Lab-grown diamonds, explained

A lab-grown diamond is a diamond. It is made of the same carbon, arranged in the same crystal, with the same hardness and the same fire. The only difference is where it formed: in a laboratory over a few weeks, rather than deep underground over a very long time.

How a diamond is grown

A thin slice of diamond is placed in a chamber, and carbon is added to it layer by layer under carefully controlled heat and pressure. The crystal grows on that seed until it is large enough to cut. From there it is cut and polished exactly as a mined stone would be.

Graded by someone else

Every engagement ring diamond we sell comes with a report from IGI or GIA, two independent laboratories. They grade the cut, colour, clarity and carat, and the report number is shown on the stone's page, so you can look it up yourself. We do not grade our own diamonds.

Can anyone tell the difference?

Not by looking. A trained gemmologist needs laboratory equipment to tell a grown diamond from a mined one, and the grading report states which it is. On the hand, in daylight or candlelight, they are the same.

Why we chose them

• No mine and no pit left behind.
• A known origin for every stone.
• More diamond for the same budget, so you can choose the cut and size you actually want.

If you would like to see how the grades work, our guide to the 4Cs explains each one in plain words.