Lab Grown Diamonds
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A lab grown diamond is a real diamond. It is the same carbon in the same crystal lattice as a mined stone, with the same hardness and the same way of returning light, and no jeweller can tell the two apart by eye. The only difference is where it formed. A natural diamond crystallised underground over billions of years; a lab grown diamond is grown in a chamber in a matter of weeks. That is the whole reason it costs less.
Diamond Story lists lab grown loose diamonds in every shape, each with an independent grading report and a laser inscription on the girdle matching it. Use the filters above to narrow by shape, carat, colour, clarity and cut. Prices move with live supply, so the stone you are looking at is the stone available today, and every one is sold loose so you choose the diamond first and the setting second.
Lab grown diamond shapes
Shape is the fastest way to cut a large inventory down to a shortlist, and every shape below is available as a lab grown stone. Lab grown round brilliant diamonds return the most light and account for most engagement rings. Oval and pear shaped stones spread the weight along the finger, so they read larger than their carat suggests, which compounds the size advantage lab grown already gives you. Emerald and asscher cut stones are step cuts with long open facets that show clarity readily, and lab grown supply sits high on the clarity scale, so they are unusually good value in this inventory. Princess cut and radiant stones keep a square outline with brilliant faceting. Cushion cut softens the corners for a warmer, more antique look. Marquise and heart shaped stones are the two most distinctive outlines in the range.
What the 4Cs change in a lab grown diamond
Cut, colour, clarity and carat are the four grades on every certificate, but they do not carry the same weight here that they do when you are buying natural. Lab grown supply is concentrated at the top of the colour and clarity scales, which changes where your money is best spent.
| Grade | What it measures | How lab grown differs | Where to spend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cut | Proportion, symmetry and polish, how well the stone is made | No different. Cut quality is set by the cutter, not by how the crystal was formed | Here. It is the one grade that changes how the stone looks, and the one lab growing does not hand you |
| Colour | How close to colourless, graded D through Z | Supply skews heavily to D, E and F, so colourless is the norm rather than the premium | Very little. Paying up from G to D buys a difference you will not see face up |
| Clarity | Size, number and position of internal inclusions | Most stones grade VS or better and are eye clean without trying | Very little. Buy eye clean and stop; flawless is a paper grade here, not a visible one |
| Carat | Weight, not diameter | The grade the price advantage actually buys you. Weights that are out of reach in a natural stone are not here | Here, after cut. This is where lab grown earns its keep |
The short version: buy the best cut you can, take an eye clean clarity rather than the highest grade, accept G or F colour, and put everything you save into carat. That order is different from the natural advice, and it is the single most useful thing to know before you filter.
Certification, growth method and the laser inscription
Every lab grown diamond in this inventory carries an independent grading report, most often from IGI, which grades a large share of the world’s lab grown stones. The report states cut, colour, clarity, carat, measurements, polish, symmetry and the growth method, and it names the stone as laboratory grown. The girdle carries a laser inscription of the report number, so the certificate and the stone can always be matched.
Growth method is either HPHT, which recreates the heat and pressure of the earth’s mantle around a diamond seed, or CVD, which builds the crystal layer by layer from a carbon-rich gas. Both produce the same material and neither is inherently better in the finished stone. What matters on the report is the same thing that matters in a natural diamond: the cut grade.
When you compare two stones, compare reports from the same laboratory. Grading standards differ slightly between labs, so the same letter from two different reports is not a like for like match.
Lab grown or natural?
Both are real diamonds and both are sold as diamonds under Australian consumer law. The difference is origin, rarity and price. A lab grown stone lets the same budget buy a visibly larger or better-cut diamond, which is why most people choosing it are choosing size. A natural stone is the rarer of the two, has an established resale market, and carries the geological story that lab grown by definition cannot. Lab grown prices have also fallen as production has scaled, so it is a poor choice if you are thinking about resale.
If you are weighing the two, compare the same specification side by side in our natural diamond inventory before you commit. The filters work the same way, so you can price an identical carat, colour, clarity and cut in each and see exactly what the difference is worth to you.
Why buy the diamond loose
Buying a loose diamond separates two decisions that a finished ring forces you to make at once. You choose the stone on its own merits, see it out of a setting where nothing is hidden behind claws, and then choose the setting that suits it. It also puts more of the budget into the diamond rather than into a pre-made ring. Diamond Story sets loose stones into engagement rings, pendants and earrings in our Melbourne workshop, so the stone you pick here is the stone that goes into the piece.
