Short answer: Yes. Lab grown diamonds are real diamonds. They are pure crystalline carbon, scoring a perfect 10 on the Mohs hardness scale, with the same refractive index, dispersion and brilliance as a diamond pulled out of a mine. The world's two most respected gem labs - IGI and GIA grade them on the exact same 4Cs scale they use for natural diamonds.
That's not marketing. That's the position of the Federal Trade Commission in the US, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in India, and every working gemologist on the planet.
Below is the detail in brief - the one we actually walk clients through at our Kolkata and Delhi showrooms when they ask "but is it really real?"
What "real diamond" actually means
A diamond is defined by its chemistry, not its origin. To qualify, a stone must be:
- Pure crystalline carbon in a cubic lattice
- Hardness 10 on the Mohs scale (nothing else on earth scratches it except another diamond)
- Refractive index 2.42, with a specific light dispersion that produces "fire"
Lab grown diamonds meet all three. while all other - cubic zirconia, moissanite and white sapphire do not - they are simulants, made of completely different materials. A simulant looks like a diamond. A lab grown stone is a diamond. This distinction is the entire ballgame.
What science actually says
If you put a natural diamond and a lab grown diamond side by side under any standard test - thermal conductivity probe, refractive index measurement, hardness test, spectroscopy - they return the same readings. The only way to distinguish them is highly specialised equipment (DiamondView, photoluminescence spectroscopy) that detects tiny growth-pattern signatures left by the reactor or by billion-year-old geological pressure. Those signatures don't change what the stone is. They only tell you how it got here.
What the regulators say
- USA (FTC, 2018): Officially removed the word "natural" from the legal definition of a diamond. A diamond is a diamond; lab grown must simply be disclosed as lab grown.
- India (BIS): Lab grown diamonds are classified as diamonds. The only legal requirement is mandatory disclosure on the invoice and certificate - calling a lab grown stone "natural" is fraud.
- IGI and GIA: Both grade lab grown diamonds and issue full certificates. The certificate explicitly labels the stone "Laboratory Grown" - there is no attempt to disguise origin.
If something weren't a real diamond, no one would be regulating disclosure of its origin. You don't have to disclose that cubic zirconia is cubic zirconia, because cubic zirconia isn't a diamond.
How to verify your lab grown diamond is real
Three checks, in order of practicality:
- Read the IGI or GIA certificate. It will state the carat, colour, clarity, cut, and "Laboratory Grown" with the growth method (CVD or HPHT). The certificate number must match the laser inscription on the stone.
- Use a 10× jeweller's loupe to find the laser-inscribed certificate number on the girdle. Any honest jeweller will hand you a loupe and let you check.
- Bring it to any third-party gemmologist. A diamond tester pen will confirm it's a diamond. A more advanced tester (DiamondView or equivalent) will confirm whether it's natural or lab grown - but both come back as "real diamond".
Will a lab grown diamond pass a "diamond test"?
Yes. This trips up a lot of buyers. A standard handheld diamond tester measures thermal conductivity - it cannot distinguish lab grown from natural because both are pure carbon with identical thermal properties. Both pass. Only laboratory-grade equipment can tell them apart.
This is the strongest possible evidence that lab grown is real: it passes the exact tests designed to detect fakes.
Will it last forever?
Yes. Hardness 10 is hardness 10. A lab grown diamond will not cloud, scratch (except by another diamond), discolour, lose fire, or wear down. Your great-grandchildren will inherit a stone that looks identical to the day you bought it. This is one of the only categories of jewellery where "lifetime" is a literal description.
So why is it cheaper?
Because supply is no longer constrained by geology. A mined diamond's price reflects 1–3 billion years of formation plus extraction logistics. A lab grown diamond's price reflects 3–4 weeks in a reactor plus electricity and a cutter's wages. Same end product, completely different supply chain. We unpack the actual numbers in Lab Grown Diamond Price in India 2026.
The honest bottom line
Lab grown diamonds are real diamonds. The only thing they aren't is rare in the way a billion-year-old mined stone is rare. If rarity is what you're paying for, choose natural. If you're paying for the look, the durability, and a real diamond certificate - lab grown gives you all three at a 1/10th of the price.