The way people buy diamonds is changing. And we think that's a good thing.
For a long time, "diamond" meant one thing: a stone pulled from deep underground, formed over billions of years under extraordinary heat and pressure. Today, there's another option — one that's chemically, physically, and visually identical, but made in a different way.
So what actually is a lab-grown diamond?
A lab-grown diamond is a real diamond. Not a simulant, not a substitute, not "fake" — it's pure carbon, crystallised into the same structure as a natural diamond. The only difference is how it's formed.
- Natural diamonds take billions of years to form deep in the earth under intense heat and pressure.
- Lab-grown diamonds are grown in controlled environments that recreate those same conditions — just compressed into a matter of weeks rather than geological time.
Same carbon. Same hardness. Same sparkle. Genuinely, you cannot tell them apart just by looking.
Are they graded the same way?
Yes. Lab-grown and natural diamonds are graded using the exact same criteria — the 4Cs (Cut, Colour, Clarity, Carat) — by the same independent gemological laboratories, including IGI. A certificate will state whether a diamond is natural or lab-grown, but the grading standards themselves don't change.
So what's the real difference?
Price. Lab-grown diamonds typically cost 60–80% less than a natural diamond of equivalent size and quality. That's the whole story — not a compromise in beauty, brilliance, or durability, just a different (and faster) origin.
Which one is right for you?
We're not here to tell you lab-grown is "better" than natural, or vice versa. Both are real diamonds, both are beautiful, and both are entirely valid choices. What matters is that you're choosing with the full picture — not just what you've always assumed "diamond" means.
If you'd like to see and compare both in person, come find us at 83b Clifton Street, Lytham St Annes. Or if you'd rather explore from home, you can design your own ring — choosing your diamond type, cut, and setting — using our Ring Studio at lythamjewelleryco.com.
Same fire. Same brilliance. Same certification. Just a smarter way to get there.