Are Lab Grown Diamonds Real Diamonds? The Definitive Answer

Published: July 22, 2026 Reading Time: 9 min Part 10 of the Zalkari Moissanite and Lab Grown Diamond Series

Yes. Lab grown diamonds are real diamonds. Pure carbon crystallized in the isometric cubic system the same atomic structure, the same chemical formula, the same physical properties as natural mined diamonds. The FTC updated its official definition of diamond in 2018 to remove the word natural entirely. The current definition covers any diamond regardless of origin, lab or earth. Lab grown diamonds meet it completely.

This is not a marketing position. It is chemistry.

The question of whether lab grown diamonds are "real" comes from a reasonable intuition if something is made in a factory, how is it the same as something formed by geological forces over billions of years? The answer is that what makes diamond diamond is its atomic structure, not where that structure formed. The carbon atoms in a lab grown diamond are arranged identically to the carbon atoms in a natural diamond. The material properties that follow from that arrangement hardness, refractive index, thermal conductivity, optical character are identical.

What Makes Diamond Diamond

Diamond is a crystal form of carbon. The carbon atoms in diamond are arranged in a face-centered cubic lattice each carbon atom bonded to four others in a tetrahedral arrangement, creating an exceptionally strong three-dimensional network. This specific arrangement is what produces diamond's exceptional hardness, its optical properties, and its thermal conductivity.

The same carbon atom arranged differently produces graphite soft, dark, electrically conductive, the material in a pencil. Same element. Completely different structure. Completely different properties.

Diamond's identity is its crystal structure. A lab grown diamond has that crystal structure. It is diamond.

Natural diamonds formed when carbon deep in the earth's mantle was subjected to extreme pressure approximately 725,000 pounds per square inch and temperatures above 1,200 degrees Celsius over millions to billions of years. The carbon atoms crystallized in the cubic lattice under these conditions. Lab grown diamonds crystallize under similar conditions recreated in a production facility either through High Pressure High Temperature processes that directly replicate mantle conditions, or through Chemical Vapor Deposition that builds the crystal layer by layer from carbon-containing gas. The carbon crystallizes into the same lattice. The result is the same material.

What the Authoritative Sources Say

The FTC the US federal agency responsible for consumer protection and truth in advertising explicitly includes lab grown diamonds in its definition of diamond. Its Jewelry Guides state that a diamond is a mineral consisting essentially of pure carbon crystallized in the isometric system. The guides further specify that a seller must disclose whether a diamond is laboratory-grown, but do not suggest laboratory-grown diamonds are anything other than real diamonds.

GIA the Gemological Institute of America, the most authoritative diamond grading institution in the world grades lab grown diamonds using the same 4C system as natural diamonds and issues formal grading reports for them. GIA reports for lab grown diamonds note the laboratory-grown origin but evaluate the stone by identical criteria. GIA's position is unambiguous: lab grown diamonds are diamonds.

IGI the International Gemological Institute similarly grades lab grown diamonds as diamonds. Their reports carry the same weight for lab grown as for natural stones.

No credible gemological institution classifies lab grown diamonds as something other than diamond.

The "Real" Question Has Two Versions

People asking whether lab grown diamonds are real are usually asking one of two questions, and the answers differ.

Are they real diamonds? Yes. Chemically, physically, and by every authoritative classification, lab grown diamonds are real diamonds. If you buy a lab grown diamond, you own a diamond. Not a diamond simulant, not an imitation, not a diamond-like material. A diamond.

Are they natural? No. Natural means formed through geological processes in the earth. Lab grown diamonds are not natural. This is a meaningful distinction in the context of rarity and origin story, and it is the distinction that drives the price difference between natural and lab grown. Natural diamonds formed over millions to billions of years under conditions that cannot be replicated at scale. Lab grown diamonds are produced in days to weeks. The rarity of natural diamonds is real, and that rarity is part of what drives their premium pricing.

What lab grown diamonds are not: imitation diamonds, simulated diamonds, fake diamonds, synthetic in the sense of being a different material. The word synthetic has been misused in this context. In gemology, synthetic refers to a lab-created version of a naturally occurring mineral a synthetic ruby is a real ruby created in a lab, not an imitation. By this standard, lab grown diamonds are synthetic diamonds and natural diamonds both. The word does not imply lesser quality or inauthenticity.

Practical Implications: What You Actually Get

When you buy a certified lab grown diamond, you are buying a stone with the following properties.

