What Are The Differences Between Natural Diamonds & Lab Grown Diamonds?

Learn the facts about the most sought-after gemstone in the world.

Natural diamonds are among the most coveted gemstones in the world and are valued for their beauty, rarity, uniqueness, and timeless appeal. Despite the increase in lab-grown diamond popularity, there will always be customers who will settle for nothing less than a natural diamond. 

Natural diamonds are completely unique, much like a fingerprint. Diamonds are billions of years old —in some cases, more than three billion years old. (A natural diamond may be the oldest thing you will ever hold!) They are made of almost pure carbon crystallizing under extreme conditions of high temperature and enormous pressure.



Natural diamonds are formed approximately 100 miles under the earth’s surface. They are transferred to the surface by volcanic activities. Many years later, the magma solidifies to a diamond-rich rock known as kimberlite. Mining starts from the surface level and digs down in a cone shape to extract the diamonds from the pipe. 

According to GIA (Gemological Institute of America), “The special combination of chemical composition, crystal structure, and formation process gives diamonds the qualities that make them extraordinary.”

Minerals are assigned a number between 1 and 10 on the Mohs Hardness Scale to describe their resistance to scratching. Diamonds are given the highest number, a 10. There is nothing on earth that can scratch a diamond — except another diamond.

What’s the difference between natural diamonds and lab-grown diamonds?

• A natural diamond is gem material that crystallized (or developed) in nature without any human intervention.
• Lab-grown diamonds are man-made in a laboratory using either High Pressure/High Temperature (HPHT) or Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD).

The journey of a rough diamond to a brilliant one is time-consuming, and not all diamonds “make the grade,” so to speak. Diamonds flow from mines through cutting centers, and ultimately to jewelry store for retail customers. The process of diamond cutting and polishing is an art and a science.

Brillianteering is the process of polishing the facets of the cut diamond so that it reflects and refracts the optimal amount of light. The polishing of the natural diamond determines how much fire, brilliance and sparkle it will have.

Diamond professionals use a set of four values to describe and classify diamonds: clarity, color, cut, and carat weight. These are the Four Cs of diamonds. When used together, they describe the quality of a finished diamond, which is directly related to its value.