Is a Lab-Grown Diamond Different from a Mined Diamond?
By Alex Klimchenko · Updated November 2, 2026
A lab-grown diamond and a mined diamond have the same crystal structure: tightly bonded carbon atoms. According to GIA, that gives them nearly the same chemical, optical and physical properties. What separates the two is growth history. One formed in a laboratory, the other was mined, and a gemological laboratory can tell which is which. Below: what is the same, what differs, and how sellers should describe the difference.
What is the same
GIA's page on laboratory-grown diamond states that these stones have the same crystal structure as natural diamonds, meaning diamonds that were mined. In both cases the structure consists of tightly bonded carbon atoms.
That shared structure is why GIA reports nearly the same chemical, optical and physical properties for the two. Note the word "nearly." GIA does not say identical, and neither should a seller. What the structure does tell you is that a lab-grown diamond is a diamond, with the same crystal structure of carbon atoms as a mined one.
For a customer comparing a lab-grown diamond vs a mined diamond, this answers the first question: the lab-grown stone is not a lookalike with a different crystal structure.
What is different
GIA puts it this way: the two types are separated by vastly different growth histories. The difference is one of origin.
How lab-grown diamonds are grown. There are two main methods. HPHT (high pressure, high temperature) reproduces some of the conditions under which a diamond forms. CVD (chemical vapor deposition) works at near-vacuum pressure. Labrilliante is a US-based manufacturer and wholesale supplier of lab-grown diamonds (HPHT & CVD).
How laboratories tell them apart. Because the growth histories differ, the stones carry different atomic defects and impurities. According to GIA, those features help a laboratory determine whether a diamond is natural or lab-grown. GIA notes that the two may be indistinguishable by eye, so the difference may not be visible without laboratory analysis.
What a GIA report says. GIA identifies diamonds submitted to it as natural, treated or laboratory-grown. A lab-grown diamond submitted to GIA receives a GIA Laboratory-Grown Diamond Report, which includes color and clarity grades. GIA also marks the girdle of these diamonds with the report number and a statement identifying the stone as laboratory-grown. The girdle is the thin edge around the stone's widest part. Not every lab-grown stone on the market has a report.
How lab-grown diamonds should be described
The US Federal Trade Commission gives guidance in "In the Loupe: Advertising Diamond, Gemstones and Pearls." Two points matter for anyone writing a product page, a tag or a sales script.
First, the FTC advises that if you sell laboratory-created diamonds, you should tell consumers they are not mined diamonds. The FTC's wording is that "they are not mined diamonds."
Second, the qualifier, such as "laboratory-grown" or "laboratory-created," should go immediately before the word "diamond" and be equally conspicuous. "Laboratory-grown diamond" follows that wording.
If you buy or sell lab-grown diamonds
Labrilliante is a US-based manufacturer and wholesale supplier of lab-grown diamonds (HPHT & CVD), serving jewelry retailers and brands since 2017. IGI- and GIA-certified diamonds are available, plus calibrated melee (reports on request), colored diamonds and custom cuts. We have 100,000+ loose diamonds in stock.
Certified and non-certified stones are both in stock. Not every loose stone has a report, and many of the non-certified stones are under 1 ct. If your customer needs a GIA or IGI report, say so when you inquire and we will tell you what is available.
You can browse the loose stones at labrilliante.com/diamonds/lab-diamonds. Jewelers and brands can read about supply on the wholesale lab-grown diamonds page. Questions go to info@labrilliante.com or +1 551-321-8771.
FAQ
Is a lab-grown diamond a diamond?
Yes. According to GIA, a laboratory-grown diamond has the same crystal structure as a mined diamond, tightly bonded carbon atoms, and nearly the same chemical, optical and physical properties. The two differ in growth history; their crystal structure is the same.
Can a lab tell a lab-grown diamond from a mined one?
Yes. GIA says atomic defects and impurities in a diamond help determine whether it is natural or lab-grown. GIA also notes the two may be indistinguishable by eye. A lab-grown diamond submitted to GIA gets a Laboratory-Grown Diamond Report; a stone without a report has no such paper.
How are lab-grown diamonds made?
By two main methods. HPHT (high pressure, high temperature) reproduces part of the conditions under which a diamond forms. CVD (chemical vapor deposition) takes place at near-vacuum pressure. Labrilliante is a US-based manufacturer and wholesale supplier of lab-grown diamonds (HPHT & CVD).
What does a GIA lab-grown report include?
The GIA Laboratory-Grown Diamond Report gives the color and clarity grades. The girdle of the diamond is marked with the report number and a statement identifying it as laboratory-grown, so the origin stays on the stone itself.
How does the FTC advise describing lab-grown diamonds?
The FTC advises telling consumers that laboratory-created diamonds are not mined diamonds. It also advises placing the qualifier ("laboratory-grown" or "laboratory-created") immediately before the word "diamond" and making it equally conspicuous.
