Even professional jewellers cannot distinguish them without specialised equipment. Both types have identical brilliance, fire, and sparkle because they share the same chemical composition and crystal structure.
Why They Look Identical
Lab-grown and natural diamonds are both pure crystallised carbon arranged in the same crystal structure. This identical composition means they have the same optical properties, hardness, and light-refracting capabilities that create diamond's famous sparkle.
When you see a diamond's brilliance, fire, and scintillation, those come from the crystal structure itself, not how the diamond was formed. Since lab-grown diamonds replicate this structure perfectly, they produce exactly the same visual effects as natural diamonds.
What About Professional Jewellers?
Even experienced jewellers and gemologists cannot tell the difference just by looking at diamonds, even under standard jewellery loupes. The visual inspection that works for identifying other gemstones simply doesn't work for distinguishing lab-grown from natural diamonds.
Professional identification requires advanced laboratory equipment that can detect microscopic growth patterns, trace elements, or laser inscriptions that indicate origin. This level of analysis happens at gemological institutes, not local jewellery stores.
How Are They Actually Identified?
The only reliable way to identify a diamond's origin is through:
Laser inscriptions: Most lab-grown diamonds have microscopic inscriptions on the girdle (edge) indicating their lab origin, but these require magnification to see.
Laboratory certification: Diamond grading reports from GIA or IGI clearly state whether a diamond is natural or lab-grown.
Advanced spectroscopy: Sophisticated equipment at gemological laboratories can detect subtle differences in trace elements and growth patterns.
The Real-World Impact
This visual similarity is actually fantastic news for lab-grown diamond buyers. You get identical beauty and sparkle while saving significantly compared to natural diamonds. Anyone admiring your ring sees a gorgeous diamond, nothing more or less.
The difference exists only in origin story and laboratory reports, not in daily visual experience. Whether you choose lab-grown or natural, you're getting genuine diamond beauty that's indistinguishable to everyone around you.
Our Perspective
The fact that these diamonds look identical reinforces that you're getting authentic diamond quality with lab-grown stones. The visual impact, daily enjoyment, and emotional significance remain the same, while the practical benefits (cost savings, ethical certainty) favour lab-grown options.
View our collection of lab-grown diamond engagement rings
Thanks for reading!
Jared & Brie