Mohs hardness 10 the maximum possible. The same hardness as natural diamond. Harder than every other material in everyday jewelry use.

Refractive index 2.42 same as natural diamond. Same optical character, same brilliance signature, same fire. Not more fire like moissanite, not less the same as natural diamond.

Thermal conductivity equivalent to natural diamond both pass thermal diamond testers by the same mechanism.

Chemical composition of pure carbon in diamond cubic crystal structure same as natural diamond.

GIA or IGI grading report using the same 4C criteria as natural diamonds same certification standard.

The only practical difference between your lab grown diamond and a natural diamond of the same quality grade is what is written on the grading report: "Laboratory-Grown" versus "Natural." The stone itself is not different.

Why Some People Still Resist the "Real" Label

The resistance to calling lab grown diamonds real usually comes from one of three sources.

Tradition. The diamond industry has spent more than a century building the cultural significance of natural diamonds the "a diamond is forever" framework, the engagement ring tradition, the idea that geological rarity makes a diamond special. Lab grown diamonds disrupt this framework because they are materially equivalent but not geologically rare. Some buyers feel that removing the rarity removes part of the meaning. This is a legitimate emotional response, not a factual claim about what lab grown diamonds are.

Industry interest. Natural diamond mining companies have financial interest in positioning lab grown diamonds as lesser alternatives. Some of the most persistent "not real diamonds" messaging has come from industry-funded sources. The FTC has issued warning letters to companies making misleading claims about lab grown diamonds that imply inferiority.

Confusion with simulants. Lab grown is sometimes incorrectly conflated with moissanite, cubic zirconia, or other diamond simulants that are genuinely different materials. Once someone understands that moissanite is silicon carbide and cubic zirconia is zirconium dioxide both different from diamond and that lab grown diamond is actually carbon in the diamond cubic structure, the confusion typically resolves.

Lab Grown vs Moissanite: The Distinction That Matters Here

Lab grown diamond is real diamond. Moissanite is not diamond it is silicon carbide, a different material with different properties. Both are lab-created. Both have clean supply chains. Neither is mined.

The distinction matters because buyers sometimes see both offered as diamond alternatives and assume they are similar options. They are not. Lab grown diamond is the same material as natural diamond at a lower price. Moissanite is a different gemstone that delivers more fire and brilliance at an even lower price.

Choosing between lab grown diamond and moissanite is a genuine choice between two different materials with different visual characters and different price points. Our full comparison Lab Grown Diamonds vs Moissanite: Which Should You Choose? covers this in detail. For this post, the key point is that the question of whether lab grown diamond is real diamond is entirely separate from moissanite. Lab grown diamond is real diamond. Moissanite is real moissanite. Both are genuine gemstones. Neither is the same as the other.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are lab grown diamonds considered real diamonds by the FTC? Yes. The FTC's Jewelry Guides define diamond without reference to natural origin. Lab grown diamonds meet the FTC's definition. Sellers must disclose that a stone is lab grown, but this disclosure does not imply the stone is not a real diamond.

Does GIA certify lab grown diamonds as real diamonds? Yes. GIA grades lab grown diamonds using the same 4C system as natural diamonds and issues grading reports for them. GIA's grading methodology treats lab grown diamonds as diamonds, noting their laboratory-grown origin on the report.

Can a jeweler tell if my diamond is lab grown? Not through visual inspection or standard diamond testing. Only advanced spectroscopic equipment in major gemological laboratories can identify the growth patterns that distinguish lab grown from natural origin. Standard diamond testers thermal conductivity instruments give identical readings for lab grown and natural diamonds because both are diamond.

Is the quality of lab grown diamonds as good as natural? The 4Cs cut, color, clarity, carat weight apply equally to both. A well-cut D-color VS1 lab grown diamond is a high-quality diamond by any standard. The range of quality in lab grown production mirrors the range in natural diamonds.

Will people know my ring has a lab grown diamond? Not in everyday settings. The stone is visually identical to natural diamond and passes all standard tests. If someone specifically asks and you tell them it is lab grown, they now know. If they do not ask, the stone looks and behaves exactly like any other diamond.

Is buying a lab grown diamond dishonest? No. Lab grown diamonds are sold with disclosure of their laboratory-grown origin on grading reports and product descriptions. Wearing a lab grown diamond is choosing a different origin for the same material not misrepresenting what you have.

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