Lab Diamonds vs. Mined Diamonds - What Is The Difference?

Written by Managing Editor Michelle Cox-Vergara
Interview with Hassan Syed, co-owner of HauteCarat

Picking out a wedding ring, engagement ring or really any kind of diamond jewelry can seem like an overwhelming task. There are lots of decisions to be made about style, cut, clarity. Another big question is deciding if you want a mined diamond or a lab diamond. Today we are connecting with Hassan Syed, the co-owner of HauteCarat. Hassan will be explaining a little more about lab diamonds and while also sharing useful information about what you need to know when comparing mined diamonds to lab diamonds.

Hassan, tell us about yourself & how Haute Carat Started?

HauteCarat was started in 2019 by myself and my long time friend and business partner Abdul, when he was on the search for an engagement ring for his then girlfriend. Neither of us had any experience in the jewelry industry but having seen the tedious process and opacity of the industry, as serial entrepreneurs who had successfully managed several e-commerce businesses before, we quickly saw an opportunity to find a way to modernize the jewelry market. From there we embarked on a journey to learn everything we could by attending trade shows globally, understanding the supply chain, identifying the stakeholders in the process of finished jewelry, etc. And four years later, here we are as one of the top growing brands in the lab-created diamond jewelry space.

Can you explain what a lab diamond is?

[HS] A lab-created diamond is identical to a mined diamond; chemically, physically and optically they share the exact same characteristics. It is 100 percent a real diamond, the only difference being that one comes from the other and the other is created in a lab.

How are they made?

[HS] Lab created diamonds are made in a laboratory by physicists and material scientists. The scientist replicates the environment that allows mined diamonds to grow under the earth crust in a laboratory. The machines used are high pressure/high temperature chambers that allow the carbon atoms to combine and grow at a faster rate over a shorter period of time than it would take mined diamonds to grow. The end result is a rough diamond which is identical to a mined diamond in all of its properties including its hardness, which is a 10 of mohs scale, these rough diamonds are then sent for polishing and cutting just as mined diamonds are.

How is it different from what is typically known as a natural diamond?

[HS] There is no difference. The only difference is the source. One is grown by scientists and mined diamonds are dug up using heavy equipment and labor.

Do lab diamonds have the same consistency (and brightness/sparkle) as any other diamond?

[HS] Yes, lab diamonds are 100 percent identical and graded exactly the same way mined diamonds are (based on the 4 Cs - Cut, Color, Clarity, Carat). [Learn more]

Can lab diamonds come in all cuts and varied clarity as any other diamond?

[HS] Yes! All lab created diamonds are unique like their mined counterparts. They come in all different sizes, colors, and clarity grades. Contrary to popular belief, lab created diamonds are not all perfect. Just like mined diamonds they are unique with some being of better quality than others based on the 4 Cs grading metric used by gemological institutes like GIA and IGI.

What is a cost comparison for a lab diamond to a diamond made in nature?

[HS] When comparing identical lab created diamonds vs mined diamonds, they should cost at least 50% less. An identical diamond would have similar carat weights, color, clarity and cut.

Is there an advantage of getting a lab diamond (as opposed to another diamond)?

[HS] The biggest advantage to purchasing a lab-created diamond is you can go bigger and better in quality within your desired budget when compared to a mined diamond. The second biggest advantage is lab created diamonds are better for our environment as most of the growers are using renewable energy to power their machines and do not cause any destruction to the earth's crust. Therefore they are a more environmentally conscious choice for consumers. Additionally, the source of a diamond is more easily traceable which tends to be much more difficult with mined diamonds, even with certifications like the Kimberly Process in place.

Editor Summing up…

It seems like there are a lot of advantages to getting a lab diamond versus a mined diamond. No only could cost be an advantage (a quite large advantage if we are looking at fifty percent less than a mined diamond) but because lab diamonds are not sourced from the earth they also the more sustainable choice. With the growing concerns of keeping lifestyle and choices sustainable, this could be a huge advantage for the lab diamond.

Overall, the choice of a lab diamond versus a mined diamond is completely up to you but I hope that we have answered some of your biggest questions about the differences so that you will be able to make an educated decision when you make your next diamond purchase.

HauteCarat inception with Abdul and Hassan

HauteCarat launched in the spring of 2019 with no past experience or involvement in the diamond industry. We are serial entrepreneurs and knew a hole in the market when we saw one. I (Abdul) was searching for a diamond engagement ring for my then girlfriend. On the search which lasted about 5 months I was never offered a lab created diamond nor did I know about them yet. Finally I was presented with a lab-created diamond by a jeweler I had been dealing with for months, I wondered why it took so long during my diamond purchasing journey to become aware of this scientific breakthrough. I reached out to my friend and business partner Hassan Syed who had launched successful ecommerce companies and understood that world really well. l explained that most traditional jewelers were ignoring this scientific breakthrough and there were many customers like myself that would love to buy lab created diamond jewelry but it wasn't easily available at the time. Since we knew nothing about the diamond space at the time we learned the business mostly by attending trade shows around the world. The more we learned the more obvious it became that this industry was ripe for disruption. The industry was still operating in an antiquated, not customer focused fashion. HauteCarat came to life with the focus on changing the industry to meet customers where they expected to be met. By providing an exceptional array of designs at value based price points, with a keen focus on providing a customer experience that was of the modern age, involving 100 day returns, personalized shopping experiences and fast delivery times.

All of our jewelry is handmade in-house using expert craftsmen with no detail overlooked, we are the only lab-created brand offering jewelry made with D-F/VS quality diamonds. Contact us at concierge@hautecarat.com or to book an in-person appointment.