Lab-Grown vs Natural Diamonds: Are Lab-Grown Diamonds Real?
By Jared James · Last updated 28 October 2026
Quick answer
Yes, lab-grown diamonds are real diamonds: the same carbon crystal as a mined diamond, with the same hardness and sparkle. What differs is origin and price. On our prices, a natural round diamond costs about 7 times as much as a lab-grown one of the same grade at 1 carat, and about 41 times as much at 3 carats. We sell IGI-graded lab-grown diamonds and source natural diamonds on request.
Are lab-grown diamonds real diamonds?
Yes. A lab-grown diamond and a natural diamond are both carbon in a diamond crystal structure, so they have the same hardness and the same diamond sparkle when they are cut to the same standard.
You will often see this searched as lab-grown vs real diamonds, or as man-made, manufactured, synthetic or engineered diamonds against real ones. That framing is a little off, because a lab-grown diamond is a real diamond, and all of those names describe the same stone. The comparison that holds up is lab-grown against natural, or mined, and that is what the rest of this page works through.
Lab-grown diamonds are not diamond lookalikes. Moissanite and cubic zirconia are different materials with different optical and physical properties. A grading report identifies a diamond as laboratory-grown or natural, and specialist equipment can distinguish the growth origin even though the two look alike to the unaided eye.
Natural1.01 carat, F, VS1, GIA 
Lab-grown1.00 carat, F, VS1, IGI
Two real 1 carat round diamonds of the same colour and clarity, photographed face up and magnified. Nothing in their look tells you which one was mined; the report does.
How much cheaper is a lab-grown diamond than a natural one?
About 7 times cheaper at 1 carat, for a round diamond of the same grade, and the gap grows with size: a natural diamond costs about 19 times as much at 2 carats and about 41 times as much at 3 carats.
| Carat weight | Lab-grown, IGI, from | Natural, GIA, from | Natural costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.00 to 1.09 carats | $1,173 | $8,500 | about 7 times as much |
| 2.00 to 2.09 carats | $2,207 | $42,000 | about 19 times |
| 3.00 to 3.09 carats | $2,670 | $110,000 | about 41 times |
The lab-grown prices are the cheapest loose round diamonds on our ring builder that day, where every stone shows its IGI report and a 360-degree video. We source natural diamonds on request, because they come through a different supply, so the natural prices are where we would start for a stone of that grade. Both move as stones come and go, so treat them as a guide to the gap.
The gap grows because natural diamonds at D to F colour and VS1 clarity or better get much rarer as they get bigger. Lab-grown prices rise far less with size: our cheapest 3 carat round costs $463 more than our cheapest 2 carat round.
Set in one of our complete 18k gold rings, a lab-grown diamond engagement ring starts at $2,950 at 1 carat, $4,250 at 2 carats and $6,900 at 3 carats, with the diamond included.
What is the difference between lab-grown and natural diamonds?
Origin, and the price that follows from it. Natural diamonds form underground over a very long time and are recovered through mining, while lab-grown diamonds start with a diamond seed and grow above ground by HPHT or CVD.
Origin can also change how you feel about the ring itself. Some buyers love the idea of a stone that formed underground, while others would rather have a diamond with no mining behind it, and the budget room that leaves for a bigger centre stone or a more detailed setting.
| Factor | Lab-grown diamond | Natural diamond |
|---|---|---|
| Material | Carbon in a diamond crystal structure. | Carbon in a diamond crystal structure. |
| Appearance | The same to the eye as a natural diamond cut to the same standard. | The same to the eye as a lab-grown diamond cut to the same standard. |
| Origin | Grown above ground from a diamond seed, by HPHT or CVD. | Formed underground over a very long time, and mined. |
| 1 carat round, D to F, VS1+ | From $1,173 with us (28 October 2026). | From $8,500 with us, sourced on request (28 October 2026). |
| Resale | Very little, because a new stone of the same grade costs so little. | An established resale market, usually well below what you paid. |
| Report | IGI on every lab-grown diamond we sell; GIA on request. | GIA, stating natural origin. |
| Best fit | Buyers who want a real diamond and more budget room for size, cut or setting detail. | Buyers who value natural origin, rarity and a longer-established market. |
Watch: natural, lab-grown and moissanite
A short video walkthrough of how natural diamonds, lab-grown diamonds and moissanite differ in material, sparkle and origin.
