Bottom line: For most buyers focused on beauty and value, a lab-grown diamond is the stronger purchase. Choose a mined diamond when natural origin and geological rarity are central to what the ring means to you.
Lab-grown diamonds have become one of the most popular choices for engagement rings — and for good reason. They cost much less than mined diamonds and can reduce mining impacts, especially when produced with lower-carbon energy. In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about choosing the perfect lab-grown diamond engagement ring.
Lab-Grown Diamond Engagement Rings: Is It the Right Choice for You?
Lab-grown diamond engagement rings have evolved dramatically over the past few years. What started as a niche ethical alternative is now a go-to choice for couples who value transparency, sustainability, and exceptional value.
In 2026, lab-grown diamonds offer the same fundamental optical and physical properties as mined diamonds and are often 60–80% less expensive in comparable listings. But before you decide, it’s worth understanding what sets them apart, how they’re made, and whether they’re the right fit for your relationship — and your budget.
Lab-grown diamond rings from the James Allen collection at Blue Nile
What Exactly Is a Lab-Grown Diamond?
A lab-grown diamond is a real diamond created in a high-tech laboratory that replicates the natural formation process that occurs underground over billions of years.
There are two different ways of creating lab-grown diamonds for lab-grown diamond engagement rings:
- The first method, and most common way to create lab diamonds, is by using “High-Pressure High Temperature (HPHT).” In short, the process replicates the high pressure and high temperature found under the earth’s surface, where mined diamonds are formed. Grossly simplified, heat and immense pressure squeeze pure carbon atoms together to form a diamond.
- The second method is chemical vapor deposition (CVD). A diamond seed is placed in a sealed chamber and heated to around 800 degrees Celsius, and then the chamber is filled with carbon-rich gases that are used to stimulate and grow the diamond.
Both methods create sparkling and very real diamonds, and you will not be able to tell the difference between an HPHT and CVD diamond — or a mined diamond, for that matter.
Pro Tip: Don’t confuse lab-grown diamonds with simulants like moissanite or cubic zirconia — those are entirely different materials.
Interested in learning more? Read our intro to lab-grown diamonds.
Are Lab Diamonds Real?
Yes, lab-grown diamonds are real diamonds. Despite being created in a laboratory, lab diamonds are chemically, physically, and optically equivalent to mined diamonds. They share the same properties, including unique characteristics like inclusions and clarity, making them indistinguishable from mined diamonds.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission recognizes that a diamond can be mined or laboratory-grown, provided sellers clearly disclose its origin. Independent laboratories assess both lab-grown and mined diamonds, but report formats differ. IGI supplies individual quality grades; GIA’s current D–Z lab-grown assessments use Premium or Standard. Our grading and certification guide explains what to look for on the actual report.
Even trained gemologists cannot tell the difference between lab-grown and mined diamonds with the naked eye. Specialized testing can identify growth features that separate laboratory-grown and mined diamonds; a grading-report number may also be laser-inscribed on the girdle.
Is Growing Diamonds in Laboratories a New Invention?
Growing diamonds in a laboratory is not a recent invention. Diamonds have been created in laboratories since the 1950s. However, gem-quality lab stones didn’t become available to the general public until a few decades later. The high-quality lab-created diamonds we see today are the result of decades of research and development by scientists, and the popularity of lab diamonds has only recently made it into mainstream retail.
For long, the traditional diamond industry heavyweights fought long and hard to keep lab diamonds out of the billion-dollar diamond market, fearing competition and the hefty margins on mined diamonds would disappear.
But times have changed, and in 2021, the world’s biggest jeweler, Pandora, announced that they would shift from mined to lab-created diamonds. De Beers also entered the category through Lightbox Jewelry, which later closed as a standalone consumer brand.
What’s the Difference Between a Lab Diamond and a Mined Diamond?
Lab-created and mined diamonds share the same crystal structure and optical properties. Their defining difference is origin: one grows in controlled equipment and the other forms underground.
- Mined diamonds were created billions of years ago and are sourced deep below the Earth’s surface. It requires extensive mining operations to extract them from the ground.
- Lab-grown diamonds are created in an advanced lab from tiny carbon “seeds” in a controlled process that lowers the total cost and energy consumption.
Princess-Cut Petite Pavé Crown Lab-Grown Diamond Engagement Ring from the James Allen collection at Blue Nile
What are the Benefits of Buying a Lab-Grown Diamond?
