Lab-Grown Diamonds: What They Are, and Why We Set Them in Silver
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Lab-grown diamonds have gone from a curiosity to the default choice in a decade, and the arguments about them have not got much clearer. Here is what they are, what they are not, and why we set them in silver rather than gold.
What a lab-grown diamond is
A lab-grown diamond is carbon arranged in the same crystal structure as a mined diamond. It is not cubic zirconia, not moissanite, and not a coating. It scores 10 on the Mohs scale because it is the same material, tested the same way.
The two production routes are HPHT (high pressure, high temperature) and CVD (chemical vapour deposition). Both start from a diamond seed and grow crystal over weeks rather than millennia. The result is graded on the same four axes as a mined stone — cut, colour, clarity and carat — by the same independent laboratories.
What genuinely differs
| Lab-grown | Mined | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardness / optical properties | Identical — it is diamond | Identical |
| Certificate | Yes, from an independent gemmological lab | Yes |
| Origin | Grown in weeks | Formed over geological time |
| Price at the same grade | Materially lower | Higher |
| Resale as a loose stone | Lower — this is the honest caveat | Higher, but still well below retail |
The caveat worth saying out loud
A lab-grown diamond is a better stone for the money and a weaker store of value as a loose stone. Both things are true at once. Anyone who tells you a lab diamond will appreciate is selling you something.
That is precisely why we stopped selling stones on their own and started selling pieces with a number on them. The value we stand behind is the value of the finished, certified, numbered piece — not a speculation on the loose stone market. Our Buy-Back Terms set out exactly what that means, and the Transparency page shows the arithmetic.
Why we put them in sterling silver
Two reasons, one practical and one about honesty.
The practical reason: silver is hard enough to hold a stone securely and soft enough to be worked, and a well-made S925 setting will outlast most fashion trends. It also costs a fraction of gold, which means the budget goes into the stone and the finishing rather than into the metal.
The honesty reason: a piece made of real silver and real diamond has a floor. It can be weighed, re-certified, and valued. A plated piece with a simulated stone has none of those things, and no honest way to price it years later.
How to tell what you are being sold
- Ask for the certificate. A real graded stone, mined or grown, comes with a report from an independent laboratory. "Diamond-like", "diamond simulant" and "American diamond" all mean it is not diamond.
- Check the metal language. "S925", "sterling" and "hallmarked" mean something. "Silver tone" and "platinum plated" do not.
- Look at the price against the carat. A one-carat stone in solid metal at a price that looks like costume jewellery is costume jewellery.
Common questions
Can a jeweller tell it is lab-grown?
With specialised equipment, usually yes — there are growth signatures. With a loupe, no. Visually and physically, they are the same material.
Will it cloud or change colour over time?
No. Diamond does not degrade under normal wear. What dulls a piece is not the stone; it is skin oil, soap film and dust on the setting, which is a cleaning problem rather than a stone problem.
Do you certificate every stone?
Yes. Every numbered piece carries a certificate from an independent gemmological laboratory, and the number stays verifiable for as long as you own it.
See the pieces: lab-grown diamond jewellery, or start with the One Carat Vow.