Biggest Myths and Facts About Lab Grown Diamonds
If you've started looking for a Lab Grown Diamond, you've likely come across conflicting viewpoints. One site writes that Lab Grown Diamonds are "just as real" as mined diamonds. Another says they are no good. A third says you can see one from across the room. So which one is it?
So you can shop with facts instead of guesswork. Here are the biggest myths and facts about Lab Grown Diamonds, cross-checked with data published by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the International Gemological Institute (IGI), the two laboratories that grade these stones.
What Exactly Is a Lab Grown Diamond?
Lab Grown Diamonds are created with either of two methods: High-Pressure High-Temperature (HPHT) or Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD). In HPHT growth, diamond seeds and carbon sources are heated to 1,300–1,600°C at 5–6 GPa, conditions similar to those at 90–120 miles beneath Earth's surface. Instead, CVD grows a diamond layer by layer, inside a near-vacuum chamber containing carbon-rich gas. Both processes produce the same end product, a stone of pure carbon, arranged in the same crystal lattice as a mined diamond. That single fact is the basis for just about every myth on this list.
Myth 1: Lab Grown Diamonds Aren't Real Diamonds
This is the most repeated myth in the industry, and also the easiest to fix. GIA states that laboratory-grown diamonds are nearly indistinguishable from diamonds mined underground in terms of chemical composition, crystal structure, and optical and physical properties. In 2018, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission officially revised its jewelry guidelines to recognize Lab Grown stones as diamonds, not imitations. Cubic zirconia or moissanite is a diamond simulant, or a different mineral cut in the shape of a diamond. A Lab Grown diamond is not a simulant. It is the same crystallized carbon, grown in weeks, not over a billion years.
Myth 2: You Can Tell a Lab Grown Diamond Apart With the Naked Eye
Not true, and even trained jewelers can't tell without the gear. GIA states that Lab Grown and natural diamonds are nearly identical to the naked eye and can only be differentiated by advanced instrumentation, spectroscopy, examination of graphitic or metallic inclusions under magnification, and specialized tools like GIA's iD100 screening device. A real distinguishing marker is chemical, not visual; most natural diamonds contain trace amounts of nitrogen, but many CVD-grown diamonds do not. That's a laboratory test, not something you or a retailer can tell by holding a stone up to the light. For added security, GIA laser-inscribes a report number and the words "laboratory-grown" directly on the diamond's girdle, providing an indelible record of its provenance.
Myth 3: Lab Grown Diamonds Are Lower Quality
But in fact this myth has been eclipsed by data. GIA says that since 2022, more than 95% of Lab Grown Diamonds submitted to GIA's lab have been graded as colorless (D–F range) and 98% have received a clarity grade of VS1 or better. The quality range had become so narrow that in 2025, GIA overhauled its entire Lab Grown grading system, retiring the traditional letter-by-letter 4Cs scale for these stones and replacing it with two simplified tiers, "Premium" and "Standard," based on stricter minimum thresholds for color, clarity, cut, polish, and symmetry. IGI, meanwhile, still grades Lab Grown Diamonds on the full 4Cs (cut, color (D–Z), clarity (Flawless to I3), and carat) – the same methodology it uses for natural stones- and is the most widely used lab for grading Lab Grown Diamonds worldwide. Whatever report your stone comes with, "lab grown" is not an acronym for "lower grade." They are unrelated.
Myth 4: Lab Grown Diamonds Have No Resale Value
This one deserves a straight answer, no hype, no sales pitch. Lab Grown diamonds indeed sell for a smaller percentage of their initial price than natural diamonds do today, largely due to rapid supply growth and an immature secondary market. But to say "lower resale value" is not the same as "no value". You'll still receive a documented 4Cs grade, a laser-inscribed report number, and independent verification in the issuing lab's online database, along with a certification package that counts for insurance appraisals and any future resale. If the stone is not certified, whether it's natural or lab grown, it's a lot harder to resell at any price because there is nothing to verify. If you care about resale, it's the certificate that preserves that value, not the diamond's origin.
Myth 5: Lab Grown Diamonds Are the Same as Moissanite or Cubic Zirconia
They are not, and this is one of the clearest distinctions GIA makes in its own consumer education materials. A Lab Grown diamond is pure carbon in a diamond crystal structure. It is both chemically and optically identical to a natural diamond. Moissanite is silicon carbide. Cubic zirconia is Zirconium Oxide. They are both diamond simulants; they are cut to look like diamonds, but they are not chemically, in terms of refraction, or in terms of hardness. This is precisely the difference that gemological labs examine before grading a stone. The lab first verifies that a submitted stone is a diamond, and only then whether it is natural or Lab Grown.
Myth 6: Lab Grown Diamonds Are Automatically Better for the Environment
Lab Grown production avoids the massive excavation required by diamond mining. That much is factual, and well documented. But Lab Grown production is not environmentally "free" by any means; it takes several weeks of continuous high-energy input to grow a diamond in a lab, and its real footprint depends heavily on what kind of energy powers that lab. In reality, the truth lies somewhere between the extremes often presented in marketing. Lab Grown diamonds avoid land disruption from mining, but the validity of "sustainable" claims depends on transparency behind them. Please don't take any sustainability claim at face value without first asking any retailer for details on sourcing and production, including ours.
