Are lab-grown diamonds also a girl’s best friend? These 14 labels make the case

​​The best lab-grown diamonds may not have been your first choice when shopping for fine jewellery like an engagement ring or everyday pieces from earrings to necklaces and bracelets in years past—particularly when shopping for a luxurious gift. However, the diamond jewellery 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 crafted from 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.

Vogue’s Guide to the Best Lab-Grown Diamonds:

• The Everyday Hoops: Mejuri Bezel Lab Grown Diamond Huggies
• The Tennis Necklace: Dorsey James Bezel Graduated Rivière Necklace
• The Dainty Bracelet: Vrai Floating Station Bracelet
• The Stacking Band: Jean Dousset Elle Double Lab Diamond Band
• The Sleek Studs: Blue Nile Asscher Cut Lab-Grown Diamond Stud Earrings
• The Dangly Earrings: Kinn Five Stone Chain Earrings Diamond
• The Initial Necklace: Idyl Initial Diamond Duo
• The Custom Charm: Fiametta emerald bezel charm
• The Chunky Ring: Grown Brilliance Diamond Crescent Ring
• The Sparkly Huggie: Stone and Strand Lab-Created Diamond Side Pave Clicker
• The Diamond-Adorned Chain: Brilliant Earth Kendall Lab Diamond Chain Bracelet

With engagement season and the holidays on the horizon, lab-grown diamond jewellery is a desirable choice in the market. And yes, the four Cs: colour, cut, clarity, and carat, still apply. Whether shopping for yourself or looking to treat a loved one to one of the best jewellery gifts, 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 labour necessary for mining. In the end, like the best vintage jewellery, a diamond piece already in existence is the most sustainable option, though plenty of consciously-made new designs are out there.

Whether you’re looking to shop for a special someone or to simply treat yourself, (after all, every girl deserves diamonds, once in her life), ahead, peruse an edit of scintillating necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings from 14 of the best places to buy lab-grown diamonds.

Mejuri

With a hefty celebrity following, from Taylor Swift to Gigi Hadid, Mejuri is one of the most-beloved jewellery labels for crafting irresistible, everyday jewellery. American Vogue’s jewellery director Daisy Shaw-Ellis sums its appeal up perfectly: “Its pieces are egalitarian and versatile—two things we value greatly.” And while the brand may be best known for its huggie earrings and simple stacking rings, Mejuri recently expanded its offerings to include lab-grown diamonds

“[Mejuri’s] expansion into lab-grown diamonds is a way to make high quality diamonds (especially the larger sized stones) more accessible to our customers,” Nour Sakkijha, co-founder of Mejuri shares with Vogue, “without compromising our sustainability efforts.” The collection includes the classics, from tennis bracelets and pavé rings to simple pendant necklaces that make an excellent gift for a special someone, or yourself.

• Styles offered: Everyday fine jewellery, engagement rings, wedding bands
• Price range: Pieces start at US$498
• Special services: 1:1 styling services in-store or virtually, free international shipping on orders above US$150, returns offered within 30 days

Dorsey

Dorsey is an independent fashion jewellery brand based in Los Angeles, offering accessible heirloom-inspired jewellery 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 jewellery 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 jewellery 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.

• Styles offered: Fine and fashion jewellery
• Price range: US$115 to $5,000
• Special services: Free two-day shipping, returns can be requested up to 30 days from the purchase date

Brilliant Earth

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 jewellery destination was one of the first to offer lab-grown diamonds, beginning in 2012, and in 2021, it became one of the first authorised 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 jewellery, you can feel confident in Brilliant Earth’s ethically-focused lab-grown diamond designs, including fancy coloured stones—another unique offering from the label.

• Styles offered: Engagement rings, wedding jewellery, everyday fine jewellery, fancy-coloured stones, custom designs
• Price range: From US$225
• Special services: Free shipping, free 30-day returns, independent certification and grading reports, lifetime warranty, lifetime diamond upgrade program, flexible payment options, loose diamonds, custom designs

Vrai

Vrai exclusively works with lab-grown diamonds in their fine jewellery 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 utilise 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.

• Styles offered: Engagement rings, wedding jewellery, everyday fine jewellery, custom designs
• Price range: From US$145
• Special services: Free insured shipping, free returns within 30 days of delivery, loose diamonds eligible for a free return within 14 days of delivery, lifetime warranty, custom designs

Grown Brilliance

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 jewellery 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 labour 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 organisations, such as IGI (Independent Gemological Institute) or GIA (Gemological Institute of America)—while certification cards are provided for all other jewellery with a centre stone (or matched pairs) that weigh half a carat or more.

