Lab Grown vs. Natural Diamonds

One of the hottest topics in the jewelry industry today is choosing between lab-grown and natural diamonds. Of course, at the end of the day, it is your jewelry and your choice. If you are happy with your jewelry and think it looks great, that’s the most important thing.

What’s the Difference?

First, let’s start with the most basic differences between natural and lab-grown. Natural simply means comes from the earth.

We have a stance that we’ll get into here, but that is not the end all be all. It’s where we view the market and jewelry, we are trying to provide the best service and products for our clients.

Longevity/Investment

First and maybe most important, we feel confident in the future of natural diamonds. Lab-grown diamonds fully emerged into the market about five years ago. There has already been volatility in the market. Without much history to go off, the prices of lab-grown diamonds are changing based on production, technology changes, and many other factors. Natural diamonds have been around for centuries and have so far always held their value.

Environmental Impact

Lab-grown diamonds are viewed as a completely green option. Lab-grown diamonds do bypass the physical mining and earthmoving that natural diamonds require. They are not a 100% green alternative.

This excerpt from a JCK article touches on that fact: Yet, these claims are rarely examined—and terminology is often extremely fuzzy. Charlotte Vallaeys of Consumer Reports notes that a term like “environmentally friendly” has no real definition and “could mean whatever the company wants it to mean.” The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Green Guides explicitly discourages “broad, unqualified general environmental benefit claims like ‘green’ or ‘eco-friendly,’ ” as they are “difficult to substantiate, if not impossible.” Perhaps for this reason, the more circumspect lab-grown companies tend to use the word sustainable. Yet, man-made diamonds are unusual for a “sustainable” product. They are produced in factories. Granted, they’re mostly clean, modern, non–assembly line factories. But they’re not greenhouses, though some use that term. The machines that produce diamonds “require constant energy, 24/7, running huge microwave-heat generators,” says one ex-employee.” (JCK) https://www.jckonline.com/editorial-article/lab-created-diamonds-eco-friendly/

It’s important to note that there are many environmental factors that go into mining diamonds. We are not trying to claim that they are ‘green’. That being said, we do feel that estate jewelry (that’s over 90% of our inventory) is a better alternative to brand-new jewelry in that respect.

Cost

Lab-grown diamonds are often a cheaper option up front. Over time, we feel that natural is the way to go.

At the end of the day, your jewelry is yours. We feel that our clients are best served to buy natural diamonds are the prices have been relatively predictable for the better part of a century. If you are interested in lab diamonds or stones, we are more than happy to assist you in finding the right person to work with!

Explore our Catalog