You’ve encountered various options when it comes to diamond engagement rings, and lab-grown diamonds may have caught your attention due to their affordability. Should I buy a lab-grown diamond engagement ring because it’s cheaper? Lab-grown diamonds are 50% cheaper than naturally mined diamonds. But are they as good as buying earth-mined diamonds? Let’s look at the facts.
Are Lab-Grown Diamonds Real Diamonds?
Let’s address this big question directly. The issue here is that most people consider the definition of “real diamonds” to be those formed deep within the Earth’s crust. This is where shoppers often hesitate whether to classify lab-created diamonds as genuine diamonds.
To answer this question, lab-created diamonds are identical to naturally formed diamonds in every aspect. The only true difference between the two lies in their manufacturing process. One is formed over thousands of years, while the other is created in a laboratory setting.
In fact, you cannot distinguish lab-grown diamonds from naturally formed diamonds because they look, weigh, and reflect light in the same way, making lab-grown diamonds just as authentic as earth-mined ones.
Why Are Lab-Grown Diamonds Cheaper?
This is a good question because it’s what most people want to know. If they are identical to earth-mined diamonds, why are they cheaper? To answer this question, we need to investigate how the diamond market operates.
Earth-mined diamonds have long been known for their expensive price tags. But why is that? It all comes down to their mining process. Diamonds mined from the Earth’s crust, which reaches depths humans have yet to reach, only make their way to the Earth’s surface (and eventually to your local jewelry store) through volcanic eruptions.
Mining diamonds and ethically selling them to the market requires a significant amount of labor and resources. This is why earth-mined diamonds are expensive.
Lab-grown diamonds are cheaper because they do not require the laborious process needed to produce earth-mined diamonds. Due to the technology used in manufacturing lab-grown diamonds, they are priced 50% lower than earth-mined diamonds.
What Are the Great Advantages of Lab-Grown Diamond Engagement Rings?
- Affordable Price – Lab-grown diamonds are much cheaper than natural diamonds. If you’re looking to purchase a large diamond engagement ring for under $4,000, they’ll be more popular.
- Accessibility – There are many lab-grown diamonds available on the market. Check out our lab-grown diamond engagement ring series. All our ring designs feature lab-grown diamonds.
- Clarity – Lab-grown diamonds may have significantly fewer inclusions than regular diamonds since they are grown in a controlled environment. This results in better clarity. The better the clarity of a diamond, the more dazzling its brilliance.
- Environmental Sustainability – Due to high demand for diamonds and a simpler manufacturing process, lab-grown diamonds are a more environmentally sustainable choice.
- Indistinguishable from Earth-Mined Diamonds – The biggest advantage of lab-grown diamond engagement rings is that you can never tell the difference between them and engagement rings made with natural diamonds.
What Are the Drawbacks of Lab-Grown Diamonds?
Depreciation in Value – With a large supply of lab-grown diamonds on the market, their value is likely to depreciate over time. You won’t be able to resell the diamond at the same price you bought it for (the same goes for earth-mined diamonds). This is because more and more labs are starting to produce lab-grown diamonds, making the equipment to manufacture them cheaper, so they likely won’t hold resale value.
Not Earth-Mined – Buying diamonds formed naturally deep within the Earth’s core still holds special and significant allure for shoppers.
Jewelers Cannot Distinguish – Unless special machines are used to test light reflection, it’s impossible for general jewelers to distinguish between lab-grown diamonds and earth-mined diamonds.
Therefore, lab-grown diamonds are an affordable, eco-friendly, and virtually indistinguishable alternative to earth-mined diamonds.
