Lab Grown vs Natural Diamonds: How to Choose for an Engagement Ring
Same stone, very different price. What's actually different between lab grown and natural diamonds, and how to decide which one is right for you.
The short answer: a lab grown diamond and a natural diamond are the same thing. Same material, same hardness, same sparkle. You can't tell them apart by looking, and neither can most jewellers without lab equipment. The real differences are price, rarity and what the stone means to you.
Most of the couples we work with choose lab grown. Some choose natural. Both are good choices if you know why you're making them.
Every OLVR ring can be set with a lab grown or natural diamond.
What's the same
- It's a real diamond. Lab grown diamonds are pure carbon with the same crystal structure as a mined diamond. They're not simulants like cubic zirconia or moissanite.
- Durability. Both are a 10 on the hardness scale. Both are made to be worn every day for the rest of her life.
- How they're graded. Both are graded on the same 4Cs (cut, colour, clarity and carat) by the same independent labs. Every OLVR diamond comes with an IGI or GIA report, lab grown or natural.
- How they look. A well cut lab grown diamond and a well cut natural diamond of the same grade look the same on her hand.
What's different
1. Price
This is the big one. A lab grown diamond costs a fraction of a natural diamond of the same size and grade. That gap is why so many people choose lab grown: it lets you get a bigger stone, a better cut, or a nicer setting for the same budget. Our engagement ring cost guide covers what drives the price of the full ring.
2. Rarity and origin
A natural diamond formed deep in the earth over a very long time, and no two are the same. For some people that story matters a lot. A lab grown diamond is grown in weeks, under the same conditions, in a controlled setting. It's every bit as real, it just doesn't carry that geological history.
3. Resale
Be honest with yourself here. Diamonds in general resell for well below what you paid, and lab grown diamonds have very little resale value. If you're buying an engagement ring to keep and wear, that rarely matters. If you think of it partly as a store of value, natural holds some of it better.
Which one should you choose?
Lab grown is usually the right call if you want the most diamond for your budget, you care more about how the ring looks than where the stone came from, or you'd rather put the difference toward the setting, the wedding, or the honeymoon.
Natural is the right call if the rarity and origin matter to her (or to you), or she's told you she wants a natural stone. If you're not sure, our free Ring Report asks her.
How to buy either one well
- Get a certificate. IGI and GIA are the labs to look for. The report should list the exact cut, colour, clarity and carat.
- Prioritise cut. Cut is what makes a diamond sparkle. We recommend Excellent cut as a baseline, lab grown or natural.
- Don't overpay for colour and clarity. Colours in the D to H range and clarity of VS2 or better look clean and bright to the eye. Going higher costs more for a difference you won't see.
- Pick size last. Once cut, colour and clarity are set, spend what's left on carat. Our Diamond Guide walks through each of these in plain language.
Want a second opinion on a specific diamond? Book a 15 minute call. You'll see the exact stone and its certificate before you buy.
Find out what she wants. Without asking.
Send her the free Ring Report. She picks the shape, setting and stone she actually wants, and her answers come back to you.