After over four decades of making handcrafted engagement rings in London’s historic Hatton Garden, I now advise my clients to at least consider buying bespoke made lab-grown diamond engagement rings over the traditional diamond mined from the earth for reasons other than sustainability.
The first reason for this change of heart is that if I can’t tell the difference between the two diamonds, my clients won’t either. Only Debeers and GIA (the Gemological Institute of America) have the specialist equipment to do so. But most importantly, if a GIA certification calls them a diamond, then I am happy to sell them.
The second reason is you will either save loads of money or get more for your budget if you go along the Lab-grown route, which is particularly helpful as the world goes through a cost-of-living crisis.
And the third reason, and probably the most important to the buyer, is that a lab-grown diamond is a sustainable choice.
Choosing a lab-grown diamond
It has only been the past eighteen months that I have dipped my toes into the world of lab-created diamonds, and I have been blown away at their beauty. And what I have found so far is couples are happy to choose this alternative diamond for their engagement ring. And the partner looking to buy a surprise engagement ring has more hesitancy to change.
So why is there this hesitancy? The root cause is the feeling that they will purchase an inferior ring which is just not true. They may also feel their partner will think they were not buying a natural diamond. But they will still get the WOW factor because it is a diamond, and would they even ask? When the ring you propose to them with will look amazing.
Are Lab-Grown diamonds a luxury Material?
In 2019, Tiffany wrote an article stating that they did not see a lab-made diamond as a luxury material and would not use it in their jewellery. And that the consumer would continue to want the amazing story of a natural diamond.
The typical high-street jeweller can’t afford to offer both types of diamond rings as it would be too confusing and damaging potentially to their natural diamond ring sales. So many will rubbish the lab diamonds, letting you know they are synthetic, which is factually incorrect, or as valuable as a natural diamond and will go down in price, which is also not the case.
The truth is you do not buy any engagement ring as an investment. Instead, it symbolises your love and commitment to the person you love and plan to spend the rest of your life with. And a handcrafted engagement ring set with a diamond grown in a lab will be unique and luxurious.
Of course, lab-created diamonds do not have the history of a natural diamond, but they are just as unique in the finished ring. And even if you prefer to go with a natural diamond, you still will not know its history. And only if you choose a Canadian diamond will you at least see the mine it has come from.
Your Lab-Grown Diamond Check-list
- Lab-Grown diamonds are 100% authentic diamonds.
- There are not two lab-grown diamonds that are 100% the same.
- Growing a diamond in a lab is identical to how a mined diamond is formed. The only difference is that mined diamonds are formed over billions of years.
- The diamond 4C’s apply to lab-grown diamonds.
- Lab-grown diamonds come with either GIA or IGI certificates.
- Typically lab-grown diamonds will be up to 60% less than a mined diamond’s identical cut, colour, clarity, and carat weight.
Examples of potential savings
- Six prong trellis engagement ring in platinum ( Source Blue Nile) set with .50ct F SI1 prices from £2,507.98
- One-off Bespoke platinum lab-grown diamond engagement ring set with .52ct D VVS1 £1,652
Buy from a diamond expert.
With all that said and my endorsement of using a lab-grown diamond in your custom-made engagement ring, I must warn you that just like a mined diamond, there are bad examples of lab-grown diamonds, and it is essential that you work with an expert.
Ask David
As a jewellery designer and master jewellery maker, I am happy to answer any of your questions. Most importantly, as I work with both mined and diamonds grown in a lab, I will always give you impartial advice to find the right diamond for you. I can also make you a bespoke engagement ring setting that nobody else will have.
