The Best Lab

By Laura Lajiness Kaupke

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In years past, the best lab-grown diamonds may not have been your first choice when shopping for fine jewelry like an engagement ring or everyday pieces from earrings to necklaces and bracelets. But the diamond jewelry industry has vastly changed over the years. Lab-created diamonds are as coveted as natural diamonds mined from the earth, resulting in choices aplenty. In fact, when you start to research these sparkly creations, including the best places to buy lab-grown diamonds, you'll learn that lab diamonds are real diamonds made of pure carbon. A common mistake is misinterpreting lab diamonds for simulated diamonds, like cubic zirconia and moissanite, made of different chemical compositions, which they are not. Lab diamonds are chemically identical to natural diamonds, but as the name indicates, they’re created in a lab rather than through the earth's resources. While this makes them less rare, they’re undoubtedly valuable and often more affordable than natural diamonds.

Variety is among the best joys when shopping for lab-grown diamonds, and yes, the four Cs: color, cut, clarity, and carat, still apply. You can choose from all the different diamond cuts, from rounds to oval and emerald, set in yellow gold, white gold, and rose gold. Similarly, when determining where to shop for a lab-grown diamond, especially one as the focal point of the best engagement rings, you’ll find all the ring settings you could ever wish for, including traditional, modern, and vintage-inspired designs. And since lab-grown diamonds are created in a controlled environment, flawlessness is much easier to achieve at a friendly price, as is a bigger stone. To the naked eye, it's virtually impossible to tell if a diamond is natural or lab-grown.

Environmentally speaking, there are pros and cons to each. Ultimately, it's whatever you value most and how you weigh things—compare the energy and water usage required for your chosen lab-grown diamond and compare that to the power and labor necessary for mining. In the end, like the best vintage jewelry, a diamond piece already in existence is the most sustainable option, though plenty of consciously-made new designs are out there. Ahead, peruse an edit of them from seven of the best places to buy lab-grown diamonds.

Brilliant Earth is a company of many firsts in the lab-grown diamond realm, and sustainability is at the forefront of the business. The online jewelry destination was one of the first to offer lab-grown diamonds, beginning in 2012, and in 2021, it became one of the first authorized retailers to introduce the independently certified Sustainability Rated Diamond collection. Every diamond within this assortment comes with a certificate to provide assurance of origin, responsible production practices, ethical stewardship, and climate neutrality with each lab-grown diamond. By 2025, Brilliant Earth's goal is for 50% of lab-grown diamonds to be certified to an environmental product standard.

Additionally, Brilliant Earth is third-party certified as a climate-neutral company (including the company's footprint from both present and past emissions), partnering with Carbonfund.org to offset carbon emissions by contributing to tropical rainforest conservation in Brazil.

Whether you’re shopping for a custom engagement ring, loose stone, or modern piece of everyday fine jewelry, you can feel confident in Brilliant Earth's ethically-focused lab-grown diamond designs, including fancy colored stones—another unique offering from the label.

Blue Nile is one of the most popular online retailers synonymous with lab-grown diamonds and fine jewelry, offering ready-to-ship pieces and customizable creations. They’ve been around since 1999, launching with a customer-first model that prioritizes transparent jewelry education and pricing. In other words, one of the most informative and best deals you can get without sacrificing quality. In addition, Blue Nile works with the world's most respected suppliers who adhere to and enforce the standards established by the Kimberley Process to source their ethically-sourced natural diamonds. So, to ensure their lab diamonds live up to an equally esteemed standard, they ensure quality by having stones graded by the independent experts at GIA (which is not a uniform practice with lab-grown diamonds) to provide a grading sheet with every purchase.

