Lab Grown vs. Natural Diamonds: Understanding Your Choices

What’s your go-to jewelry look? Do you prefer delicate everyday essentials like diamond studs and pendants? Or are you drawn to show-stopping statement pieces like a tennis bracelet or designer diamond ring? Your jewelry style can help guide your choice between lab-grown and natural diamonds. Let’s explore the unique appeal of each type of stone and learn some tips for stylishly incorporating both into your collection.

Lab Diamonds vs. Natural Diamonds

Diamond jewelry has captivated humanity for centuries with its breathtaking beauty and enduring symbolism. Today, you can choose between natural diamonds, formed over billions of years deep within the earth, or lab-grown diamonds, crafted with advanced technology to emulate Earth’s natural processes.

Identical to natural diamonds both optically and physically, lab-created diamonds offer an affordable alternative that doesn’t compromise on quality. Natural diamonds, on the other hand, provide that coveted feeling of wearing an exceptionally rare item from nature. While visually similar, these two diamond options each tell a distinct story. 

Natural Diamonds: A Legacy of Love and Luxury

Natural diamonds remain the cherished standard for timeless romance and heirloom appeal.  Let’s examine why they make memorable choices for life’s most meaningful moments.

The Engagement Ring Tradition

The diamond engagement ring is arguably one of the most iconic and symbolic pieces of jewelry. For many couples, only a natural diamond can properly represent their unique love story. Natural diamonds carry the weight of history and tradition, evoking luxury and passion. If you envision passing down a ring through generations, a natural diamond may be the best choice, especially since it retains value much better than lab-grown diamonds.

Due to scarcity, natural diamonds also command higher prices and retain their value exceptionally well. Lab-grown diamonds are more budget-friendly for everyday luxury, but natural diamonds will hold their worth and can appreciate value as investments over decades.

Heirloom Jewelry and Sentimental Value

Natural diamonds take on special meaning in treasured keepsakes and family heirlooms. Each diamond's rare natural origin and history become part of the jewelry’s allure. When selecting natural diamonds for any jewelry meant to last lifetimes, natural diamond gemstones are generally chosen for jewelry that marks milestones, holidays, and new chapters.

Elevating Your Style: Natural Diamond Studs

Diamond stud earrings offer an easy way to level up your look with subtle elegance. Many people prefer natural diamonds when investing in these classics, which effortlessly elevate any outfit, from jeans and tees to cocktail attire. For a contemporary twist, you can always pair your natural diamond studs with a delicate lab-grown pendant or tennis necklace.

Natural Diamond Tennis Bracelets: Luxury Defined

The diamond tennis bracelet epitomizes refined luxury, encircling the wrist with dazzling diamond stones. Natural diamond tennis bracelets make ideal gifts to commemorate momentous occasions. Or simply treat yourself to this glamorous statement of personal style.

The Allure of Natural Diamond Pendants

Diamond pendants allow you to showcase nature’s dazzling work of art. Suspended from a chain, each natural diamond pendant is a unique piece of our planet’s history. For contrast, layer a pendant featuring a meaningful natural diamond with a lab-grown tennis necklace, allowing each piece to contribute its own distinctive beauty and symbolism.

Lab-Grown Diamonds

Lab-grown diamonds boast the same optical qualities as their natural counterparts. What accounts for their rapidly rising popularity? For many, it’s their affordability and accessible luxury. Let’s explore how lab-grown diamonds can elevate your look in dazzling fine jewelry designs. 

Lab Diamonds: Ideal for Rings and Everyday Wear

Lab-grown diamonds make diamond rings much more attainable for everyday wear. You can stack sparkling lab-grown bands in yellow, rose, and white metals for a customized look. Or opt for a solitaire-style lab diamond ring with timeless appeal. With lab-grown gems, you can enjoy a broad selection of jewelry and mix them with your natural diamond pieces.

