Lately, it seems like the lab-grown vs. natural diamond debate has been popping up every time someone pops the question (so… a lot).  I was listening to a podcast the other day when I got hit with “Did you know you can tell the difference between a laboratory-grown diamond and a natural diamond?” The podcast host then proceeded to read what was clearly a scripted ad from naturaldiamonds.com… totally unbiased, of course ;). (But props to them for knowing where to find this late-twenty-something in a long-term relationship.) 

Whether it’s about engagement rings or everyday jewelry, people seem to have strong opinions about lab-grown vs. natural diamonds. We’ve heard the classic arguments: lab-grown diamonds are better for the environment and natural diamonds hold more value over time. But are those statements actually true, or are they just claims parroted enough that we believe them? We decided to find out.  

Can I ask you a personal question?

💎 Shine bright like a mass of carbon

In the late 1930s, De Beers (the once-monopolistic diamond powerhouse) started an ad campaign in the U.S. promoting the idea that a diamond ring was a necessary part of marriage. The idea was more or less that the diamond would outlive you and your marriage and preserve both your immortality and initial feelings. Obviously total B.S. But it worked. And nearly 100 years later, diamonds persist as the “ultimate symbol of money, power and love.” Or do they? 

Lab-grown vs. natural diamonds  

Let’s start with the differences between natural and lab-grown diamonds. Natural diamonds were formed under immense pressure and high temperatures deep in the earth millions and billions of years ago. So all the natural diamonds that will exist in our lifetime have already been formed. They sit in what’s called ‘kimberlike pipes’ (a type of volcanic rock formation). Since only about 5% of kimberlike pipes can be mined, most natural diamonds will never see the light of day. Given their limited supply, they tend to be quite pricey. 

On the other hand, we have lab-grown diamonds, which are exactly what they sound like: man-made diamonds that are grown in a laboratory. Unlike the billions of years required to form natural diamonds, this process takes about a month. 

Both diamonds are considered “real” as they follow the Federal Trade Commission’s definition of a diamond: ‘a mineral consisting of essentially pure carbon crystalized in the isometric cubic system.’

Can you tell them apart?

According to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) – the independent non-profit that serves as the leading source of knowledge, standards, and education in jewelry (also the creator of the 4 Cs: cut, color, clarity, and carat) – there is no way to detect the difference between a lab-grown diamond and a natural diamond leveraging “traditional gemological observations and old-style diamond detectors.” The only way to tell them apart is by using “sophisticated devices developed by GIA and other organizations.” So if your friend says she has an eye for detecting natural vs. lab-grown diamonds, she doesn’t. No one does.

Let’s talk money and value

While the naked eye can’t tell the difference between a lab-grown and natural diamond, their prices will help you decipher which is which. While prices vary, lab-grown diamonds tend to be a fraction of the price of their natural counterparts. A quick check on Frank Darling shows that a round, 1-carat diamond with ‘E’ coloring, ‘VS1’ clarity, and a ‘Super Ideal’ cut is $828 for lab-grown and $4300 for natural. So here, a natural diamond is 5x the price of its lab-grown equivalent. 

While they’ve been used for engagement rings and jewelry since the 1990s, lab-grown diamonds started to become more popular in the mid-2010s. As technology has improved and lab-grown diamond prices have fallen, further widening the gap between the two, the diamond industry has transformed. Sales of lab-growns have ballooned from under $1 billion in 2016 to nearly $12 billion in 2022. And it’s not stopping. From 2021 to 2022, lab-grown diamond sales rose by another 38%. While lab-grown diamonds made up 17% of the engagement ring market in February 2023 (up from 1.7% in 2020), they are quickly becoming the norm in many circles. And as lab-grown diamonds gain in popularity, the demand for natural diamonds is falling, causing price drops across the board.

This pricing dynamic potentially has even bigger implications, as it starts to call into question the idea that a natural diamond will hold more value over time. Realistically, a lab-grown diamond will have a lower resale value than a natural diamond; if you’re initially buying it for a fifth of the price, it’s going to be resold for less. But just like a car loses most of its value when you drive it off the lot, natural diamonds typically only retain 25-50% of their value through resale. While newer to the resale market, lab-grown diamonds retain even less value (and sometimes none at all). However, the resale value argument is weak. Are you really planning to resell your engagement ring or diamond earrings? Probably not.

Another hot question is whether lab-grown diamonds will hold up over time. Natural diamonds have existed for millions and billions of years, so we know they last. The same can’t be said for lab-grown diamonds, which have only been around for 70 or so years. But lab-grown diamonds ​​have the same chemical and physical properties as natural diamonds, which means they’re just as hard and scratch-resistant. So if you’re concerned about the durability of lab-growns, don’t be. 

Now the debate: ethics and sustainability

Most of the debate between the two has sprung up from the lab-grown side of the industry as a way to convince people to opt for the new, less-expensive alternative to natural diamonds. A big case against natural diamonds is “blood diamonds.” The African continent contains most of the world’s diamonds, and such diamonds have historically been used to finance violent revolutions. The Kimberly Process has been attempting to remove these “conflict diamonds” from the global supply chain process since 2003 and today certifies 99.8% of natural diamonds. While the Kimberly Process accounts for corrupt diamonds as it relates to “rebel movements waging war against recognized governments”, its narrow definition doesn’t account for other human rights violations (e.g. minor involvement, unsafe working conditions, environmental concerns). There are also reports indicating that loopholes exist in the Kimberly Process. What this means is that you should just be extra vigilant when buying a natural diamond: always make sure they have the Kimberly Process certification and that they report ethical sourcing practices. And question anything that seems off. 