Vrai exclusively works with lab-grown diamonds in their fine jewelry and engagement rings through their Diamond Foundry. (Fun fact: Sustainability-champion Leonardo DiCaprio is an investor). It's located by the Columbia River in the Pacific North West and is zero-emissions—a feat not all lab-diamond companies achieve. The brand's direct-to-consumer model means no middlemen are involved and no mark-ups to offer the best prices on high-quality-cut lab diamonds, whether you shop their ready-made pieces or utilize the custom engagement rings service. Vrai maintains precise cutting, faceting, and polishing standards, working with renowned Belgian master diamond experts to craft each brilliant piece. Vrai also offers a full warranty and certificate that guarantees the grades of each lab-created diamond.

If you’re shopping for loose lab diamonds, turn to Grown Brilliance for some of the best—the retailer proudly works with lab-grown diamonds only. Shop by shape, carat size, clarity, or cut and purchase the stone solo or exercise your fine jewelry eye by creating your dream custom engagement ring. Or, shop the brand's assortment of ready-to-ship pieces, ranging from wedding and anniversary bands to everyday pieces like round-brilliant stud earrings, tennis bracelets and bangles, and bezel-set pendant necklaces. Whatever you choose, a commitment to ethics ensures Grown Brilliance's quality, from the controlled environment with strict labor laws to offering a lifetime manufacturing warranty. In addition, the brand certifies all of the lab-grown loose diamonds acquired through its Design Your Ring program—shoppers will receive a certification card from one of the world's most reputable independent certification organizations, such as IGI (Independent Gemological Institute) or GIA (Gemological Institute of America)—while certification cards are provided for all other jewelry with a center stone (or matched pairs) that weigh half a carat or more.

Dorsey is an independent fashion jewelry brand based in Los Angeles, offering accessible heirloom-inspired jewelry with a modern feel inspired by founder Meg Strachan's grandmother. The direct-to-consumer label, launched in 2020, exclusively offers lab-grown stones in every well-crafted jewelry design, prominently white sapphires. Dorsey lab-engineered gemstones have the same physical and chemical properties as mined stones, sparkling ever-so-brightly with a timeless feel. This means pieces are priced very affordably in terms of fine jewelry but with craftsmanship deserving of generations-long wear. The selection is what we consider It girl pieces. Since its inception, the brand has garnered a strong celebrity fanbase, including Hailey and Justin Bieber, Bella Hadid, Taylor Swift, Emily Ratajkowski, and Lily James. So, expect to discover tennis and strand necklaces made to layer, gold chain links with an achingly modern feel, and chunky event-worthy pieces that’ll catch every eye in the room.

Noémie is a direct-to-consumer jewelry brand combining a legacy of craftsmanship with modern materials, including lab-grown diamonds. The higher-quality materials with which the brand works allow for long-lasting fine jewelry pieces that stand out from many popular designs. This includes the precious yet sturdy solid 18-karat gold to the certified VS clarity and F-G color diamonds. Additionally, Noémie offers custom design services that go beyond engagement rings and wedding jewelry (though both are included). Whatever you have your heart set on, the brand's skilled team will help you turn it into a reality. They work with you to create sketches based on inspiration photos so you can visualize things throughout the process and offer an array of stone options and setting styles that work within your budget. While you may assume this service comes at an extra cost, think again—there are no design or consultation fees. Plus, free returns at a full refund if you’re not satisfied.

Being in the family tree of an iconic jeweler instantly earns you credit in the fine jewelry space. For Jean Dousset, great grand-son of Louis Cartier, impeccable taste and passion for jewelry was par for the course. It led him through a lustrous career that started in 1992 with a prestigious Chaumet position in Paris, followed by an apprenticeship with the renowned French jewelry designer Boucheron (with Alain Boucheron himself as a mentor), and later landed him the role of International Director of High Jewelry Exhibitions with Van Cleef & Arpels.

In 2010 Dousset opened his namesake Los Angeles showroom carving out a name all his own through his contemporary and innovative fine jewelry designs. Then, on August 3, 2020, Oui by Jean Dousset—a collection of affordable fine jewelry luxuries and engagement rings, including ready-to-ship lab diamond jewelry—debuted. Every piece within this collection is made with high-quality colorless or nearly colorless lab diamonds from a D-H color range that is exclusively GIA-certified.