Lab created gemstones have been around for over a hundred years.
Their popularity among consumers waxes and wanes depending on how well their marketing becomes, only to then fall back down and get crushed by competition.
The lab grown gem market is very fickle and unforgiving.
But hear this…
The earth mined counterparts to these lab created gems can and should also earn a tainted stigma, merely because over 95% of them have been heat treated to enhance color or fracture filling to enhance their clarity have flooded the US since 1965.
So why is it that if a gemstone that was grown in a lab to shorten the time it takes to produce one is being tagged with a worse stigma than earth mined gems that have been messed with so much result in having lost their true value?
Simple.
Whomever has more money, has a larger share of the marketing media.
There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about these gemstones, so in this article we will dispel some of the rumors and explain why lab-created gemstones are (or are not) valuable before you decide if you want to buy them.
Table of Contents
What Are Lab Created Gemstones
Lab created gemstones are not imitations or “synthetic.”
They are grown in a laboratory and are identical to those found in nature.
If you compare an earth mined gem to a lab grown gem, you would find them to be the exact same thing chemically, physically and optically.
Lab created gems have the same molecular make-up as those found in the earth and are even made through a process very similar to how nature does it…but in a fraction of the time.
There are many processes for creating gems, and some are more expensive than others.
Under laboratory conditions, temperatures are controlled and “starter seeds” are carefully chosen to eliminate foreign materials found in the earth that would result in undesirable color and clarity.
Because the labs can control the purity of materials better, they also can grow gems that would be difficult to mine were they to have the same characteristics.
How Are Lab Grown Gems Different from Natural?
The main difference between the two types of stones is origin.
One is fully grown in the dirt, and the other is seeded from mined gems, but is then grown to maturity in a lab.
Ice can be made in your freezer, or ice can be formed on the ground.
One will be cleaner, the other will be dirtier.
They are both ice in every sense of the word, right down to their molecular structure. Can’t argue with that.
If you would like a drink with ice in it, you’d probably go for the ice that you made in the freezer, yes?
No grit in your drink can be a good thing.
Yet the world of marketing insists that you would be better served if you used ice formed in the dirt.
Okaaay.
So the origin is the difference.
One would think that gems with fewer flaws would command higher prices, but because these lab grown gems were grown outside of a “natural setting,” aka in a sterile laboratory, they then became destined to carry a stigma.
Mined gems typically have inclusions from the crystallization process when gasses and other minerals mix during the molten stage of the stone’s creation.
But because lab grown gems rely on a faster, more steady and controlled process, they have fewer inclusions.
We have seen a few lab grown gems that had inclusions which could fool the best jeweler into insisting they were of natural earth mined origin.
The other thing to consider is that you might accidentally buy the wrong type of gemstone if you want a lab grown stone, and then end up with a simulated stone instead.
You will need to be very specific if you are shopping because simulated stones are not grown at all, they are imitations that bear no characteristics to either the lab grown and natural mined stones.
How Lab Created Gemstones Are Made
There are two methods for creating gemstones, but the finished products are quite different from each other and they do not have the same quality:
Flux Fusion
This method grows an identical internal structure to mined gemstones and it gives the gems more brilliance and light return.
Because of this, the colors are more vibrant.
This method takes up to a year depending on what kind of gem is being grown.
The process involves taking a small slice of the mined crystal and placing it in a crucible.
The chamber is filled up with a blend of liquid chemicals and gases that feeds the crystal growth, like a “starter” feeds the making of sourdough bread or yogurt.
The temperature is cranked up to simulate the earth temperature and in about a year, a large crystal is made.
The average batch produces around 10,000 carats of gemstone, but only 10-20% is left after the cutting process.
Some of the batch is also saved to be used as seeds in future batches.
Gems grown using this method will test positive on a gemstone tester because they are indeed real gemstones.
You can expect to pay a much higher price for gems made with flux fusion as they have the exact same qualities and characteristics of the earth mined do, but without so many of the internal flaws.
Flex Method
This method uses a melting of chemicals to make a stone similar to a sapphire or a ruby. This is far less expensive and much faster, but the results are not as brilliant nor will they test positive as a real gemstone.
Be sure to ask the jewelry store which type of lab grown stones they sell.
Are Lab Created Gemstones As Valuable As Natural Gemstones?
Mined Gemstones are currently more valuable and it seems as though they always will be unless gem mining becomes illegal throughout the entire world.
As explained above, Flux Fusion grown gems are probably the best gemstones that money can buy, yet there will never be the same acceptance for their value even though they are more stable than their earth mined counterparts.
Price points all over the world confirm this.
There is a tension between what they are worth and what the market will allow.
This is true regardless of which gemstone or lab created diamond we are speaking about.
We suppose that if a lab grown gemstone took a hundred years to grow, then it might get a little better rating but only due to them being seen as an “antique” at that point.
If you study the markets, you will eventually realize that high quality mined untreated gems are extremely difficult to find and are super expensive if you do find one.
However, since 1965, the markets have been flooded with gemstones that are, (even though they are mined from the earth), so altered by different kinds treatments to enhance their appearance, that the lab grown counterparts actually make a much stronger case for authenticity and higher value.
Lab Grown vs Natural Diamonds
Lab grown diamonds display the same physical, chemical, and optical characteristics as mined diamonds do, just like the other gemstones we discussed here.
They have the same fire, sparkle, brilliance and scintillation.
They require no mining and so are environmentally friendly.
They are also friendly to developing countries because there is no slave labor involved, aka conflict stones.
Most people are unaware of the process behind creating these in a lab. But the results are fantastic. They are seeded by using regular earth mined diamonds, then cooked under pressure and high heat with methane and hydrogen gasses.
