Blue Lab-Grown Diamonds – The Complete Buying Guide
Last Updated on March 12, 2023 by LabGrownCarats
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In this complete guide to blue lab-grown diamonds, you’ll learn all you need about blue lab-created diamonds. We’ll discuss the contrasts between mined and lab-grown blue diamonds, how blue diamonds are made in a laboratory, and how they acquire their captivating blue color. You’ll also learn how to save money when buying a blue lab-grown diamond and where to shop for blue lab-grown diamonds.
What are blue lab-grown diamonds?
Blue diamonds are probably the most well-known color of fancy-colored diamonds. Most of that familiarity is credited to the infamous Hope Diamond. Virtually the most famous of all diamonds, the 45.52-carat cursed Blue Diamond has its own legendary tales of misfortune.
It baffles many people how a diamond is that big and beautiful, but the answer to that question is boron. Boron and a lot of luck when it comes to natural diamonds.
Blue diamonds are among the rarest colors of fancy-colored diamonds. The chance of boron seeping into a diamond crystal as it is forming is an unlikely occurrence. More than that, the crystal lattice of a diamond has to be flawed for the boron to produce a blue diamond.
Add that the blue diamond should be completely saturated throughout with a uniform blue color without the crystal. While clarity and cut aren’t as large of factors in colored diamond value as color and carat weight, you don’t want a colored diamond with a bunch of visible inclusions.
All of these factors must happen inside one crystal to become a gem quality fancy blue diamond.
Blue lab-grown diamonds creation process
Blue lab-grown diamonds, on the other hand, are a lot easier to create. It also happens in a lot less time than it takes to create a mined blue diamond. To make a blue lab-grown diamond, scientists have to simulate the conditions that happen underground in their laboratory environment.
So, how do they do that?
Blue lab-grown diamonds are created using the HPHT process. By using high temperature and high heat on a fragment of a rare Type IIb diamond, it simulates the conditions needed for diamonds to form on the earth.
In the case of the blue lab-grown diamond, the diamond crystal is exposed to boron impurities. The boron seeps into the flawed crystal lattice of a Type IIb diamond, turning it blue.
Are blue lab-grown diamonds real diamonds?
Blue lab-grown diamonds are real diamonds just as much as blue mined diamonds are real. Blue lab diamonds possess the same physical, optical, and chemical composition as mined ones. The realness of a diamond is not dependent on its origin.
However, origin does have an impact. On price and the environmental and societal footprint. First, our lab-grown vs. mined diamond price comparison found that lab diamonds are 60-80% cheaper than the exact same mined diamonds.
Second, blue diamonds created in the laboratory are 100% guaranteed conflict-free and do not come with the negative impact on the environment or local communities that mining has been linked to.
In summary, blue lab-created diamonds and blue diamonds from a mine are exactly the same. No one, even a jeweler, will not be able to tell them apart except if they use sophisticated and expensive equipment that only diamond grading institutes use. But you’ll feel it on the weight of your wallet and diamonds, both of which will be heavier. While your conscience will be lighter.
Which is a blue lab-grown diamond, and which is mined?
Both of these diamonds are blue pear-shaped diamonds and weigh 0.71 carats. But one is mined and costs $70,150. And the other blue diamond is lab-grown and costs $1,070.
How much do blue lab-grown diamonds cost?
Despite being much easier to create in the lab, lab-grown blue diamonds are not inexpensive, but they are a lot less expensive than mined ones. By a long shot!
There are still fewer blue lab-created diamonds in the world than the demand for them. That’s especially true for lab blue diamonds over 2 carats with strong blue hues. They are very rare and more expensive than colorless lab-grown diamonds of similar quality. So diamonds have not become a commodity, even if lab-grown.
It’s much easier to find blue lab-grown diamonds in smaller carat weights, which are much more affordable. However, if you are looking for a very large blue center stone for your engagement ring, expect to pay $7-8,000 for an excellent quality 3-carat stone.
The cost per carat for blue lab-grown diamonds will vary based on color, clarity, cut, and carat weight. The brand, diamond certificate, and specific hues also contribute to price and value.
For example, a certified 4-carat blue diamond with intense blue colors can cost over $15,000. But on the other hand, a pair of 2-carat (one carat in each ear) blue lab-grown diamond earring studs can cost $2,000, and a 1-carat pair less than $1,000 (total weight).
All in all, you should expect 1-carat blue diamonds with excellent quality to cost over $1500. If it seems like a bargain price, make sure it’s a certified diamond from a legitimate lab.
Which is a blue lab-grown diamond, and which is mined?
Compare the two diamonds below and guess which one costs $46,000 (1 carat) and which one costs $840 (0.71 carats).
Should I buy a blue lab-grown diamond?
Blue lab-grown diamonds are an excellent choice for an engagement ring because they have all the same qualifications as a mined blue diamond. They have the same physical, optical, and chemical properties as mined blue diamonds.
But unlike most blue diamonds, blue lab-created diamonds have better clarity, color, and carat weight for a much more affordable price. Additionally, they are perfect for everyday wear, unlike other blue-colored gemstones (except sapphire). And you don’t have to worry about losing a $100.000 blue diamond.
Mined blue diamonds may be extremely rare, but the price for the smallest, lightest blue diamond is out of the average consumer’s budget.
Lab-grown blue diamonds give customers a chance to own their own real blue diamonds of better quality for a much lower price. Lab-grown diamonds are democratizing diamond ownership!
Tips for saving on blue lab-grown diamonds
You’ll find that blue lab-grown diamonds have more intensive hues than mined ones. And, importantly, they are affordable for regular people like us. But did you know you can save even more on a blue lab-grown diamond? Just follow these tips:
- Look into blue lab-grown diamonds with slightly lower clarity and cut grade. Unlike colorless diamonds, the most crucial fancy-color diamond “C” is color. So, decreasing clarity and cut (which you should never do with colorless diamonds) can save you a lot. And that saving can be put towards a better color grade or a larger diamond (or saving).
- Consider lower-weight (smaller) blue lab diamonds since the cost of larger blue lab diamonds goes up quickly (2 carats and up). It may be worthwhile choosing a smaller diamond but with a better color (or saving).
- Shop for blue lab-grown diamonds online and buy at our recommended jewelers (see which they are below). If you buy from a top-rated jeweler, you can save while getting a much better blue diamond.
- Consider a less expensive diamond color. Blue lab-created diamonds are very rare (even when made in a laboratory) and thus expensive. Other colors are cheaper, including yellow lab-grown diamonds.
- Access lower prices during sales and use discount codes when shopping for blue lab-grown diamonds. We collect and share all the best discounts on lab-grown diamonds!
- And, if you were still in doubt, purchase a blue lab-grown diamond. Lab-created blue diamonds are much cheaper and often better than mined diamonds, but otherwise, they are precisely the same. Particularly colored diamonds, such as blue, are incredibly affordable compared to their mined equivalents.
Where to buy blue lab-grown diamonds
We review lab-grown diamond retailers at LabGrownCarats.com to help you get the best lab-created diamonds and the best price. You won’t find fancy-colored lab-grown diamonds at all jewelers, but the blue lab-grown diamond is one of the most popular, and you can find them at most of our highest-rated jewelers.
We recommend these places for lab-grown blue diamonds because of their large stock of premium blue fancy-colored lab diamonds at the best prices you’ll find anywhere. In addition, they all have incredible customer service and the best diamond shopping experience. Learn more about why they are the best places to buy blue lab diamonds.
- Read our Grown Brilliance review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Read our Clean Origin review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Read our Ritani review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Read our James Allen review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Read our Brilliant Earth review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
