Lab grown diamonds are real. They are not simulants like CZ or Moissanite. Lab grown diamonds are not “fakes.” Aside from subtle carbon distinctions, they are chemically identical to natural diamonds. The technical difference is that they’re not billions of years old. Lab-grown diamonds are grown in factories using sophisticated chemical synthesis over a period of 1-4 weeks. Once grown, they are polished with the same tools and brought to market in the same manner as natural diamonds.
Are Lab Grown Diamonds Synthetic?, Technically yes. Lab grown diamonds are created using chemical synthesis, but the FTC considers that term confusing. This is logical, since water is technically H2O, but in a restaurant we ask for “water.” So, while you may see the term synthetic diamond in science journals and research papers the diamond and jewelry industries widely uses the term “lab grown diamond.”
A lab grown diamond is a real diamond, like one extracted from the earth, but created in a lab over weeks using one of two sophisticated growth methods. The first method, High-Pressure High-Temperature (HPHT) replicates the extreme conditions deep within the earth during the supercontinent cycle, billions of years ago, which caused natural diamonds to slowly form. The other method, Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), heats hydrocarbon gas into plasma, separating the carbon atoms and using them to create a lab grown diamond crystal, layer by layer.
Lab grown diamonds are diamonds that are created in controlled laboratory environments using two processes; one which replicates the extreme pressure and heat conditions that caused natural diamonds to form over millions of years, and another that uses energy to form diamond crystals, atom by atom. When cut and polished loose lab grown diamonds are chemically and physically identical to loose mined diamonds, and possess the same sparkle, brilliance, and cutting ability. The main difference lies in their origin and the much faster creation process, taking weeks to grow in a lab compared to eons underground.
