Melbourne client care · Made in Surat
Yes. A lab grown diamond is a real diamond — same carbon, same crystal structure, same physical properties as a mined diamond. This guide explains exactly what makes a diamond real, how lab grown diamonds are identical at the atomic level, and why the only difference is origin.
A lab grown diamond is a real diamond. Not a diamond simulant. Not a diamond alternative. A diamond — pure carbon arranged in a cubic crystal lattice, with a Mohs hardness of 10, a refractive index of 2.417–2.419 and all the physical and optical properties that define diamond as a material.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the United States updated its guidelines in 2018 specifically to recognise this fact: lab grown diamonds are diamonds. The FTC removed the word "natural" from its definition of diamond, acknowledging that a diamond grown in a laboratory is as much a diamond as one formed underground over billions of years.
The confusion around "real" comes from conflating two separate questions: is it a diamond (the material)? And was it formed naturally underground? Both lab grown and mined diamonds answer yes to the first question. Only mined diamonds answer yes to the second. The material is the same. The origin is different.
A diamond is defined by its material: pure carbon atoms arranged in a face-centred cubic crystal lattice. This specific arrangement gives diamond its extraordinary properties — Mohs hardness 10, extreme thermal conductivity, refractive index of 2.417–2.419 and the specific light interaction that creates brilliance and fire.
Both lab grown and mined diamonds have this exact material composition and crystal structure. Both are carbon. Both have the cubic crystal arrangement. Both have Mohs hardness 10. Both have the same refractive index. Both interact with light in exactly the same way.
The standard diamond tester used by jewellers measures thermal conductivity — a property of the diamond crystal structure. Both lab grown and mined diamonds test as diamond on a standard thermal conductivity tester, because both have the same thermal conductivity. The tester cannot distinguish between them because there is no material difference to detect.
Only specialist spectrographic equipment at a gemological laboratory can identify the growth origin — by detecting very subtle differences in trace element distribution that resulted from different formation conditions. This is origin detection, not quality detection. It does not mean one is more real than the other.
Diamond simulants — cubic zirconia (CZ), moissanite, white sapphire — look like diamond but are not diamond. They are different materials with different properties. Lab grown diamond is not a simulant. It is diamond.
| Material | Chemical Composition | Mohs Hardness | Is It Diamond? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mined Diamond | Pure carbon — cubic crystal | 10 | Yes |
| Lab Grown Diamond | Pure carbon — cubic crystal | 10 | Yes — identical material |
| Moissanite | Silicon carbide (SiC) | 9.25 | No — different material |
| Cubic Zirconia | Zirconium oxide (ZrO₂) | 8–8.5 | No — different material |
| White Sapphire | Aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃) | 9 | No — different material |
This distinction is important. When a buyer chooses a lab grown diamond, they are choosing a diamond. When they choose moissanite or CZ, they are choosing a different material that resembles diamond visually. These are completely different purchasing decisions.
Every Fenora lab grown diamond is independently graded by IGI — the International Gemological Institute. The IGI certificate for a lab grown diamond uses the same grading scales, the same grading criteria and the same instrument standards as for a mined diamond. The only notation that differs is the origin disclosure: "Laboratory Grown" is stated on the certificate.
The IGI does not have a separate, lower grading standard for lab grown diamonds. A D colour, Flawless, Excellent cut lab grown diamond certificate is directly comparable to the same grades on a mined diamond certificate. The quality assessment is identical because the material being assessed is identical.
Book a free online consultation. Yash Chandpara explains every aspect of lab grown diamonds clearly and honestly.
