Melbourne client care · Made in Surat
Lab grown diamonds attract more myths than any other category in fine jewellery. This guide takes every common myth and gives the honest, fact-based answer — so buyers can make decisions based on reality rather than misconception.
False. A lab grown diamond is not fake. It is pure carbon in a cubic crystal lattice — chemically identical to mined diamond. The FTC updated its guidelines in 2018 to explicitly recognise lab grown diamonds as diamonds. A fake diamond would be a different material sold as diamond. Lab grown diamonds are not a different material — they are diamond.
Diamond simulants (cubic zirconia, moissanite) are different materials that look like diamond. They are not lab grown diamonds. Conflating lab grown diamonds with simulants is the source of most of the "fake" confusion.
False. The colour of a diamond is determined by its crystal structure and trace elements — permanent features of the material. A D colour lab grown diamond has no colour-causing elements in its crystal structure. This does not change over time. A G colour lab grown diamond has the specific nitrogen arrangement that causes that colour grade. This also does not change.
Apparent yellowing in jewellery is almost always surface contamination — soap film, lotion, skin oil — which cleans off completely. It is not a change in the stone.
False. Lab grown and mined diamonds have identical density — they are the same material. A 1ct lab grown round brilliant has the same diameter as a 1ct mined round brilliant of the same cut proportions. The carat-to-size relationship is identical because the material is identical.
The reason lab grown diamonds appear to offer more size per dollar is not that they are bigger per carat — it is that they cost less per carat, so a given budget buys more carats.
Partially true but misleading. Lab grown diamond resale values have declined as production has scaled — a 1ct lab grown diamond purchased for $1,500 today may be worth $300–600 in resale. This is a real consideration.
However: mined diamonds are also not good resale investments at retail prices. A retail buyer selling a mined diamond privately typically receives 30–50% of purchase price. Neither lab grown nor mined is a reliable financial investment. The relevant comparison is lab grown resale vs mined resale — both are poor, with mined being relatively better. For an engagement ring, resale value should not be the primary consideration.
False. No visual test distinguishes lab grown from mined diamond. Standard diamond testers (thermal conductivity) read both as diamond. The human eye cannot tell the difference. A trained gemologist with a loupe cannot reliably distinguish them from appearance.
Only specialist spectrographic equipment at a gemological laboratory can identify the origin — by detecting subtle differences in trace element distribution from different formation conditions. This requires deliberate testing with specialist instruments.
False in comparison to mined. Lab growing requires energy — this is true, and the energy intensity of HPHT growing is significant. However, the comparison must be to mining, not to zero. Mining requires land excavation, water use, infrastructure and transport across multiple countries. Lab growing — particularly CVD with renewable energy — has a significantly lower environmental footprint than mining by any credible lifecycle assessment.
Every Fenora diamond is sourced from CVD facilities using renewable or offset energy, addressing the energy concern directly.
Book a free online consultation. Yash Chandpara answers every question about lab grown diamonds honestly — no myths, no marketing.
