Buying Lab-Grown Diamonds Online: Your How-To Guide
Whether you’re preparing to get engaged or married, or buying a sparkling gift for a birthday or anniversary, lab-grown diamonds are an investment for your jewelry collection. There’s so much information about lab diamonds—but with all of this information, it can be tough to know exactly what to look for when buying them online.
Luckily, we’re here to help. Today, we’re sharing our ultimate guide to becoming an informed lab-grown diamond buyer to take the confusion out of the process.
What are Lab Diamonds?
Lab diamonds are diamonds created in a laboratory setting to be identical to diamonds found in nature. There are two lab-grown diamond production methods:
- High pressure, high temperature (HPHT)
- Chemical vapor deposition (CVD)
Lab-grown diamonds are great for setting in jewelry because of their durability, fiery sparkle, and brightness.
Steps for Buying Lab-Grown Diamonds Online
Next, let’s get into the steps to follow for buying lab diamonds to ensure you choose a beautiful lab diamond that stands the test of time.
1. Research Information About Lab-Grown Diamonds
Get to know the basics of lab-grown diamonds, how they’re created, and how they compare with diamond simulants and other alternatives.
2. Choose Your Budget
Lab diamonds vary in price depending on their quality and size. Once you have a defined budget, you can browse online for lab-created diamonds that fit within that price range. You can also adjust your budget when you’re browsing online based on the options you see.
Brian Gavin Diamonds offers a curated collection of lab-grown diamond jewelry pieces for different budgets.
3. Learn the Quality Attributes of Lab Diamonds
Lab-grown diamonds are carefully graded based on universal standards represented by four C’s - clarity, carat weight, cut, and color. Experts give lab diamonds a grade for each of those criteria so consumers know exactly the type of diamond they’re buying.
When you shop at Brian Gavin Diamonds, we also care about the cut performance of the diamond. Grading lab diamonds on this extra point allow us to offer you diamonds that are truly incomparable in terms of their quality and shine.
When you’re familiar with these diamond attributes, you can ask the right questions when buying lab diamonds online and be confident in your purchase.
4. Set Your Carat Weight
Carat weight closely relates to what you’ll pay for your diamond—the higher it is means the more the diamond will cost. It’s good to have a ballpark of the total carat weight you want so you can budget accordingly for your lab diamond.
5. Choose Your Cut Grade
Higher cut grade diamonds have more sparkle and brilliance. The cut grade scale goes from poor to excellent. We recommend a cut grade of excellent or ideal for any brilliant-like shape, such as a brilliant round-cut lab diamond.
6. Choose a Clarity Grade
Clarity refers to the inclusions within the diamond and the blemishes on the surface of the diamond. The ideal clarity of a lab diamond depends on its shape, cut, and color because some imperfections will show more on certain cuts than others.
A clarity of VS2 or higher is considered suitable for diamonds over two carats, and a clarity of SI2 or better is ideal for diamonds between one to two carats.
7. Choose a Color Grade
You can choose from colorless lab diamonds or fancy-colored lab diamonds like red, orange, blue, pink, and green. The diamond color you want can depend on the metal and setting you want for your diamond jewelry. We recommend choosing a colorless or near-colorless lab diamond to ensure its brilliance shines through.
8. Know the Type of Diamond Jewelry You Want
Of course, diamond engagement rings are a popular piece of diamond jewelry, However, lab diamonds are also commonly used for earrings, necklaces, and bracelets.
There are many customization options to make your diamond jewelry unique. Based on the four Cs of diamonds, you can customize the cut, color, clarity, and carat weight of the lab-grown diamond you want.
You can also customize the attributes of the jewelry itself. For example, diamond earrings have different types of earring backs, bracelets have different clasps, rings have different settings, and necklaces have various settings. You can also choose the color of the metal for your jewelry based on your preferences.
9. Learn About Lab Diamond Reports
Lab grown diamonds have reports that determine their quality and performance. Each diamond should come with a laboratory-grown diamond report with information about the diamond.
For example, it’s common for lab diamonds to have a GIA report with information on how the diamond measures against the four Cs. Remember—it’s vital to only buy diamonds that have a grading certificate to know you are buying from a reputable seller.
10. Find a Reputable Online Seller
A simple Google search can find many online sellers for lab-grown diamond jewelry. How can you narrow down this list?
For starters, look for a reputable seller with:
- Good reviews
- Transparent information
- Excellent service
- A selection of high-quality diamonds
Find a seller that provides diamond certificates for each lab diamond. That way, you’ll know exactly the quality you’re getting.
11. Learn to Identify Scams
Buy from a reputable seller with excellent reviews from real buyers on their website or shop - avoid responding to phone calls, emails, or text messages that tell you to buy a diamond. Do your research to know about the different diamond scams and how to identify real diamonds from fake ones.
12. Check Certificates
Check the grading certificate of the lab diamond you’re buying. The certificate has grading results for the four Cs, information about the grading lab, and additional grading information. Steer clear of diamond sellers that don’t provide a proper certificate.
13. Review Terms and Policies
Check the terms and return policies of the seller in case you’re not satisfied with the product you receive. Make sure there is a clearly defined process to engage customer service or ask questions if needed.
14. Review Shipping Times
If you’re buying a lab diamond engagement ring or a time-sensitive present, make sure it arrives on time. Sellers can have different shipping times based on the shipping option you choose. Custom diamond engagement rings and jewelry often take longer to ship.
Buy A Brilliant Lab-Grown Diamond From Brian Gavin Diamonds
Use our ultimate lab-grown diamond buying guide to find all the information you need to be an informed lab diamond buyer.
Now that you're more familiar with the ins and outs of lab-created diamonds, including their attributes and customizations, you are empowered and informed to ensure your diamond shopping experience is a success.
At Brian Gavin Diamonds, we offer an extensive PREMIUM collection of meticulously crafted lab-grown diamonds cultivated in-house through our exclusive CVD process. With a legacy spanning five generations as expert diamond cutters, we hold ourselves to the highest standards of excellence.
Each of our Premium lab diamonds undergoes a rigorous inspection process, adhering to the esteemed GIA scale for precise grading and AGS 000 for light performance. Through our masterful craftsmanship, these diamonds are cut with meticulous precision, resulting in unrivaled brilliance that captivates the eye.
Along with the four Cs of diamonds, we place significant weight on the cut performance of our lab diamonds—this refers to the polish, symmetry, and proportions of the diamond that maximizes its:
- Light performance
- Fire
- Brilliance
Brian Gavin Lab gives you all the information you need about the different lab diamonds you can get, including their grades, price, four Cs (plus one), symmetry, and polish.
Choose from our large catalog or custom design diamond jewelry with the metal, cut, carat weight, setting, color, and clarity you want. From a sparkling lab diamond engagement ring to gorgeous earrings, bracelets, or necklaces, we’ll deliver the quality and service you deserve.
