Lab grown diamonds are diamonds that have been "grown" in a controlled laboratory setting. They're comprised of the same chemical components you'll find in natural diamonds (carbon atoms arranged in a specific pattern) but instead of being formed deep in the earth's crust, lab made diamonds are created in a laboratory. Because lab grown diamonds are chemically the same as natural earth made diamonds, they are virtually indistinguishable in terms of appearance, quality and durability.

• Beauty-Lab Grown diamonds shine and sparkle just like natural diamonds.

• Value-Lab Grown diamonds can be produced in large batches in just a few weeks. This makes Lab Grown diamonds considerably less expensive than natural diamonds of comparable size and quality.

• Ethical Choice-Today, both natural and lab made diamonds are excellent choices for ethical diamonds. For those looking to purchase diamonds that have not been mined, lab made diamonds are a popular choice.

Both lab created and natural diamonds bring incredible sparkle, beauty and durability. Both kinds of diamonds are rated for their qualities, including the 4Cs.

Lab diamonds are real diamonds. They contain the same cubic crystalline form of pure carbon that is also found in natural diamonds. Both natural and lab diamonds offer the same visual and chemical qualities, bringing long-lasting brilliance to any piece of high-quality jewelry.

Both natural and lab grown diamonds are made of pure carbon that is transformed into sparkling crystalline stones. While their chemical foundation gives lab created diamonds the same optical properties as natural diamonds, lab grown diamonds are not as rare as their natural counterparts. Formed over millennia, natural diamonds acquire their scintillating shapes from the pressure of being compacted deep within the earth's crust. Because of this, all of the natural diamonds that will ever exist have already been created, making them forever rarities. Laboratory grown diamonds, on the other hand, can be produced limitlessly.

As with natural diamonds, diamonds made in a lab have the option to receive grading. After being sent to a gem institute that specializes in grading diamonds, lab grown diamonds are graded independently by several of the lab's gemologists. Afterward, the individual grades are compiled and compared to give the lab grown diamond its final grade.

Not all lab grown diamonds are graded. Typically, smaller gems do not get grading, and not all jewelers choose to grade their lab grown diamonds. At Blue Nile, we offer grading for many of our lab created diamonds to bring transparency to the lab grown purchasing process.

There typically aren't distinguishable differences between manufactured and natural diamonds, especially when comparing them with the unaided eye. Both lab created and earth created diamonds have the same crystalline carbon structure and offer the same optical qualities.

An expert jeweler may be able to tell the difference between these two kinds of diamonds when looking at their inclusions under magnification. They may have different types of inclusions depending on the diamond's creation process.

Unlike the price of natural diamonds, which is determined by a stone's unique characteristics and rarity, lab grown diamonds can be priced uniformly per carat. Lab grown diamonds also have the benefit of being priced significantly lower than natural diamonds since their production capacity is unlimited.