Lab-Grown Engagement Rings

Not too long ago, people had to be concerned about where they bought their natural diamonds, due to potential ethical concerns. But thanks to industry leaders like John Atencio, these concerns have become a thing of the past. 

To this day, John continues to adhere strictly to ethical and social standards, including the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), a global effort to fight the trade of controversial "conflict diamonds" used to fund human trafficking, war, and other harmful activities. 

You may have heard that with lab diamonds there’s no concern about the potential impact of unethical sourcing. While this is true, there’s also no concern when you choose a natural diamond from an ethical designer such as John Atencio.

But for budget-conscious couples, lab diamonds check all the boxes, allowing for stunning rings with large center stones at accessible prices. The budget you save can be used toward a memorable honeymoon or another chapter of your lives together. Some couples first select lab diamonds due to their current budgets. Then, they may decide later to upgrade their engagement rings to natural diamonds for major anniversaries. 

Everyday Lab Diamond Studs

Lab-grown diamond studs allow you to sport the lustrous diamond look in a budget-friendly manner. They make the perfect first diamond jewelry pieces as you build your collection over time. Complement them with other lab-grown statement pieces or natural diamond heirlooms.

Lab Diamond Tennis Bracelets

Lab diamond tennis bracelets are a wonderful way to elevate casual and dressy looks. For many consumers today, the lower costs outweigh traditions linked to natural diamond jewelry. That said, when it comes to deciding between lab and natural diamond tennis bracelets, there are many factors to consider. Check out this resource to help you make a more informed choice based on your unique style and preferences. 

Lab Diamond Pendants

Lab diamond pendants exude contemporary styling that allows you to easily elevate your ensemble. Suspend these glittering gems from precious metals and layer them with other chains. Punctuate your outfits with the extra shimmer of a pendant made by master artist John Atencio, who crafts unique lab and natural diamond pendants you won't find anywhere else on the planet. 

Creating a Cohesive Collection: Mixing and Matching

When building your jewelry collection, you don’t have to limit yourself to one diamond type. Combining lab-grown and natural diamonds allows you to create eye-catching combinations that give you maximum bang for your investment dollar. Some tips:

• Complement platinum or yellow gold natural diamond rings and studs with white gold, lab diamond pendants and tennis bracelets.
• Alternate a lab-grown diamond pendant with a natural diamond necklace for different occasions.
• Stack a lab diamond eternity band with a natural diamond engagement ring for a personalized, layered look.

The options are endless when you allow lab-grown and natural diamonds to co-star. Work with one of John Atencio’s consultants to select pieces with complementary metals and settings.

The Diamond Decision: Beyond the Sparkle

Visually, a high-quality lab-grown and natural diamond are nearly identical. However, their distinctions run deeper than the surface. 

One of the biggest differences between natural diamonds and lab-grown diamonds centers on sourcing. Since there are a limited number of natural diamonds on Earth, they will always be rarer and more valuable. On the other hand, since lab-grown diamonds are essentially limitless, they don’t tend to be as valuable or expensive as natural diamonds forged over billions of years beneath the surface of the Earth. 

As previously mentioned, natural diamonds also command higher prices and retain their value exceptionally well, appreciating in value as investments over decades.

The John Atencio Difference

If you’re planning to buy a natural diamond, you’d be well-advised to make sure the jeweler has the same ethical standards as John Atencio. At the same time, choosing a lab-grown diamond will completely eliminate any concerns over the human toll and environmental impact of mining diamonds. Simply put, a John Atencio lab-made diamond is the current standard for ethics and responsible environmental stewardship in the modern diamond trade. 

John Atencio offers an exquisite selection of both lab-grown and natural diamond jewelry. His team ethically sources all diamonds and can guide you to pieces aligning with your style, values and budget. Browse online or visit any John Atencio location, where his attentive consultants can help you find a striking jewelry piece to elevate your look. His attentive team can also help you choose a gorgeous gift to show that special someone just how much you care.