Natural or laboratory-grown: a calm way to choose

This is the question we hear most in Dubai. It arrives with a little guilt attached, like there is a right answer. There is not. There is only the right answer for you.

What a laboratory-grown diamond is

A laboratory-grown diamond is produced in a controlled environment and has essentially the same chemical composition, crystal structure, optical properties and physical properties as a natural diamond. It forms over weeks rather than through geological processes over a very long period.

"Laboratory-grown diamonds have essentially the same chemical composition, crystal structure, optical properties and physical properties as natural diamonds."

— GIA, Diamond Essentials

Where they part ways

• Price. Laboratory-grown diamonds typically cost less at retail than comparable natural diamonds, so the same budget can go toward a larger stone or higher specifications.
• Rarity. A natural stone is finite. That is the part people are really buying.
• Resale. Natural diamonds can have secondary-market value, but resale varies widely by stone and market. Laboratory-grown diamonds generally have a more limited secondary market, and retail prices have changed as production has expanded.
• Disclosure. Any honest seller states which one you are holding, in writing, every time.

The question that usually decides it

Ask yourself this. Do you want the biggest, brightest stone your budget allows, or do you want the one that came out of the ground? Both answers are fine. Only one of them is yours.

One client picked laboratory-grown for a three carat pair of studs, then spent the saving on a natural sapphire for their anniversary. Smart. Nobody has ever asked her which was which.

How we work with both

We set both, we grade both and we label both. Whatever you choose, we ask for the same things. A report from a respected lab, a cut worth the money and a clear invoice in dirhams.

Tell us your budget and your shortlist. We will send options in both categories, side by side, so you can compare without pressure. Book an appointment in Dubai whenever you are ready.