Lab-grown diamonds avoid the direct impacts of diamond mining and its associated risks, including habitat disruption, local pollution, labor abuse, and corruption. Their overall environmental footprint still depends heavily on the energy used in production, so diamonds grown with renewable or lower-carbon power are the strongest choice.
Additionally, lab-grown diamonds are 60-80% cheaper than their mined counterparts. So you’ll either save money or get a much better, bigger diamond for the same budget!
Why are Lab-Grown Diamonds Cheaper Than Mined Diamonds?
Mined diamonds’ production and supply chains are extraordinarily long, whereas the process of growing diamonds uses fewer resources than the process of mining diamonds. Simply put, growing a diamond in a lab is less expensive than mining one from the ground, resulting in significantly lower prices. That means that you can get a bigger and better lab-created diamond.
Will Lab-Grown Diamonds Lose Their Value?
The value may decrease over time, but the same is true of mined diamonds. That’s why we don’t recommend buying a diamond (engagement ring) with the intention of selling it in the future, whether it’s mined or made in a lab, because it won’t be a good investment.
It’s a common misconception that mined diamonds become more valuable over the years. The fact is that unless the diamond is very very rare, it’s nearly impossible to make a profit from a mined diamond that was purchased years ago. The truth is, much like when buying a brand-new car, a diamond’s resale value drops significantly the moment the person walks out of the store.
Is the Lab-grown Selection as Good as Mined Diamonds?
Yes. Major online jewelers now carry broad lab-grown inventories. Retailers such as Blue Nile and its James Allen collection and Ritani provide a diverse selection of lab diamonds and jewelry. All popular diamond shapes, such as brilliant, oval, princess, cushion, emerald, and more, are available as lab-grown diamonds.
If you want a fancy-colored lab-grown diamond, don’t worry; lab diamonds are available in a variety of colors, including pink, red, yellow, blue, and green. In particular, Brilliant Earth has a great selection of colored lab diamonds. And they’re much cheaper than colored mined diamonds because these are exceptionally rare. With lab diamonds, fancy-colored diamonds are no longer reserved for the rich!
Read our guide to fancy colored lab-created diamond engagement rings and learn all about buying a colored diamond ring.
Radiant Lab Created Diamond from Brilliant Earth
Are Lab-Grown Diamonds Popular?
The popularity of lab-grown diamonds has skyrocketed as more people become aware of their advantages over mined diamonds. Many find lab-grown diamonds appealing because lab-created diamonds are a more sustainable and ethical choice. On top of that, lab diamonds are 60-80% cheaper than mined diamonds.
Light pink colored lab diamond from Brilliant Earth
Expert Verdict – Should You Choose a Lab-Grown Diamond in 2026?
If your goal is to find a ring that’s stunning, responsible, and within budget, a lab-grown diamond makes perfect sense. It shines with the same fire and brilliance as a mined diamond — at a much lower price, with the strongest environmental case when production uses lower-carbon energy.
Still, some people treasure the romance of a diamond formed in nature over a billion years ago.
If your partner values size, beauty and lower prices more than natural origin or resale value, a lab-grown diamond engagement ring is likely the right choice.
Here are four reasons we think you should go for a lab-grown diamond.
- Lab-Grown Diamonds Are Real Diamonds
Lab-grown diamonds are chemically, physically, and optically identical to mined diamonds. Unlike diamond alternatives such as moissanite, lab-grown diamonds are genuine diamonds, offering the same brilliance, durability, and beauty as mined diamonds.
- Get More Diamond for Your Budget
Lab-grown diamonds cost 60-80% less than mined diamonds. This means you can purchase a larger or higher-quality diamond without stretching your budget—or save a large chunk in your pocket.
- The Ethical and Sustainable Choice
Lab-grown diamonds avoid diamond mining and its potential links to human-rights abuses and ecological damage. Production still uses substantial energy, so the environmental advantage is clearest when renewable or lower-carbon power is used.
- Avoid the Direct Impacts of Diamond Mining
Lab-grown production avoids excavation, mine infrastructure and the local pollution, labor abuse, corruption and conflict risks that can accompany mining. Energy use still matters, so producers using renewable or lower-carbon power make the strongest environmental case.
After you’ve learned everything you need about lab-grown diamonds, the next step is to find the best and cheapest diamond.
After reviewing and testing dozens of lab-grown diamond retailers, our experts at LabGrownCarats identified the brands that deliver the best balance of brilliance, ethics, and value.
Need help buying your first lab-grown diamond? Explore our expert guides:
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