to mined diamonds and are graded by the same standards and organisations.

Can you tell a diamond is lab grown?

The average person, aka your parents, brother, sister, best friend and virtually everyone else will not be able to tell that your diamond is a lab grown diamond.

Without professional equipment, it is unlikely that even an experienced jeweller or trained gemologist will be able to tell the difference between a lab grown diamond and a natural diamond straight off the bat.

Of course, all diamonds, lab grown and natural come with documentation that confirm the details of its origin, and so this paperwork will of course confirm that your selected diamond is lab grown or otherwise.

Lab grown diamonds also often have an etching of a serial number and the letters LG that confirm its lab grown status, however this etching is not at all visible to the naked eye.

Reasons to consider choosing a lab grown diamond for your engagement ring:

Cost: Lab grown diamonds tend to be less expensive than natural diamonds of similar quality and size.

Size: As lab grown diamonds are usually less expensive than natural diamonds, meaning your budget will stretch further; you will be able to get more carats in a lab grown diamond than you would for the same price in a natural diamond.

Composition: Lab grown diamonds are created in a controlled environment using advanced technology, while natural diamonds are formed in the Earth’s crust over millions of years – meaning that lab grown diamonds have less occlusions or inclusions (flaws or impurities).

Traceability: Lab grown diamonds are both ethically made and sustainably made. Each lab grown diamond can be traced back to its origin and manufacturing process, while natural diamonds may have a more complex and opaque supply chain.

Only you will know: Only gemologists or jewellers with special equipment will be able to tell that your diamond originated in a laboratory.

Customer reporting data via Bespoke Diamonds

Lead Image via InstagramEast West Gem Co