Lab-Grown Diamond Jewelry

How Lab-Grown Diamonds Are Made

Most lab-grown diamonds in this collection are listed as grown by chemical vapor deposition, or CVD. A thin diamond seed is placed in a sealed chamber, a carbon-rich gas is introduced and energized into a plasma, and carbon atoms settle onto the seed layer by layer until a rough crystal has formed. It is then cut and polished exactly as a mined rough would be. A smaller group of pieces, mainly studs and pendants, is labelled lab-grown without naming the growth method.

The result is diamond in every measurable sense: the same crystal lattice, 10 on the Mohs hardness scale, the same refractive index and dispersion. Standard diamond testers read it as diamond because it is diamond. Telling lab-grown from mined requires specialist laboratory equipment.

The collection is led by lab-grown solitaire engagement rings, each stating an IGI grade of G color and VS1 clarity, and 14K white gold eternity bands graded FG color, VS2 clarity. Alongside them are stud earrings, bezel-set earrings, solitaire and slide pendants, a bar necklace and tennis bracelets, in 10K and 14K white or yellow gold, plus a few solitaires in sterling silver.

Lab-grown diamonds are graded on the same color and clarity scales as mined stones, so the grades compare directly. The meaningful difference is commercial: lab-grown material costs substantially less per carat and, unlike mined diamonds, has been falling in wholesale price as growing capacity has increased. That makes it strong value to wear and a poor way to store value. Our natural vs lab-grown guide sets out both sides, and the lab-grown diamond finder lets you search loose stones and send a request to our concierge.

Beyond engagement rings, lab-grown diamond studs and pendants are an easy way to wear diamonds every day. They are 14K white or yellow gold, in four-prong and bezel settings; a bezel wraps the stone in a rim of gold, which protects its edge and sits smoothly against the skin.

Further reading: Diamond Grading Reports Explained, Natural vs Lab-Grown Diamonds, How to Choose a Diamond: the 4Cs, How to Choose an Engagement Ring.