In about a month, around 30 stones are finished in the rough and then are sent to diamond cutters.
Lab Grown vs Natural Emeralds
Emeralds are a bit different from the other two examples we gave. The process of creating them in a lab is still relatively new and not perfected as it is with diamonds or even rubies and sapphires.
That being said, many experts feel that in a few years time, they will be able to make Emeralds in a lab that are indistinguishable from the natural ones.
The price points for these have not been determined yet as the market is still new, but we can only imagine that they will be cheaper than their earth mined counterparts since there is no mining involved.
Lab Grown vs Natural Rubies/Sapphires
The price point for Sapphires has always been high, but they have skyrocketed in the last few years.
This is due to the fact that there are very few good quality Sapphires being mined these days. The process of making Sapphires in a lab is not as perfected as it is with diamonds, but it is getting there.
The results are not as brilliant, but they are still very beautiful.
Benefits Of Lab Created Gemstones
By now, you are probably noticing that there are many benefits to purchasing lab grown gemstones.
They are environmentally friendly, they do not require mining, and the price points are usually cheaper than their natural counterparts (with the exception of Sapphires).
These are the benefits of lab created gemstones and diamonds:
Environmentally Friendly
Environmentally friendly and clean. The earth is left relatively untouched, as are so many of the resources that would be necessary for mining.
More Affordable
Economically more affordable. Lab grown gems are far more realistic for the average income to be able to purchase.
Fancy colored lab grown diamonds are within affordability range.
Most people would be hard pressed to be able to afford a quality fancy colored diamond or gemstone that was mined and that was not altered in drastic ways to enhance it.
You can get a larger diamond for your budget.
It stands to reason that if your budget could accommodate a 1 carat mined diamond or gem, because the major costs of mining is eliminated, you can now buy a larger stone for the same price that you were prepared to pay for the 1 carat size.
Greater Purity
Greater purity and quality over mined gems.
Because these gemstones are seeded, there is a greater control in the overall results of the quality and purity these will have. Elements that would have contaminated or resulted in blemishes and certain types of inclusions can be prevented in lab grown stones, whereas they are found numerous in mined ones.
Conflict Free
You know that their origin is without conflict.
There are those who do not want to buy items that were possibly acquired by someone’s exploitation, pain and suffering. Lab grown gems would ensure that the line of gems created would eliminate that possibility.
Drawbacks To Lab Created Gemstones
Unfortunately, there are some drawbacks to lab created gemstones. Let’s consider the drawbacks of lab created gemstones and diamonds.
Lab Created Gemstones Devalue All Gemstones
They cannot seem to overcome the stigma of their origin.
There is something tragic about this.
It is not like we are talking about GMOs vs Organic here. These are gemstones not food. The lab grown gems are not modified, they are just faster.
However, because this technology now exists, it is inevitable that the markets will become flooded with an oversupply of gemstones and the prices will drop for all gemstones, natural and lab grown alike.
Want proof?
Look no further in history than when the British Empire was colonizing Africa.
During that time, the indigenous population really liked adorning themselves with beads made from all kinds of different materials.
They particularly liked the glass beads the Europeans brought over, but they were difficult to make and quite rare.
The British noticed this, and knowing that they could manufacture glass beads quite easily and cheaply, they began to flood the market with them.
The result?
The value of glass beads as currency plummeted after the British were able to buy up vast tracts of land for next to nothing.
The moral of the story is that once rare items are able to be manufactured at an industrial scale, the value will significantly plummet.
Gemstones included.
Difficult To Sell
The media seems to have been bought and paid to conduct an all out war against lab grown gemstones.
When was the last time you saw a commercial promoting these as opposed to earth mined diamonds?
Our tv, internet and radio waves are flooded with the earth mined diamond ads, and therefore, money is raised for even more advertisements to suppress the competition.
Difficult To Resell
If you buy a lab grown diamond and then need to raise money because something happened in your life, you will not be paid much of anything for the stone.
Yes, you will be paid for the gold or platinum mounting it is set in, but you will be lucky to get ten cents on the dollar back on this purchase.
FAQ’s About Lab Created Gemstones
Are lab-created diamonds good?
In many ways, lab-created diamonds are superior to earth mined diamonds because the vast majority of them are of much higher quality, whereas the majority of mined diamonds are not, even though they are more expensive nevertheless.
Are lab diamonds as strong as natural diamonds?
Lab diamonds are every bit as strong as earth mined diamonds and both test 10 on the MOHs scale for hardness.
Can a jeweler tell if a diamond is lab-created?
The average jewelry will have difficulty in identifying a lab-created diamond. It must be sent to a Gemologist who will have the proper equipment for testing.
Impressive huh?
Lab grown diamonds have many of the same natural inclusions as their earth mined counterparts (but far fewer) which is the primary way to identify whether or not a diamond is real.
Lab grown diamonds test positive on a diamond tester the same as mined diamonds do.
Because they are.
Do lab created gemstones have flaws?
Lab created gemstones have many of the same flaws as natural gemstones, however, they have fewer and they do not have any fluorescence.
Final Thoughts
Now that you have more information and are a little more aware of the facts, we would caution and suggest that you do not buy a lab grown gemstone for investment purposes, because even though you can get a better gem or diamond, you will not be able to recover your funds when you need it the most.
Also to be fair, keep in mind that even if you purchase a mined diamond, in order for you to get even half the value back if you were to sell it, it would have to be very high quality such as a VVS1 or VVS2, simply because diamonds of lesser quality have already flooded the market long ago.