Lab diamonds are different from natural diamonds in that they are artificially created – man-made in a laboratory, instead of naturally produced in the earth, like regular diamonds.
Fundamentally, this is the only difference. Lab diamonds look and feel just like natural diamonds. They’re available in all kinds of shapes and sizes, and if you had a lab diamond and natural diamond in front of you, it would be virtually impossible to tell the difference. They even have almost identical chemical structures.

Natural diamonds are created by nature, as a result of intense heat and pressure, formed over the course of billions of years. Lab-grown diamonds are created in a laboratory, often produced in just a matter of weeks. There is a tiny chemical difference between the two, as natural diamonds often contain a very small amount of nitrogen, while synthetic diamonds do not. This is the only inherent difference though – even the US Federal Trade Commission, or FTC, classes man-made diamonds as “real” diamonds, due to the gem’s carbon-based chemical makeup.

There is no visible difference between the two. Even a professional gemmologist will need specialized equipment to tell which is which. With magnification, a professional will be able to make out small contrasts in the inclusions of lab-grown vs. mined diamonds.

Are Lab Grown Diamond Real? Lab Diamond vs Cubic Zirconia vs Moissanite

A lot of people refer to lab diamonds as “fake” diamonds, but this is not accurate. The carbon-based chemical composition of lab diamonds means they are in fact “real” diamonds – unlike cubic zirconia or moissanite.

These diamond simulants are also lab-created but are not composed of carbon atoms, and therefore are not real diamonds. Unlike lab diamonds vs. natural diamonds, which are inherently identical in look, feel and hardness, there is a noticeable drop-off from a lab-created diamond to a simulant like cubic zirconia or moissanite. Simulants do not have the same brilliance and sparkle as real diamonds. The refractive index of cubic zirconia is lower than a diamond, 2.2 vs. 2.42. Moissanite has a higher refractive index (2.65 – 2.69). The higher refractive index of moissanite means it gives off a vibrant colored reflection, in dazzling colors that is a little too much for some people.

There is also a difference in hardness. Diamonds score a perfect 10 on the Mohs scale of hardness, while moissanite is between 9-9.5, and cubic zirconia 8. Like lab diamonds, both cubic zirconia and moissanite don’t carry much value and make for poor investments. However, there is a drop off in quality between lab diamonds and diamond simulants, as you are not actually getting a real diamond.