Lab-grown diamond education
A reference for your sales floor: what a lab-grown diamond is, how it's graded, and how to talk about it with customers.
Lab-grown vs mined
The same diamond, grown rather than mined
A lab-grown diamond is carbon crystallized into the diamond lattice under controlled conditions — chemically, physically and optically the same as a mined diamond. Only specialist lab equipment can tell them apart.
| Property | Lab-grown | Mined |
|---|---|---|
| Composition | Pure carbon (C) | Pure carbon (C) |
| Crystal structure | Cubic | Cubic |
| Hardness (Mohs) | 10 | 10 |
| Refractive index | 2.42 | 2.42 |
| Dispersion | 0.044 | 0.044 |
| Density (g/cm³) | 3.52 | 3.52 |
| Origin | Grown above ground — CVD or HPHT | Mined |
| Graded by | IGI, GIA | IGI, GIA |
Grading
The 4 Cs
Cut
How well the facets return light. Cut drives brilliance and fire more than any other C — an Excellent or Ideal cut makes a smaller stone face up bigger and brighter.
Color
Graded D (colorless) to Z. Shinebright jewelry is set with F-G — near-colorless, the sweet spot where the eye sees white and the price stays sensible.
Clarity
Inclusions and blemishes under 10× magnification, from FL to I3. VS and SI stones are eye-clean when well chosen.
Carat
Weight, not size: 1 carat = 0.2 g. Total carat weight (CTW) is the sum of every diamond in a piece; center weight is the main stone alone.
For your sales team
How to talk about lab-grown
Four points that answer most customer questions at the counter.
- 1
Lab-grown diamonds are real diamonds — the US Federal Trade Commission's Jewelry Guides define a diamond by what it is, not where it formed.
- 2
They must be disclosed: describe them as lab-grown, laboratory-created or [manufacturer]-created, never as "natural".
- 3
Same sparkle, same hardness, same care — at a price that puts a larger or better stone within reach.
- 4
Certified centers come with an IGI or GIA report — the report number is usually laser-inscribed on the girdle, so the stone can be matched to its paperwork.
Certification
Graded by IGI and GIA
Certified centers come with an independent grading report covering the 4 Cs, measurements, proportions and growth method. Look up any report on the lab's website by its number.
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