Are Lab-Grown Diamonds Real Diamonds?

A diamond is pure carbon arranged in a specific crystal structure. That structure is what gives a diamond its famous properties: a hardness of 10 on the Mohs scale (the hardest natural material there is), a refractive index of 2.42 (the source of that unmistakable sparkle), and a specific gravity of 3.52.

A lab-grown diamond shares every one of these. Same hardness. Same sparkle. Same density. Place a lab-grown diamond and a mined diamond of the same cut, colour, and clarity side by side, and there is nothing to tell them apart — not to your eye, not to your jeweller's loupe, not to a standard diamond tester. They are the same thing, grown in two different places.

Because "grown in a lab" sounds like it should mean artificial. It's a completely fair instinct — and it's the single most common question we get at Stella.

When a customer asks our co-founder Krisha this across the counter, she never bristles at it. She gets it. Most people buying a lab-grown diamond are buying their first serious diamond, and they've grown up with one story: that a diamond's worth comes from the earth and the years. So the question underneath "is it real?" is usually "am I being sold something lesser?"

The honest answer is no — but you deserve to understand why, not just be told to trust us.

In 2018, the United States Federal Trade Commission — the body that governs how jewellery can be advertised — updated its official Jewelry Guides and removed the word "natural" from the definition of a diamond. Their reasoning was direct: lab-grown diamonds have "essentially the same optical, physical, and chemical properties as mined diamonds." Therefore, they are diamonds.

That wasn't marketing. It was a regulator looking at the science and correcting an outdated definition.

Here's the part most brands skip, and the part we think matters most: the same ruling also says a lab-grown diamond must always be clearly disclosed as lab-grown. You should never have to squint at fine print to find out where your diamond came from. At Stella, that isn't a compliance box — it's the whole point. You can only make a confident choice if you actually know what you're choosing.

Not by looking. A trained gemologist cannot distinguish a lab-grown diamond from a mined one by eye, and neither can a standard handheld diamond tester — because both are testing for diamond, and a lab-grown stone is a diamond, so it passes.

The only way to confirm origin is specialised laboratory equipment that reads the tiny growth patterns left behind by how the crystal formed. That's exactly why certification exists: your grading report states, in writing, that your diamond is lab-grown, alongside its weight, colour, and clarity. You're never left guessing.

Being the same material isn't the same as being identical in every respect — and we'd rather tell you that ourselves than let you find out later.

The real difference is origin, and origin affects two things: price and resale.

On price — a lab-grown diamond usually costs meaningfully less than a mined diamond of the same quality. That lower price is not a sign of a lower-quality stone. You're simply not paying the scarcity premium that comes from a diamond being dug out of the ground. The craftsmanship, the certification, the gold, the sparkle on your hand — all of that is the same. You're paying for the diamond, not for the story of its rarity.

On resale — because lab-grown diamonds are more widely produced, they generally don't hold resale value the way rare mined diamonds can. We say this openly. A lab-grown diamond is something to wear and love, not a financial instrument.

This is where our co-founder Khushee is blunt with people: buy the diamond because you want to wear it, and if you're thinking about your money, invest the difference where investments actually belong. That combination — a beautiful diamond you'll genuinely enjoy, plus savings put to better use — makes more sense for most people than locking a large sum into a stone hoping it appreciates. We'd rather lose a sale to that honesty than win one by letting you believe something that isn't true.

Every Stella piece comes with an SGL jewellery report confirming the diamond's origin as lab-grown, its weight, and its quality — many with a QR code you can scan to verify it yourself. Every gold piece carries a BIS hallmark, India's official mark of gold purity. Nothing about what you're buying is left vague.

That's what we mean when we talk about empowering people to buy well. A first diamond should feel exciting and clear — not like a test you're worried about failing.

Still have a question before you buy? Message us on WhatsApp — ask us anything, including the awkward ones. Or browse our certified lab-grown diamond rings and lab-grown diamond earrings to see what real, honestly-priced fine jewellery looks like.