4 CTW East-West Antique Cushion Lab Grown Diamond Inside Out Huggie Earrings

A lab grown diamond is a real diamond. Same carbon crystal structure, same hardness, same brilliance as a mined diamond. The only difference is origin: one forms over billions of years underground; the other grows in weeks or months in a controlled environment using technology that replicates that same process. The result is physically, chemically, and optically identical—meaning they look, feel, and sparkle just the same. Learn more about what lab grown diamonds are →

Yes, lab grown diamonds are real diamonds. They are graded by the same gemological laboratories, including GIA and IGI, using the same standards applied to mined diamonds. They're not simulants like cubic zirconia or moissanite. They are diamonds. Read: Are Lab Grown Diamonds Real? →

All loose diamonds and most finished jewelry featuring diamonds 2 carats and above are certified by IGI, GCAL, or GIA — the same institutions that certify mined diamonds — with a laser-inscribed serial number on the girdle.

Lab grown diamonds are created using two methods: HPHT and CVD.

High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT): Replicates the Earth's extreme heat and pressure where diamonds naturally form. A small diamond seed is placed in a chamber and exposed to over 1600°C and intense pressure, causing carbon atoms to bond and grow into a diamond crystal.

Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD): A diamond seed is placed in a vacuum chamber filled with carbon-rich gases. With high heat and ionized gases, carbon atoms slowly layer onto the seed, growing the diamond crystal over time.

Both methods produce real, gem-quality diamonds that are indistinguishable from mined diamonds without specialized testing equipment. A deeper look at how lab grown diamonds are made →

Yes. Lab grown diamonds test as real diamonds because they are real diamonds—same chemical composition, same physical properties. Standard diamond testers that measure thermal and electrical conductivity will detect them as diamonds, because there is nothing to distinguish.

Lab grown diamonds typically cost 50–90% less than mined diamonds of comparable quality, and the gap widens significantly at larger carat weights.

The reason isn't lower quality. It's what's been removed from the price: the overhead of traditional mining and distribution, tightly controlled supply, and over a century of marketing investment built into every mined diamond sold.

The diamond itself — the carbon crystal structure, the cut, the certification, the brilliance — is identical. What you're paying for here is the stone and the craftsmanship. Not the story built around it. Lab Grown vs. Natural Diamonds: The Full Comparison →