Buying lab grown at wholesale
Diamond Story is a diamond wholesaler as well as a retailer, which is why the stones on this page are priced from live supply rather than marked up on a shelf. You are seeing the inventory at close to trade level, and the GST-exclusive prices in the feed reflect that. It is the same reason the range is this deep: we are listing what is actually available in the market today, not a curated case of a dozen stones.
If you want to see the whole picture rather than one category, our full loose diamond range covers natural and lab grown together, along with the current specials. It is also the fastest way to buy diamonds direct if you already know the specification you are after and simply want the best price on it.
Frequently asked questions
Are lab grown diamonds real diamonds?
Yes. A lab grown diamond is carbon in the same crystal lattice as a mined one, with the same hardness of 10 on the Mohs scale and the same refractive index. It is not a simulant. Moissanite and cubic zirconia are different materials that imitate a diamond; a lab grown diamond is a diamond. A grading laboratory tells the two apart by growth pattern and laser inscription, never by eye.
How are lab grown diamonds made?
Two methods. HPHT recreates the heat and pressure found deep underground around a small diamond seed. CVD grows the crystal layer by layer from carbon-rich gas in a vacuum chamber. Both produce the same material. A stone takes a matter of weeks rather than the billions of years a natural diamond took, which is the entire reason it costs less.
How much cheaper are lab grown diamonds?
Substantially, at the same specification. Because the supply is manufactured rather than mined, the same budget buys a visibly larger stone or a higher grade. The practical effect is that carat weights which would be out of reach in a natural stone are affordable here. Compare the same carat, colour, clarity and cut across both inventories before you decide.
Do lab grown diamonds hold their value?
Not the way a natural diamond does. Lab grown prices have fallen as production capacity has grown, and there is no established resale market for them. Buy a lab grown diamond because you want the largest, best-cut stone your budget allows, not as an investment. If resale value matters to you, that is an argument for a natural stone.
Which of the 4Cs matters most in a lab grown diamond?
Cut, by a wide margin, and more so than in a natural stone. Lab grown supply skews heavily toward the top of the colour and clarity scales, so paying up for D colour or VVS clarity buys you very little you can see. Spend the difference on cut grade and carat instead.
Are lab grown diamonds graded and certified?
Yes. Every lab grown diamond in this inventory carries an independent report, most commonly from IGI, which grades a large share of the world's lab grown stones. The report states cut, colour, clarity, carat, measurements, polish, symmetry and the growth method, and the stone carries a laser inscription on its girdle matching the report number.
Can a jeweller tell a lab grown diamond from a natural one?
Not by eye, and not with a loupe. The two are optically identical. Identification requires laboratory instruments that read the stone's growth pattern and trace elements. In practice the honest answer is that nobody looking at your ring will be able to tell, which is why the decision comes down to origin, price and resale rather than appearance.
What does eye clean mean?
Eye clean means no inclusions are visible to the unaided eye at normal viewing distance, even though the grading report lists them. Most lab grown stones on the market are VS or better and are eye clean by default, so clarity is rarely the constraint here that it is when buying natural.
Can I buy a loose lab grown diamond and have it set later?
Yes. Every stone in this inventory is sold loose. Choose the diamond on its own merits first, then have Diamond Story set it into an engagement ring, pendant or pair of earrings in our Melbourne workshop. Buying the stone and the setting separately puts more of the budget into the diamond itself.
Do the prices shown include GST?
No. Prices in the diamond inventory are shown excluding GST, and 10 percent GST is added at checkout. The price on a Diamond Story product page already includes GST, which is why the two figures differ. The banner at the top of this page flags the same thing.
Can I see the diamond before I buy it?
Yes. Shortlist the stones you are interested in and book a time at the Diamond Story showroom in Little Collins Street, Melbourne to view them in person. If a stone in the inventory is not on site, we can bring it in for you to inspect before you commit to anything.
What lab grown diamond shape should I choose?
Round brilliant returns the most light and is the most popular by a wide margin. Oval and pear read larger than their carat weight because the outline spreads the stone along the finger. Emerald and asscher are step cuts with long open facets. Princess, cushion, radiant, marquise and heart each sit between those extremes.
Not sure which stone is right?
Book a time in our Melbourne showroom and see your shortlist in person, or send us the specification you are after and we will source it.
Talk to our diamond team