Lab Grown Diamonds

Lab grown diamonds have been called by many names: sometimes synthetic diamonds, man made diamonds, artificial diamonds, manufactured diamonds, foundry diamonds and even cultured diamonds. All have been used. In July this year (2018) the Federal Trade Commission ruled that the terms lab grown diamonds, man made diamonds, and foundry diamonds are ones to be used to qualify the term cultured diamond. While the term synthetic should not be used when talking about lab grown diamonds, specifically when marketing lab grown diamonds. Up until this point the Gemological Institute of America has been using the term synthetics when referring to lab grown diamonds, so I guess we'll see what happens. But I'm guessing they will not have much choice but have to update their synthetic diamond grading terminology. The FTC also ruled that cultured diamond should not be used on its own when referring to lab grown diamonds as the term does not distinguish itself sufficiently from mined diamonds.
Of course it’s  also important to not confuse the term diamond simulant with the term lab grown diamond.
Lab grown diamonds are completely and utterly different to simulants. Can I be any clearer? A simulant diamond is a stone that only appears similar to a diamond but is nothing like a diamond in any other aspects such as its thermal properties hardness, and basic molecular make up.
For example a piece of glass can be cut like a diamond. This would make that piece of glass essentially a diamond simulant. Simulants can include all sorts of  crystals, and lots of other gems. Basically any that have a clear appearance, Moissonite and cubic zirconia are two that come to mind. Simulants are not all lab grown. Although some are. Some are even natural mined minerals and some are created in a laboratory. In summary the term simulant is a very generic term and is not the correct descriptor when referring to lab grown diamonds.

People have experimented with diamond growing technology for more than a century but it has only been in the last decade that they've been able to perfect the science of creating gem-quality man made diamonds in a lab. The original attempts to grow diamonds go back to 1879. In recent years, laboratory-grown diamonds have been manufactured to such a high degree of excellence that they have become virtually indistinguishable from mined diamonds.

How does lab grown diamond pricing compare?

If I were to buy a lab grown diamond how much should I expect to pay?

COMPARATIVE PRICING* FOR A 1.00 CT ROUND STONE
Prices as of July 26, 2018

$3,038.00	$3,544.00	$6,660.00	$7,372.00	$7,452.00	$7,390.00	$7,306.00
Clean Origin G Color VS1 Clarity 1.00 CT IDEAL Cut Grade Lab Grown Diamond	Gemifique G Color VS1 Clarity 1.00 CT IDEAL Cut Grade Lab Grown Diamond	Brilliant Earth G Color VS1 Clarity 1.00 CT IDEAL Cut Grade Lab Grown Diamond	Blue Nile G Color VS1 Clarity 1.00 CT IDEAL Cut Grade Mined Diamond	B2CJewels G Color VS1 Clarity 1.00 CT IDEAL Cut Grade Mined Diamond	James Allen G Color VS1 Clarity 1.00 CT IDEAL Cut Grade Mined Diamond	Ritani G Color VS1 Clarity 1.00 CT IDEAL Cut Grade Mined Diamond

Please click the above links to view up to date prices.

If you are looking for a laboratory grown diamond I probably don’t have to sell you on the idea. But it doesn't hurt to go over the reasons it's a great idea. Here are a few additional facts about lab grown diamonds which will remind you that you are making the right choice.
1. Eco-friendly. No kidding. This you already knew. It is the first thing that everyone knows is the biggest selling point. Laboratory made diamonds are sustainable diamonds, they are by all definitions “ethical”. The way they are grown with minimum environmental impact makes them a great choice in this regard. By choosing a laboratory made diamond over a mined diamond you’re doing your part to reduce the amount of diggin that is being done. Going green is on the forefront of many people’s minds and laboratry grown diamonds is one way of doing our part
2. Synthetic gems are not fake. Synthetic gems have been available for a long time. Natural gems and synthetic gems both have their place in the jewelry industry. Laboratory-grown/man-made diamonds are real diamonds. They are both made up in the same way molecularly.
3. HPHT and CVD – These are the two main methods used for growing diamonds. HPHT (High-Pressure High Temperature) is a process in which the stone grows out of a diamond seed under controlled conditions. As you might have guessed by now those conditions include high temperature and high pressure. Natural diamonds formed this way so it was only a matter of time before the process was fine tuned to make this possible in a lab. The second process, CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) is a more recent development. This process involves a chamber filled with carbon-rich vapor.
4.Identical – Without expensive cutting edge laboratory equipment there is no way to tell the difference between a lab grown diamond and a mined diamond.
5. Diamond is one of the hardest known materials. This makes it useful in construction, nuclear engineering, and medicine so diamond is one of the hardest known materials.
6. Lab created diamonds are a sustainable resource: According to current industry predictions, the supply of mined diamonds is expected to decline in years to come, as diamonds from known sources fizzle out. But demand for diamond is expected to continue to expand, not only for jewelry but for different industries. It will not only sustain jobs in jewelry industry but also in other industrial and high tech fields where diamonds are needed.
7.Guaranteed origin: AIDIA lab-grown diamonds are created so that you know where are the diamonds extracted and from where it is sourced. When the diamonds are extracted for cutting, faceting, and polishing; AIDIA uses highly trained diamonds to bring out lab-grown beauties to a sparkling finish.
8.Resale Value: some of the people have a this idea that lab created diamond don't have resale value. This is however just as wrong as saying diamonds don't have any resale value. Lab created diamonds actually do have a resale value in the same way mined diamonds have a resale value. Much of the added value of obtaining lab certification and marketing costs will inevitably result in a reduction in resale value with both natural mined diamonds and lab grown diamonds.
9. An enduring treasure. Lab grown diamonds never fade, do not get cloudy nor do they change color over time: They have physical and optical features which are identical to mined diamonds. Sure an occasional polish is a good idea, but the diamond itself is not going to change in any way whatsoever. As they say, diamonds are forever.

How common are lab grown diamonds?

The past ten years or so has seen an increase in the production of laboratory grown diamonds. This is, it goes without saying, a direct result of the advances in the technology used to grow diamonds. The amount of diamonds that are produced is still limited by time. It still takes about three weeks to grow a diamond in a lab. We aren’t going to see laboratory grown diamonds overtake mined diamonds any time soon. The inventory of lab grown diamonds will remain much smaller than the inventory of mined diamonds. The amount of natural diamonds mined in one year is close to 200 times the amount of lab grown diamonds produced in the same year.