Can a jeweller tell lab-grown and natural diamonds apart?
Not by eye. A lab-grown and a natural diamond with the same cut, colour, clarity and carat weight look the same, and telling them apart takes the specialist equipment grading laboratories use. The report then states the origin: an IGI lab-grown report is titled Laboratory Grown Diamond Report and lists the inscription on the girdle, usually the report number, and GIA inscribes "Laboratory-Grown" and its number on every lab-grown diamond it grades.
Natural or lab-grown? Six real diamonds
Three of these 1 carat rounds were mined and three were grown. All six are E or F colour and VS1 clarity.
A 
B 
C 
D 
E 
F
The answer: B, C and E are natural, 1.01 carats, F, VS1, GIA graded. A, D and F are lab-grown, 1.00 to 1.04 carats, E, VS1, IGI graded. The photos are magnified and come from different studios, so the backgrounds differ; the stones themselves give nothing away.
IGI grades lab-grown diamonds on the 4Cs. GIA introduced its Premium/Standard assessment on 1 October 2025. Its current scope is qualifying loose colourless-to-near-colourless laboratory-grown diamonds of 0.15ct or more, and GIA also offers separate coloured-lab-grown reports. Compare the actual report type and issue date rather than assuming every laboratory uses one format.
Reporting information checked 28 October 2026. See GIA’s current laboratory-grown services, its October 2025 change and IGI’s laboratory-grown report.
To see what a lab-grown report shows line by line, our lab-grown diamond guide walks through a real IGI report for a 1.03 carat round. You can check any IGI report number on IGI’s verification page.
Do lab-grown diamonds hold their value?
No. A lab-grown diamond has very little resale value, because anyone thinking of buying yours can buy a new one instead. A new 1 carat lab-grown diamond costs from $1,084 with us, so a secondhand one sells for less than that, and sometimes only the gold or platinum in the setting has value. The Jewellers Association of Australia says the resale value of laboratory-grown diamonds may not be as high as that of natural diamonds.
Natural diamonds have the more established resale market, though a secondhand natural diamond also usually sells for well below what you paid. Buy a lab-grown diamond for the ring you want to wear, not as an investment. Our guide to whether lab-grown diamonds hold their value works through it with our own prices.
How must lab-grown diamonds be described in Australia?
There is no Australian law written only for lab-grown diamonds, but the Australian Consumer Law bans misleading or deceptive conduct, including misleading claims about what a product is. The ACCC's guidance on jewellery advertising says "laboratory created" is unlikely to be misleading for a lab-made diamond, that "cultured" risks being misleading, and that failing to disclose that a gemstone is not natural is likely to breach the law.
The Jewellers Association of Australia's code of conduct, which binds the jewellers who sign it, reserves the word diamond on its own for natural diamonds, and requires a lab-made stone to be described as a laboratory-grown, laboratory-created or synthetic diamond. Check that one of those terms appears on the invoice and the grading report.
Are lab-grown diamonds considered fake?
No. A lab-grown diamond is diamond, and its report says so: laboratory grown diamond. "Fake" describes a simulant such as cubic zirconia or glass, which only imitates diamond. Moissanite is a different stone again, silicon carbide, with a sparkle of its own.
Some jewellers still speak against lab-grown diamonds, mostly for business reasons. We go through them in why some jewellers are against lab diamonds.
Lab-grown or natural diamond: which should you choose?
Choose lab-grown if
- You want a real diamond with more size for the budget.
