What Does Lab Created Diamond Mean?

Lab created diamond refers to the diamonds which have been produced through technological advancements in a laboratory setting where the carbon atoms are made to arrange themselves into the formation of a diamond. Lab created diamonds can be cut and polished into various shapes and sizes to be used as jewels in fine jewelry and even for engagement rings, earrings, and necklaces.

There is a significant distinction between lab created and natural diamonds. Lab created diamonds have almost similar characteristics as natural diamonds and hence they are often preferred as engagement rings and jewels since they are beautiful just like natural diamonds. Lab-created diamonds can enable you to purchase diamonds in accordance with your preferences and budgets.

What Is a Lab-Created Diamond?

Lab-grown diamonds, lab-created diamonds, and synthetic diamonds, man made diamonds are terms that refer to the same type of gemstone. These phrases name one and the same type of gemstone, even though there are some differences between these names.

The phrases lab grown diamond and lab created diamond can be heard in the jewelry business quite often, whereas the phrase synthetic diamond refers more to science. All these phrases describe diamonds that have the same chemical structure and properties of natural diamonds. However, what differs from each other is the process of formation.

First of all, it is worth understanding that synthetic diamonds are genuine diamonds, not some sort of imitations. They should not be confused with moissanite and cubic zirconia that look like diamonds but are not made of the same material. In fact, lab-grown diamonds have exactly the same structure as natural ones do – they are also made of carbon crystals.

What to Look for When Buying a Lab Created Diamond

In the process of buying a lab diamond, the buyer needs to go further than its size and cost to understand what makes the diamond beautiful, valuable and what influences its quality. There are four main characteristics of a diamond that define all these aspects: cut, color, clarity, and carat weight. Each characteristic affects the diamond's appearance in its own way. Cut is responsible for light reflections, color shows how colorless the diamond looks like, clarity is about the amount of inclusions and imperfections in a diamond, carat weight is about its weight. Understanding the principles of these characteristics will allow comparing diamonds properly and selecting the most important of them.

Grading certificate of a lab created diamond is also an important aspect as it tells the consumer about the main characteristics of the diamond and confirms the information provided by the seller. Comparing the grading certificate and visual aspects of the diamond as well as its measurements will help to better understand the purchase. Diamonds can be very different even having the same carat weight and the same grades due to their proportions and size.

Price is also an important criterion in comparing lab created diamonds. Instead of selecting a diamond only because it has some grade or its price is lower than others, it is better to compare diamonds with identical specifications and see how each of them looks under different light.

The 4Cs of Lab Created Diamonds

Lab-created diamonds are graded using the 4Cs criteria: Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat Weight. All these four aspects define the way a diamond looks, performs light and determines its overall quality. An independent gemological laboratory may analyze these aspects and provide grading certificates which help people compare various stones and buy diamonds wisely.
While lab-created diamonds have almost identical characteristics to natural diamonds, there is one difference between them — the process of creation. While both types of diamonds can be very bright, clear and even colorless, the quality of every stone will depend on its unique characteristics. Having an understanding of 4Cs will allow you to assess diamond based on its quality and appearance and not the place where it was formed.

Carat

This factor determines a diamond's weight with 1 carat equivalent to 200 milligrams. As you will notice, the carat weight is directly correlated with the size of the diamond but not always since there are factors like diamond shape and proportions that determine how large it looks.

As lab-created diamonds come in various sizes ranging from accent stones to center stones for your engagement rings, it is crucial to consider both their carat weight and size in millimeters during comparison. This is because diamonds with the same weight might appear to be different in size due to differences in their proportions and cuts.

Color

Color is assessed by considering how colorless a diamond appears. Diamonds on the most popular color scale range from colorless D grade to diamonds that have increasingly more yellows or browns (Z grade). Naturally, the price of diamonds depends greatly on their category, but colorless stones will be more expensive in each category. However, this is not the only factor determining diamond prices.

Lab created diamonds are sold in different color grades and natural diamonds can fall within the same range. So, neither origin nor category guarantees colorless stones, which means that you should check the grading certificate and look at the diamond yourself.

