What Is a Lab-Grown Diamond?
Most people start here. You begin looking at engagement rings, somewhere along the way you come across the term lab-grown diamond, and almost immediately the question appears:
Is it real?
Yes.
Lab-grown and natural diamonds are the same material. They have the same chemical composition, hardness, brilliance and optical properties. If you place one beside a natural diamond, even an experienced gemmologist cannot distinguish them without specialised equipment.
Both are graded by institutions such as GIA or IGI using the same standards: cut, colour, clarity and carat.
The difference is simply origin.
One formed deep within the earth over billions of years. The other is created in controlled conditions that recreate the heat and pressure under which diamonds naturally form.
The stone itself is still a diamond.
Why People Choose Lab-Grown Diamonds
For many clients, the decision is less emotional than people assume.
Most are not choosing between real and fake. They are choosing between design freedom, budget, proportions, values and the feeling they want their ring to carry.
Lab-grown diamonds often make it possible to choose a larger stone, higher specifications, or a more ambitious design while remaining within the same budget.
For someone creating a bespoke engagement ring, that flexibility can matter.
A client who may have chosen a smaller centre stone in a natural diamond can often explore different proportions, more sculptural settings or a more balanced composition with lab-grown.
For me as a designer, that freedom is meaningful.
Why Some People Still Choose Natural Diamonds
Natural diamonds carry something different.
Their story is geological rather than technological.
They formed through immense heat and pressure over extraordinary periods of time, and for some people that history is part of the romance.
Certain natural diamonds, particularly larger and rarer stones, may also retain value differently over time.
Neither choice is inherently better.
They simply answer different priorities.
Sustainability: A More Honest Conversation
This conversation is usually presented as simple.
It is not.
Mining can disrupt ecosystems, require significant water use and move large amounts of earth.
Lab-grown production avoids mining, but it still requires energy.
The environmental picture depends on energy sources, production methods and traceability, just as mining practices influence the impact of natural stones.
I'm working toward sourcing exclusively from suppliers powered by renewable sources. Wind, solar, the same forces that once moved me across oceans.
How Diamonds Are Graded: The 4 Cs
Whether lab-grown or natural, every diamond is graded on the same four criteria.
Cut is how well a diamond has been shaped and faceted. It is the single most important factor in how much a stone sparkles. A well-cut diamond returns light in a way that makes it come alive. I work exclusively with Excellent and Very Good cut grades.
Colour is graded from D (completely colourless) to Z (light yellow). For a white diamond, less colour means a higher grade. Every stone I work with is in the D to F range. Fancy colours in pink, blue and yellow are also available if you are looking for something different.
Clarity measures the presence of tiny inclusions inside the stone. Grades range from Flawless to Included. I work with VVS and VS clarity, meaning any inclusions are invisible without magnification.
Carat is a diamond's weight, not its size. A well-cut one-carat stone can appear larger than a poorly cut diamond of the same weight because of how it handles light.
If you are wondering which matters most: prioritise the cut. A superb cut will make a diamond with slightly lower colour or clarity look more brilliant than a higher-graded stone with a mediocre cut.
Why I Work Primarily With Lab-Grown Diamonds
When I began designing engagement rings, my question was not:
Are lab-grown diamonds real enough?
It was:
Can they help me create the jewellery I want to make?
The answer was yes.
They allowed me to focus on balance, form, proportion and the feeling of the finished piece.
I work primarily with carefully selected VVS and VS diamonds in the D to F colour range, chosen for their beauty and overall harmony rather than simply chasing specifications. Many are also Type IIa, a category associated with exceptional purity and low nitrogen content. I also work exclusively with 18k recycled gold, because the same thinking applies to every material I use.
The fact that they are lab-grown is important. But it is secondary.
What matters more is what they allow me to create: sculptural pieces with exceptional stones, thoughtful proportions and fewer compromises.
For me, the conversation was never really about lab versus natural.
It was always about beauty.
If you would like to understand how a ring is developed, from stone selection to final proportions, you can discover the bespoke process here→
If you're considering a bespoke engagement ring and would like to understand which option suits you best, I’m always happy to talk through it personally.
Further reading
GIA: What Is a Lab-Grown Diamond? →
IGI: Diamond Reports →
Our Diamonds →
