Finding the best lab Grown diamonds is less about chasing the highest grades and more about understanding which characteristics actually improve appearance, durability and value for your needs. Two diamonds with similar carat weights can look noticeably different because of their cut, proportions, shape, colour and clarity.
For Australian buyers weighing up loose stones, engagement rings or other diamond jewellry, the most important thing is to look at each diamond as an individual. A grading report is a useful tool, but the specific measurements should always be taken into account in relation to how the diamond looks and is going to be worn.
What Makes a Lab-Grown Diamond Worth Considering?
Lab-grown diamonds are real diamonds that are created in a laboratory instead of being mined. They possess the basic carbon crystal structure of a diamond and have similar optical, chemical and physical properties as mined diamonds.
Lab-grown diamonds should not be confused with diamond simulants like cubic zirconia or moissanite which have entirely different composition and properties than a diamond.
The main difference between a lab-grown diamond and a natural diamond is the creation source. Diamonds that form naturally originate from geological processes while manmade diamonds are grown in a controlled lab environment.
In terms of diamond buying, that means that the lab-created diamond purchase should be judged on its own merits and not compared to a mined diamond.
How CVD and HPHT Diamonds Are Created
Most lab created diamonds are generated using either CVD or HPHT technology.
The HPHT, High Pressure High Temperature technique simulates the natural diamond formation by introducing a diamond seed to a mixture of carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen subjected to high pressure and high temperature.
The CVD, Chemical Vapour Deposition process involves synthesizing diamond crystals in a chamber with gas.
The quality of the diamond is not dependent on the method used for its creation.
A beautiful CVD-grown stone may appear better than an ordinary HPHT diamond and vice versa.
The cut, color, clarity, shape, and finish of the crystallized carbon structure are of more importance to a buyer than the technology used to make it.
How to Identify the Best Lab Grown Diamonds
A useful starting point is the traditional 4Cs: cut, colour, clarity and carat weight. These characteristics describe different parts of diamond quality, and they should not be treated as interchangeable.
Put Cut Quality High on the List
For many faceted diamonds, the cut plays an important role in determining their light performance. Diamonds of good proportions and workmanship will optimally interact with light, returning the best possible portion to the eye as desirable sparkle.
A diamond with excellent color and clarity can often be ruined by a poor cut that doesn’t return the desirable amount of light or sparkle.
The Round brilliant cut is the only cut of diamond where there are established cut grading systems. Fancy cuts such as oval, pear, emerald, radiant and cushion cuts need much more visual comparison as each has its own unique set of proportions and facets.
Choose Colour Based on Appearance, Not Grade Alone
Diamond colour grading lab made diamonds the amount of visible body colour in the stone under controlled conditions.
Higher grades are not always essential to the buyer. The colour can be masked by the shape of the diamond, its size and the metal of the ring in which it is set.
For instance, the warm undertone may not be so obvious in a yellow gold as opposed to a white metal. Therefore, comparing a range of grades close together can be more beneficial than simply paying for the highest grade possible.
Look for Practical Clarity
Clarity refers to the presence of internal and external imperfections. A higher grade means that there are fewer or less prominent clarity characteristics according to the grading scale, but this does not necessarily mean that the diamond is more beautiful.
When buying jewellery, people are often concerned with the visibility of imperfections, rather than their absence under magnification
Therefore, an eye-clean stone with a slightly lower grade can be a worthwhile investment over an eye-clean one with a significantly higher grade, as the difference would not be visible to the naked eye.
Understand What Carat Weight Actually Means
Carat is a measure of weight, not visible diameter.
Two one-carat diamonds can look quite different because the carat weight can be distributed differently in the diamond.
One might be deeper while the other is shallower. Check millimetre measurements as well as the carat figure.
Check the Diamond Grading Report
An independent grading report gives buyers a standardised description of a diamond’s characteristics.
Depending on the laboratory and report type, it may include:
- carat weight
- colour grade
- clarity grade
- measurements
- proportions
- polish and symmetry
- fluorescence
- laboratory-grown origin
- identifying characteristics
- report number
The internationally recognised laboratories such as IGI and GIA grade laboratory created diamonds. Where a report number or laser inscription is given, this can be checked against the identifying information of the diamond being offered for sale.
A grading report should not be confused with an appraisal. The report details the characteristics of the diamond in accordance with the laboratory’s methodology, but does not indicate a retail price, an insurance value or a future resale value.
Diamond Shape Changes More Than the Style
Shape can affect the personality of a diamond, but it can also have an effect on the visual spread and brilliance, as well as the visibility of inclusions or colour.
Round brilliant diamonds are set up to maximise brilliance, but ovals and marquise can elongate the look of the diamond and be more spread out at a comparable carat weight. Emerald and Asscher cuts feature contrasting wider facets that create a cleaner pattern, but can also make inclusions more obvious.
Cushion and radiant diamonds can both vary significantly in the pattern of their facets, meaning two stones with a similar grading can still look completely different.
This is why photographs, or a high resolution video or inspection in person, can be useful when looking at fancy shaped diamonds.
Lab-Grown Diamonds for Engagement Rings
Lab grown diamonds can be set in solitaire, halo, pave, three-stone, bezel, and many other styles of engagement rings.
The center stone should be viewed in tandem with the style of the ring itself, as a very high-set ring will have a different feel and appearance to everyday wear than a low-profile style, and that different styles offer various degrees of protection for the stone.
Different metals will also affect the overall appearance, as platinum, white gold, yellow gold, and rose gold will provide varying levels of contrast to the diamond.
Australian shoppers seeking the best lab created diamonds should work with the experts at novitadiamonds.com to view the laboratory-grown diamond and jewellery options available to them, as they balance variety with the ability to examine the grading information and the unique characteristics of individual stones.
Before ordering a finished ring, confirm:
- the centre stone’s individual carat weight
- whether smaller accent stones are lab-grown or natural
- the precious-metal specification
- ring sizing and resizing terms
- return conditions
- available after-sales servicing
- whether a grading report accompanies the centre diamond
Compare Price Without Comparing Carat Alone
Lab-grown diamond prices can differ not only due to weight. Various characteristics such as cut quality, color, clarity, shape, proportions, grading documentation, setting style, precious metal and even different retailers’ positioning can affect the cost.
Therefore, when comparing the prices you should pay attention to all characteristics of the diamonds. If you see that one diamond costs more than another, check whether it has a better cut quality, color or clarity, more desirable shape or other characteristics that are important to you.
Moreover, you should remember that resale of lab-grown diamonds may have demand and supply depending on the market situation and available channels. Accordingly, the value of the jewelry you buy should not be automatically perceived as an investment. A grading report is not an indicator of future value either.
Questions to Ask Before You Buy
A responsible buyer should always be able to determine exactly what is being bought for payment.
Ask if the diamond is clearly identified as laboratory-grown, which grading laboratory issued the report, whether the report details can be verified, and whether any treatments or any other relevant information are disclosed.
Also compare return policies, resizing arrangements and service terms between retailers rather than relying only on headline diamond specifications.
The strongest purchase is usually not the diamond with the biggest number on its grading report. It is the stone whose cut, appearance, size, shape and price work together for the jewellery you actually want to wear.
