We test all recommended products and services independently and exhaustively. If you buy through our links, we might receive compensation. Our recommendations are not influenced by monetary considerations. Learn more.
What are purple lab-grown diamonds?
Purple diamonds are one of the rarest colors of fancy-colored diamonds, right next to the very rare red diamond. They are rare in nature and are rarely produced in diamond laboratories. In the following, we’ll explain how mined and lab-grown purple diamonds are created, why they are rare, and what to look for.
The 3 best places to buy purple lab-created diamonds
How are purple diamonds created?
Just like with pink diamonds, scientists don’t have concrete evidence on what makes them turn a purple shade. But we have a pretty good idea.
Scientists have found evidence of both hydrogen and boron impurities in the crystal lattice of a mined diamond. It’s also possible that a purple shade in diamonds is due to vacancies in the crystal, like with pink and red diamonds.
Mined purple diamonds are very rare and come only from a few sources worldwide. The biggest source of purple diamonds, the Argyle mine in Australia, closed down in 2020. You can expect the rarity and value of natural purple diamonds to increase over the years.
Other places where purple diamonds can be found include South Africa, the Amazon, and Russia.
How rare are purple diamonds?
Out of all the lab-created fancy diamonds, a diamond with a purple shade is the rarest. A purple lab-grown diamond is more common than a natural, unenhanced purple diamond. Despite this, there aren’t an overwhelming number of them on the market.
If you do happen to come across a purple lab-grown diamond, it won’t hold the same value or rarity as a natural purple diamond, as lab-grown diamonds don’t increase in value. The costs of producing lab-grown diamonds are falling every day as production becomes easier. And that’s a good thing. It means more people can enjoy these gorgeous gemstones.
As far as pricing goes, mined purple diamonds are some of the most expensive fancy-color diamonds to date. They are estimated to be valued at $1.2 million per carat! Wonder if you can get that diamond on layaway.
Luckily, as we’ll show in the next section on purple lab-grown diamond prices, they are much more affordable. Lab-grown diamonds are better for the environment and do not carry the negative human impact that mined diamonds can.
Which purple diamond is lab-grown, and which is mined?
How much do purple lab-grown diamonds cost?
While purple lab-created diamonds are rare, they are nowhere near as limited as their mined counterpart. That means more people can access and wear this stunning, fancy-colored diamond.
Mined purple diamonds can cost millions, but lab-grown purple diamonds are more accessible. However, the most challenging part may be finding purple lab diamonds, as few jewelers carry them.
James Allen is one of the few diamond jewelers who carry purple lab diamonds. And, as luck would have it, James Allen is also one of our #1 rated places to buy lab-grown diamonds!
| Carat weight | Price | Prices seen at |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5 carat | $355 | New World Diamonds (review) |
| 1 carat | $3,320 | James Allen |
| 1.25 carat | $3,830 | James Allen |
But, as you can see from the above table, lab-grown diamonds are much more expensive than most other fancy-colored lab diamonds, even green lab-grown diamonds. And it’s near-impossible to find any large purple lab diamonds.
Are there pure purple diamonds?
Purple diamonds probably don’t look like what the average person thinks they should. You’re probably thinking of a royal purple color as you’d see in a high-quality amethyst.
In actuality, purple diamonds don’t look purple. They are often purplish pink or purplish red. These create maroon rather than your standard purple. Purple diamonds fall into lilac colors and mauve shades as well.
Due to the different intensities of purple diamonds, you may hear them addressed under trade names like plum diamonds, grape diamonds, lilac diamonds, lavender diamonds, mauve diamonds, or orchid diamonds.
Purple vs. violet diamonds
If you’ve ever seen a Crayola crayon box, you’ll notice that the purple crayon and the violet crayon are almost the same shade. However, with diamonds, it’s a bit different.
Since most purple diamonds have pinkish or reddish modifying hues, they differ in color from violet diamonds.
Violet diamonds are diamonds that are bluish-purple or purplish-blue in color. They are a combination of blue diamonds and purple diamonds. Violet diamonds have their own intensities and modifying hues as well.
Gray is often a secondary color in violet diamonds. Violet gray-blue diamonds are a result of hydrogen defects in the lattice. There aren’t any lab-grown violet diamonds available on the market currently.
Is it a purple lab-grown diamond?
Why you should buy a lab-grown purple diamond
If you ever have the opportunity to purchase a lab-grown purple diamond, we would recommend doing so. They might not be rare or valuable in resale or auction terms, but they’re very hard to find.
Most people who own purple gemstones own purple sapphires or amethyst rings, but very few people can own a mined purple diamond – or find a lab-grown purple diamond, either. Purple lab diamonds, despite being much more affordable, are as rare as mined purple diamonds.
It’s a unique stone with incredible purplish-pink hues that are hard to find in other gemstones, making it a worthy addition to your jewelry collection or a lab-grown diamond engagement ring.
Where to buy purple lab-created diamonds
We review and compare lab diamond jewelers at LabGrownCarats.com to help you find the best diamonds at the lowest price. However, as mentioned above, few diamond jewelers stock certified fancy-colored diamonds, particularly the highly scarce purple diamonds.
Luckily, one of our absolute top-rated lab-grown diamond jewelers sells purple diamonds: James Allen. We recommend James Allen for its excellent prices, large inventory of premium lab-grown diamonds, and their superior service and online shopping experience.
And for carrying lab-grown purple diamonds! You can shop with confidence at James Allen, knowing that you’ll end up with the perfect purple lab-created diamonds at the best possible price.
Read our James Allen review and see why they are the best places to buy green lab-grown diamonds.
