Last Updated on July 12, 2023 by Rolf Hartmann
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This in-depth guide to grey lab-grown diamonds will tell you everything you need to know about grey lab-grown diamonds. We’ll discuss the distinctions between mined and lab-grown grey diamonds, how grey diamonds are generated in a lab, and how they acquire their appealing grey tint. You’ll also learn how to save money when buying a grey lab-grown diamond and where to find grey lab-grown diamonds.
3 best places to buy grey lab-grown diamonds
What are grey lab-grown diamonds?
Grey lab-grown diamonds are just like grey mined diamonds. While they differ in origin and how they obtain their grey hue, as we shall learn below, grey lab-created diamonds are otherwise exactly the same. In addition, lab-grown diamonds are cheaper than mined ones and have added environmental and ethical benefits.
How do grey diamonds get their color?
Grey diamonds are one of the rarer diamond colors. Like blue diamonds and violet diamonds, grey diamonds are thought to get their grey shade from boron and hydrogen. These impurities replace some of the carbon atoms, creating different tones and intensities of grey.
Strictly mined and lab-grown grey diamonds are rare, much like most other pure shades. Most often, grey diamonds will have secondary blue, violet, or greenish-yellow hues. Grey diamonds also range from light grey to fancy dark grey.
Grey diamonds vs. Salt and Pepper diamonds
Mined and lab-grown grey diamonds are different from salt and pepper diamonds. But, if you haven’t heard of salt and pepper diamonds, it’s probably a good thing.
The diamond industry has been clever enough to use and market every diamond quality out there. For diamonds that are too low in quality to be faceted, they go on to contribute to industrial purposes.
Though nitrogen impurities and yellow tints are undesirable in colorless diamonds, they found a way to market faint yellow diamonds as cape diamonds. Similarly, some in the industry have marketed diamonds with very low clarity grades, usually I2 and I3 diamonds.
These diamonds are heavily speckled with dark mineral inclusions throughout what would otherwise be considered a colorless diamond. Salt and pepper diamonds have internal inclusions, not surface blemishes. Surface blemishes can compromise the structure of your diamond.
They can make it vulnerable to chipping or splitting if dropped in the wrong spot. Internal inclusions only impact the diamond visually, not structurally, as long as they’re not close to the surface or edges.
Grey diamonds are grey-colored and can have higher clarity than I2 and I3. That’s not to say that low-clarity grey diamonds don’t exist, but high-clarity ones can too. But, typically, clarity isn’t a significant factor when grading colored diamonds unless they are dark and prominent.
Grey lab-grown diamonds vs. black lab-grown diamonds
If you read both the pink lab-grown diamonds and the red lab-grown diamonds guides, you know that different intensities set the difference between a pink diamond and a red diamond.
So, you’d probably assume that grey lab-grown diamonds and black lab-grown diamonds would follow along the same lines. But that isn’t true.
Mined black diamonds get their black hue initially from many dark mineral inclusions. They are then irradiated to achieve a better saturation of color. Lab-grown black diamonds are essentially colorless diamonds that have been irradiated black colored.
Unlike many fancy diamond colors, black diamonds don’t come in different intensities. They come as Fancy Black diamonds. They may have brownish or greenish modifiers, also known as secondary colors. But there is just one intensity.
Grey diamonds have different intensities. They can have just a hint of smoky grey color, or they can be a darker grey color. Grey diamonds are meant to be transparent but still grey. Black diamonds are translucent to opaque black.
Are grey lab-grown diamonds expensive or cheap?
Compared to colorless diamonds, a fancy grey diamond is generally more expensive. However, grey diamonds aren’t as expensive as other fancy colors like pink, blue, or green – as long as they don’t have blue or violet secondary hues.
Bluish grey diamonds and violet grey diamonds are going to be the most expensive as they venture into the rarer fancy color diamonds. On the other hand, dark grey diamonds tend to be the least high price per carat.
When grey diamonds are grown in a lab, they tend to be much less expensive than their natural forms. Lab-created grey diamonds aren’t cheap, but they definitely come more affordable than mined at around a 30% discount.
Why choose grey lab-grown diamonds?
When it comes to colored diamonds, grey lab-grown diamonds are probably one of the last colors that pop into your mind. It might be because you didn’t know it existed, or the color just didn’t jump out of you.
But for the person looking for a unique colored diamond to command attention to their engagement ring, a lab-created grey diamond can be an alluring option.
Not to be confused with salt and pepper diamonds or black diamonds, grey lab-grown diamonds are a fancy lab diamond color in their own right. The most expensive grey diamonds have secondary hues of blue or violet.
Less expensive grey lab-grown diamonds will have yellow or greenish secondary hues. The darker the grey, the lower the price seems to go. Fully saturated gems will command the highest prices.
Whatever your reason, there are many reasons to choose a grey lab-grown diamond for your lab diamond engagement ring. At a more affordable price with controlled saturation and hues, there’s no reason why you should pass up grey diamonds!
Where to buy grey lab-grown diamonds
We review lab-grown diamond sellers at LabGrownCarats.com to help you choose the best lab-created diamonds at the lowest prices. Fancy-colored lab-grown diamonds aren’t available at every jeweler, and grey lab-grown diamonds are among the most difficult to find. But they can be found at our preferred and top-rated lab diamond jeweler listed below.
We recommend James Allen for grey lab-grown diamonds because they have the biggest collection of excellent grey fancy-colored lab diamonds at the lowest prices. Further, James Allen provides exceptional customer care and the best diamond shopping experience. Discover why James Allen is the premier place to buy grey lab diamonds.