Myth 7: Lab Grown Diamonds Are Just a Passing Trend
That myth doesn't hold up to the length of time labs have actually been tracking these stones. GIA has been tracking the development of laboratory-grown diamonds for almost two decades and, in that time, has seen steady improvements in the size, color, and clarity of gem-quality stones submitted for grading. A fad is something that becomes popular for a while and then goes away. The technology a leading gem lab has been continually monitoring for 20 years, and which has seen quality improve rather than plateau, is not a fad. It is a maturing manufacturing process. The fact that GIA felt the need to overhaul its entire grading structure for these stones in 2025 is itself evidence of how mainstream, not marginal, Lab Grown Diamonds have become.
How to Verify a Lab Grown Diamond Is Genuine
Whatever myth has brought you here, the buying advice is the same: get independent certification. A Real Lab Grown Diamond should have a report from GIA or IGI identifying the 4Cs, the growth method (HPHT or CVD), and a laser inscription number on the girdle that matches the certificate. Both labs allow you to verify a report number right on their own sites, so you don't have to take a retailer's word for it alone. Before you buy, check three things on the certificate: the issuing lab (GIA or IGI, not an unnamed in-house grading system), the girdle inscription number, and whether the number is verifiable directly on the lab's own website rather than only through the seller. That three-step check takes less than five minutes and eliminates almost all of the myths on this page from the decision.
That is why every diamond in the Elite Diam collection comes with an independent IGI certificate, and you are actually paying for the facts in the report, not the myths on the Internet. That certificate comes with the stone, whether you shop in the USA, Europe, or the Middle East, and can be verified the same way anywhere in the world, giving you a consistent standard no matter where you buy or where you eventually wear it.
Why Choose Elite Diam
If the facts above dispelled the myths, the next question is simple: where do you buy lab grown diamond you can trust? Elite Diam sells direct from the manufacturer, so every stone CVD or HPHT ships with independent GIA or IGI certification and a laser-inscribed report number you can verify yourself. Each product page lists the exact 4Cs of the diamond you will receive, with transparent pricing and no hidden treatments, so there is no gap between what is advertised and what arrives. When you buy lab grown diamonds online through Elite Diam, your order comes in tamper-proof, fully insured packaging with worldwide shipping to the USA, Europe, and the Middle East, and is backed by a 7-day return window. You can also customize shape, carat, setting, and metal type to fit your design. Our specialists are available before and after purchase for any certificate or grading questions.
Conclusion
Most of what circulates about lab grown diamonds that are fake, spottable by eye, lower quality, or worthless on resale does not survive contact with GIA and IGI's own published data. The two facts worth remembering are simple a lab grown diamond is chemically, optically, and physically a real diamond, and the certificate is what actually protects your purchase, not the diamond's origin. Before you buy lab grown diamonds, check the issuing lab and the girdle inscription number, and confirm it independently on GIA's or IGI's website rather than taking a seller's word for it. This quick check takes only a few minutes. Yet, it works whether you're buying in the USA, Europe, or the Middle East. It remains the single most reliable defense against every myth covered on this page.
FAQs
1. Do lab grown diamonds have resale value?
Yes, though typically at a smaller percentage of the original price than natural diamonds, mainly due to rapid supply growth and a still-developing resale market. What actually protects resale value in either case is certification, a documented grading report, a laser-inscribed number, and independent verification through the lab's database. An uncertified stone, natural or lab grown, is difficult to resell at any price.
2. Which lab grown diamond certification should I look for, GIA or IGI?
Both are reputable, internationally recognized labs. IGI grades lab grown diamonds on the full traditional 4Cs scale, while GIA uses its newer, simplified Premium/Standard system. What matters most is that the stone comes with a certificate from one of these two labs, with a report number you can verify online yourself rather than taking a seller's word for it.
3. Do lab grown diamonds have resale value?
Yes, though typically at a smaller percentage of original price than natural diamonds, mainly due to rapid supply growth and a still-developing resale market. What actually protects resale value in either case is certification, a documented grading report, a laser-inscribed number, and independent verification through the lab's database. An uncertified stone, natural or lab grown, is difficult to resell at any price.
4. Are lab grown diamonds better for the environment than mined diamonds?
Partially. Lab Grown Diamonds production avoids the land disruption of mining, but growing a diamond still requires weeks of continuous, high-energy input. Hence, its environmental footprint depends on the energy source powering the lab. It's reasonable to ask a retailer for specifics on sourcing and production rather than accepting a general "sustainable" claim at face value.
5. How can I verify a lab grown diamond is genuine before buying?
Check Three Things on the certificate that it's issued by a recognized lab (GIA or IGI, not an in-house grading system), the girdle laser inscription number, and that the number can be independently verified directly on the issuing lab's own website. This takes only a few minutes and confirms the stone matches its paperwork.