What are the Disadvantages of Lab-Grown Diamonds? Everything You Need to Know
For shoppers on a budget, a lab grown diamond is a seemingly easy choice. You get a nearly identical gemstone to a natural diamond at a much lower cost.
However, are there lab grown diamonds cons if you look a bit deeper? Here’s everything you need to know about lab grown vs natural diamonds.
What You Will Learn
Man-Made Diamonds: A Quick Overview of How They’re Made
Before we can get into the negatives of lab-grown diamonds, we must understand the differences between a lab-grown vs. natural diamond.
Put simply, natural or earth-mined diamonds are crafted over millions of years beneath the Earth’s crust from pure carbon combined with pressure and heat. Creating diamonds in a lab requires the same process, just fine-tuned to take place over a much smaller time frame in a much more controlled setting.
Using a handful of methods (like chemical vapor deposition), the diamond industry crafts each lab diamond using diamond seeds (a tiny piece of diamond) over weeks or months. The result is an actual diamond with quality equal to what you might find in their mined counterparts.
Main Differences Between Mined and Lab Diamonds
The primary differences between mined diamonds and lab diamonds include:
- Cost
- Eco-friendliness
- Ethics
- Availability
- Long-term value
Otherwise, both natural and synthetic diamonds are exactly the same in terms of chemical makeup (unlike diamond lookalikes, known as diamond simulants, like cubic zirconia).
The Cons of Lab-Grown Diamonds
So why would you not want to buy lab-created diamonds? There are a few disadvantages of lab-grown diamonds which may explain why you might avoid them.
Depreciating Value
As mentioned, one primary difference between lab-grown and natural diamonds is long-term value. Whereas earth-mined diamonds are rare and finite and tend to increase in price over time, lab diamonds are readily available. As demand rises, labs can continue to produce lab diamonds — meaning they are not limited or scarce compared to natural diamonds.
If you’re interested in fine jewelry from an investment standpoint, like lab-grown diamond rings, they won’t be a good fit for your needs.
Sentimental Value
There is, of course, a particular sentimental value that comes with a natural diamond. Regardless of their issues, mined diamonds have a romantic appeal that you can’t replicate in a lab diamond. For some, this sentimental value is enough persuasion to only purchase natural diamonds versus lab-created diamonds.
Lack of Education Surrounding Lab-Created Diamonds
Because of the lack of education surrounding lab-created diamonds, some may simply dislike them. They might think that lab-grown diamonds are inferior to natural diamonds or wonder are lab-grown diamonds real. If you’re specifically shopping for a diamond engagement ring, you’ll want to check with your spouse-to-be and get their thoughts. They might think that the cons of lab-grown diamonds outweigh the pros.
Suggested Read: What Are Lab-Grown Diamonds?
Human Rights Issues
It’s no secret that a mined diamond comes with its ethical considerations. Conflicts, wars, and human rights issues are all intermingled with the diamond industry.
That said, the diamond industry does provide income to third-world countries. Some might argue that, for this reason, buying a lab-made diamond also comes with its ethical considerations, as doing so takes income away from those involved in the natural diamond industry who may need it most.
Eco-Friendliness
Likewise, while diamond mining is hardly eco-friendly, creating a diamond in a lab isn’t exactly innocent. Making the conditions to transform a diamond seed into a lab-grown diamond requires large amounts of energy.
It’s Not Always Easy to Insure Lab Diamonds
You may find that your current insurance won’t cover a lab-grown diamond. If you rely on homeowners insurance or a similar policy to protect your fine jewelry in the event of a natural disaster or similar incident, be sure to thoroughly review what your policy will and will not cover jewelry-wise.
And if your current policy won’t cover your lab-grown diamonds (most won’t), check out options from BriteCo!
The Pros of Lab-Grown Diamonds
Even though there are, admittedly, a fair amount of lab diamond cons, there are also plenty of reasons why you should consider buying a lab-grown diamond.
Cost
The most crucial factor to consider, and what makes lab-grown diamonds stand apart from natural diamonds the most is cost.
Lab-grown diamonds are significantly cheaper than mined diamonds. If you’re on a budget and want to buy the best, highest-quality diamond for your money, a lab-grown diamond is the way to go.
Quality
Along these lines, from a “4 Cs” perspective (the “4 Cs” is the grading scale by which both mined and manmade diamonds are graded), lab-grown diamonds boast a higher level of quality. Traditional diamonds rely on the Earth’s conditions to determine their quality or lack thereof. But in a lab, manufacturers can directly control a diamond’s quality.
Ethical Considerations
Yes, there are ethical and environmental considerations with both mined and man-made diamonds. You’ll need to weigh both sides of the argument and decide which option you feel most aligns with your personal values.
More Options
Suppose your budget only allows you to shop for specific colors or cuts of natural diamonds. In that case, you’ll have far more options when shopping for a lab-grown diamond. You can easily find colored, man-made diamonds on the (relatively) cheap side as well as specific cuts that would be pricier if you were shopping for a mined diamond only.
Protect Your Lab-Grown Diamond with BriteCo Jewelry Insurance
As mentioned, not every insurance policy will protect your lab-grown diamond — but that hardly means it isn’t worth protecting.
Look at BriteCo’s jewelry insurance options and find the perfect fit for your lab-grown diamond. Our comprehensive coverage protects you under various unfortunate circumstances, from mysterious loss to theft.
Get your BriteCo quote in less than a minute today!
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Lab Diamonds FAQs
What’s the Difference Between Lab-Grown Diamonds Vs. Natural?
The difference between lab-grown diamonds vs. natural diamonds is that the latter is mined from natural deposits in the Earth while the former is made in a lab using controlled settings. But their quality is largely the same.
Are There Cons of Lab-Grown Diamonds?
While the difference between lab-grown and natural diamond options are minimal when it comes to quality, some of the drawbacks of lab-grown diamonds include the fact that the stone will depreciate over time and, to some, a lack of sentimental value that’s often associated with mined diamonds.
How Long Does It Take to Make a Lab-Grown Diamond?
While natural diamonds may form in rich deposits over million of years, a lab-grown diamond takes a fraction of the time. On average, the process is around six to ten weeks, but it was also recently reported by New York Post that a group of scientists made a lab diamond in just three hours.
What Are the Benefits to Buying Lab-Grown Diamonds?
First and foremost, a huge benefit of lab-created diamonds is the cost savings as they are significantly more affordable while providing nearly the same quality. There are also ethical considerations that normally exist with mined diamonds.
Buying Guide:
The Secret to Diamond Buying: Natural vs Lab Grown
UP NEXT: How to Insure Jewelry: A Step-by-Step Guide
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