Clarity

Clarity measures presence of imperfections inside the diamond (inclusions) or on its surface (blemishes). These can vary greatly in size, amount, location, and visibility and affect diamond's clarity grade and, potentially, appearance.

The GIA clarity scale goes from Flawless and Internally Flawless to Included (I1, I2, and I3) with many more grades in between. Lab created and natural diamonds can have various clarity grades. The former one shows how many imperfections a diamond has under the specified grading conditions. But having low clarity grade doesn't mean that you will see any of them with your naked eyes.

So, when comparing diamonds, you should also consider their clarity grade together with location and visibility of inclusions. This will help you to find a diamond with preferred appearance without paying for higher clarity grade.

Cut, Polish, and Symmetry

Diamond cut affects its brilliance and fire, and the way the diamond reflects light. So, cut is important when choosing a center stone since it gives the diamond a lively look. Both lab created and natural diamonds can be cut very well but this doesn't mean that the first one is better.

Polish and symmetry of diamond are factors that also describe the diamond's appearance and its finish and might be included in the certificate as well. Polish describes how good the facet surfaces of the diamond are, while symmetry – the shape, form, and positioning of the facets.

But polish and symmetry should not be confused with the other two Cs since they are not independent factors. They are considered separately and might be taken into account during the evaluation of diamond cut, depending on the grading system.

So, lab-created diamonds can be finished as good as natural ones. Don't assume this and compare diamonds individually.

What benefits do you get when you buying Lab Created diamonds online?

Here are some benefits of ordering lab-created diamonds online that should be considered by those who look for a unique piece of jewelry. The first advantage is related to the possibility to find more diamonds compared to the selection that would be provided by a jeweler at a physical store since online jewelry shops can offer you much more diamonds in various cuts, carats, colors, and clarity. No matter whether you want to have a Round diamond, Oval or Emerald cut, there will be lots of options available for comparison from the comfort of your home.

Another advantage of ordering diamonds online is the possibility to easily compare the prices and specifications of diamonds. Usually, the description of each stone in an online catalog contains the information concerning the type of cut, color, carat weight, and certification. What is more, there are also pictures, magnified images, and videos that will allow you to analyze the look of the diamond in details before ordering it. Besides, online jeweler can offer competitive prices due to the lower costs of running such a business compared to the traditional one. However, whether you will save money depends on the online jeweler and product itself.

The other benefit is that you can take more time to compare your options, read the reviews of other buyers, find out the reputation of the jeweler and study gemological certificates and reports independently from any pressure and influence of the salesperson. There are also many options for delivery right to your door and returning or exchanging the goods according to the policy of the particular online shop. Before ordering, you should make sure that the seller is trustworthy, that the grading report matches the stone and that you are aware of the shipping and insurance, warranty and return policies.

Thus, ordering diamonds online can be really convenient and help you to get access to more diamonds and prices.

How Much Do Lab-Created Diamonds Cost?

The price of a lab created diamond varies from one individual to another based on factors such as weight in carats, cut, color, clarity, shape, certification, and retailer. In general, lab created diamonds tend to be far cheaper than natural diamonds that have the same features. On the basis of the online price index mentioned above, the cost of 1 carat Round lab created diamond is about $494 while the cost of a 1 carat Round natural diamond is about $4,722.

The price of moissanite tends to be far lower than the price of lab created diamonds depending on the size, quality, and the brand of the gemstone in question. These prices are for loose center stones and not for entire engagement rings. The total cost will be influenced by other factors as well such as metal, setting, accent stones, finish, etc.

The main reason why there is such a huge price difference is because of differences in costs of production and supply. The advancements in technology have made it possible to grow diamonds at a low cost and in larger volumes leading to stiff competition between different manufacturers and retailers. This makes it easier for the customers to plan their budgets for buying their jewelry.

* Prices vary depending on carat weight, cut, color, clarity, and certification. Shop lab-grown diamonds in our collection to compare different stones and find the right diamond for your budget.