Another argument for lab-grown diamonds is that they’re more environmentally friendly. Mining anything is inherently not sustainable, so of course natural diamond mining isn’t ideal for the environment. According to S&P Global, each polished carat of natural diamond uses an average of 160 kg of greenhouse gasses. Diamond mining also negatively disturbs the environment around the mines by polluting water and soil and displacing existing ecosystems. However, according to the International Gem Society, manufacturing diamonds in a lab also has some environmental effects. What lab-grown marketing seems to conveniently leave out is that their processes also use a lot of energy. Each polished carat of lab-grown diamond uses 511 kg of greenhouse gasses - that’s three times more than natural. Some manufacturers use renewable sources of energy, like Diamond Foundry which uses solar power, but not most. But unlike natural diamonds, there’s no direct/immediate ecosystem impact associated with lab-grown diamonds.

Why are we even talking about this?

While society can make topics around jewelry (and other female-focused fascinations) seem frivolous, the reality is that the diamond industry is a $97B+ market. And as women, we wear the lion’s share of diamonds. While historically more men may have purchased diamonds, things are changing. The rise of the lab-grown diamond has made jewelry more accessible and thus democratized a once hard-to-reach luxury. No longer is it the case that women wait around for men to buy them diamonds. We’re buying them for ourselves in the form of tennis bracelets, vintage-style earrings, and more. We also posit that the increase in demand for lab-grown diamonds represents a shift in women’s perspective on diamonds in general: we’re not necessarily convinced that we need the priciest ring. And in the process, we’re dethroning the once monopolistic behemoths that ruled the diamond industry and tried to tell us that a rock determined our worth. 

Let us know what you think by voting in our poll and leaving a comment (both fully anonymous!).

  💭 Our two cents

When it comes to lab-grown vs. natural diamonds, we say who the F cares what other people are doing. We love that lab-grown is making diamonds more accessible, but the lab vs. natural diamond debate feels like an invented marketing ploy by two sides of an industry that’s just trying to make more money. At the end of the day, we can’t tell you how much to value X over Y. Some people will want the natural diamond because it’s more likely to hold value over time and it feels meaningful to be able to pass something like that down. Others will like that lab-grown diamonds don’t involve mining and have no chance of being tied to rebel wars. Or perhaps most reasonably, you love a good deal and are happy to go with a ring that’s a fifth of the price for basically the same thing. 

Ultimately, all we hope is that this piece has helped you become more educated about the debate and make sure you’re choosing what’s truly best for you. And remember, what you choose is your business, so you don’t have to shout to the rooftops which you went with. That being said, we tend to err on the side of openness when it comes to these topics (see our salary transparency piece) because as we always say, knowledge is power. And the more we take pride in our decisions (especially those that involve a lot of money), the more we can empower others to do the same. 

The last thing we’ll say is that we live in a world where society is constantly encouraging women to one-up each other. So before you make a snarky comment about someone’s ridiculous spending on a natural diamond, or make a snub at a lab-grown ring, take a second to ask yourself what you’re trying to accomplish here. Does it really matter whether your ring – or anyone else’s – is lab-grown or natural?

 ✅ You should also know…

💍 BOGO Deal: Want a natural diamond but worried about wearing it during travel, exercise, etc.? The Clear Cut gifts one lab-grown diamond with every purchase of a natural. 

🩸 More on Blood Diamonds:  Interested in the ethical side of diamonds? Check out NPR’s ‘The Dark Side of Diamonds’ podcast episode. It’s almost two decades old but offers a fascinating history. 

🧸 What makes some objects feel special?: This week, No Stupid Questions addressed this audience question that dives into the psychology of how we assign value to material things. 

💃 The girls have spoken

Last week, we took on the question So… why can’t I stop over-apologizing, and, well, we gave you the long answer. While the forces and factors that contribute to why we apologize and how we’re perceived when we do are complicated and contradictory, to say the least, there’s one thing that’s not so complex: whether you all consider yourselves to be over-apologizers. Well in short, yes, yes you do. In our most lopsided poll to date, a whopping 92% of you said you’re an over-apologizer in at least one aspect of your life – personal or professional – and 60% said you’re an over-apologizer across the board. Perhaps after considering all of the information in the rest of the post, though, some of you might drop the “over” from your self-characterization, even if you keep the “apologizer.”

One piece of last week’s newsletter that you all loved was the concrete examples of how we might be able to sometimes replace the phrase we know all too well – ”I’m sorry” – with less blameworthy alternatives. If you’re still on the lookout for more of these swappable phrases, check out this HBR article for apology replacements in various scenarios as well as tips for crafting an apology when it is truly warranted. Because I guess we actually make mistakes sometimes, too... ;)

💌 Up Next

That’s all for today! If you liked this edition of Not That Personal, we think one of your friends probably will too – refer one (or two or three) below. ;)

Have something to say? We’d love to hear it – reply to this email or leave an anonymous comment here :) 

Up next: So…should I quit my job? 

💖 S & J