- You plan to keep the ring and are not relying on resale.
- You prefer to avoid a mined origin.
- You would rather put money into the setting or cut quality.
Choose natural if
- Natural origin is part of the meaning of the ring.
- Rarity matters more to you than initial size for budget.
- You want the more established resale market.
- You have strong provenance documentation for the exact stone.
Whichever you choose, put cut first, because a lab-grown or natural diamond can be cut poorly. The 4Cs guide and the certification guide explain what to compare on the report.
Do we sell lab-grown and natural diamonds?
Yes. Every diamond we list is an IGI-graded lab-grown diamond, D to F colour and VS1 clarity or better, and we also offer moissanite. We source natural diamonds on request for a custom ring, because they come through a different supply, and GIA-graded diamonds are available on request.
If you are deciding between the two, tell us the shape, size and grade you have in mind and we will quote a natural and a lab-grown option side by side.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the main difference between lab-grown and natural diamonds?
- Origin, and with it the price. Lab-grown diamonds are grown above ground using technology, while natural diamonds form underground and are mined. Both are diamond material, and a natural diamond of the same grade costs several times as much.
- Are man-made and synthetic diamonds the same as lab-grown diamonds?
- Yes. Man-made, manufactured, laboratory, synthetic and engineered are all other names for lab-grown diamonds. They are real diamonds, so the genuine comparison is lab-grown against natural, or mined, diamonds.
- Do lab-grown and natural diamonds look different?
- No. A lab-grown and natural diamond with the same cut, colour, clarity and carat weight look the same to the eye. Specialist testing and the grading report identify origin.
- How much does a 1 carat lab-grown diamond cost compared with natural?
- On our prices on 28 October 2026, a 1 carat round lab-grown diamond in D to F colour and VS1 clarity or better costs from $1,173, and a natural diamond of the same grade from $8,500, about 7 times as much. At 3 carats the natural diamond costs about 41 times as much.
- Are lab-grown diamonds considered fake?
- No. A lab-grown diamond is diamond, the same material as a mined one. Simulants such as cubic zirconia and glass imitate diamond, and those are what “fake” describes.
- Can a jeweller call a lab-grown diamond just a diamond in Australia?
- Not under the Jewellers Association of Australia code of conduct, which reserves the word diamond on its own for natural diamonds and requires lab-made stones to be described as laboratory-grown, laboratory-created or synthetic. The Australian Consumer Law also bans misleading claims about what a product is.
- Do lab-grown diamonds have resale value in Australia?
- Very little. A buyer can get a new lab-grown diamond of the same grade from $1,084 at 1 carat, so a secondhand one sells for less than that, and sometimes only the gold or platinum in the setting has value. The Jewellers Association of Australia says their resale value may not be as high as that of natural diamonds.
- Which is better for an engagement ring?
- Lab-grown is often better if you want more size or quality for the budget. Natural is often better if the natural formation story, rarity or resale market matters more.
- Are both types graded by the 4Cs?
- Report formats differ. IGI uses the 4Cs for laboratory-grown diamonds. GIA’s Premium/Standard assessment covers qualifying colourless-to-near-colourless laboratory-grown diamonds; separate coloured-lab-grown reports remain available. Check the report type and issue date, since older GIA reports can use different terminology.
- Do you sell natural diamonds?
- Yes, on request. Every diamond we list is an IGI-graded lab-grown diamond, and we source natural diamonds separately for a custom ring because they come through a different supply. GIA-graded diamonds are available on request.
Sources and further reading
- GIA: current laboratory-grown diamond services
- GIA: the 1 October 2025 laboratory-grown service change
- GIA: HPHT and CVD diamond growth processes
- IGI: laboratory-grown diamond reports
- IGI: verify a report
- ACCC: guidance on jewellery advertising
- Jewellers Association of Australia: code of conduct
- Jewellers Association of Australia: laboratory-grown diamonds
