Lab-Grown Diamonds vs. Natural Diamonds

Can you tell the difference between lab-grown and natural diamonds? To the naked eye, lab-grown diamonds appear identical to natural diamonds, but there are subtle differences at the microscopic and molecular levels. Detecting these differences requires sophisticated equipment, even for expert gemologists.

Inclusions

Lab-grown diamonds form differently, leading to distinct types of inclusions. These diamonds often contain metal inclusions from the growth process, and interestingly, lower clarity grades (SI2-I3) can even exhibit magnetic properties! Additionally, lab-grown diamonds typically feature non-diamond carbon inclusions. Despite these unique inclusions, distinguishing between them and those in higher-clarity natural diamonds (VS2+) is challenging without specialized tools.

Phosphorescence

Lab-grown diamonds often exhibit a phenomenon known as phosphorescence, where they glow in colours like blue or orange after exposure to UV light. This characteristic helps differentiate them from natural diamonds, which may also exhibit phosphorescence if treated with HPHT, though this is less common. Major grading institutes such as GIA, IGI, and GCAL currently do not list phosphorescence on their reports.

Blue Tint (Nuance)

Lab-grown diamonds can sometimes display a faint blue tint due to trace amounts of boron used in the growing process to remove nitrogen. This tint, which can be more visible from the side or bottom of the diamond rather than face-up, is often noted as 'faint blue' or 'blue nuance' in IGI reports for G or lower color-graded diamonds. The GIA does not currently include this information in their grading reports.

If you are particularly sensitive to colour, you might notice this slight blue hue, although it's generally less perceptible in person compared to photographs, which can exaggerate the effect due to lighting, background, and camera differences.

Bottom line is that this wouldn't affect the beauty of the diamond itself. Go ahead give Lab Grown Diamonds a try.