• Styles offered: Engagement rings, wedding jewellery, everyday fine jewellery, custom designs
• Price range: From US$125
• Special services: Free shipping and returns, lifetime warranty, certification cards, loose diamonds, Design Your Ring program

Kinn

For heirloom-worthy jewels, look no further than Kinn. Jennie Yoon founded Kinn in 2017 after several of her family’s antique jewels were stolen. Kinn’s jewels are designed to look and feel timeless, with the intent of passing them on to future generations.

At Kinn, you’ll discover classic engagement rings and wedding bands, as well as a plethora of everyday fine jewels for the modern minimalist. Take the Solis ring, which is a bestseller, featuring an elegant ribbed design with a single centre stone and inspired by Yoon’s mother’s own vintage pleated ring. Kinn’s studio is based in Los Angeles and practices a responsible manufacturing process. They use recycled 14K gold and ethically-sourced gemstones, while offering both lab-grown diamonds and natural diamonds that adhere to the Kimberley Process (KP) in their collections.

• Styles offered: Everyday fine jewellery, engagement rings, wedding bands, personalised and custom jewellery
• Price range: From US$160
• Special services: Personalised and custom designs, custom resizing, repairs, free shipping on orders above US$200, returns offered within 10 days on domestic orders

Jean Dousset

Being in the family tree of an iconic jeweller instantly earns you credit in the fine jewellery space. For Jean Dousset, great grand-son of Louis Cartier, impeccable taste and passion for jewellery 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 jewellery designer Boucheron (with Alain Boucheron himself as a mentor), and later landed him the role of International Director of High Jewellery 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 jewellery designs. As of April 2023, Dousset pivoted to 100% lab diamonds, pairing the mastery of heritage fine jewellers with the revolutionary category of luxury lab diamonds so that everyone can acquire the jewellery they desire without compromise. Every piece within this collection is made with high-quality colourless or nearly-colourless lab diamonds from a D-H colour range that is exclusively GIA-certified.

• Styles offered: Engagement rings, wedding jewellery, everyday fine jewellery, custom designs
• Price range: From US$1,200
• Special services: GIA-certified stones, custom designs, complimentary consultations, free shipping, 14-day returns

Blue Nile

Blue Nile is one of the most popular online retailers synonymous with lab-grown diamonds and fine jewellery, offering ready-to-ship pieces and customisable creations. They’ve been around since 1999, launching with a customer-first model that prioritises transparent jewellery 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.

• Styles offered: Engagement rings, wedding jewellery, everyday fine jewellery, custom designs
• Price range: From US$350
• Special services: Free secure shipping, free returns, diamond education, customisable Design Your Own Ring option, jewellery insurance, diamond price guarantee, professional appraisals, diamond buy-back option, product warranty, engraving services, ring sizing

Noémie

Noémie is a direct-to-consumer jewellery 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 jewellery pieces that stand out from many popular designs. This includes the precious yet sturdy solid 18-carat gold to the certified VS clarity and F-G colour diamonds. Additionally, Noémie offers custom design services that go beyond engagement rings and wedding jewellery (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 visualise 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.

• Styles offered: Engagement rings, wedding jewellery, everyday fine jewellery, custom designs
• Price range: From US$910
• Special services: Free insured shipping, free returns, custom designs, diamond price match guarantee

Stone and Strand

Stone and Strand’s Rathe collection offers a selection of lab-grown diamond jewellery that emphasises both sustainability and style. Crafted with recycled gold, these pieces range from playfully trendy designs to timeless pieces such as eternity bands, stud earrings, and pendant necklaces, combining quality and modern production—the ideal choice for those who appreciate everyday fine jewellery they can mix and match with their entire collection.

• Styles offered: Everyday fine jewellery
• Price range: From US$175
• Special services: Free shipping, 100-day product warranty, 100-day return window, gift wrapping

Idyl

Idyl offers a modular approach to jewellery design, encouraging you to mix and match its designs with ease. The collection offers elegant, minimalist jewellery that you can wear as earrings during the day and then switch to a necklace at night. All Idyl pieces are handcrafted in Antwerp where its lab-grown diamonds are expertly reviewed and inspected across cut, colour, clarity, and carat before they land on your doorstep. All Idyl jewellery is ethically crafted using traceable gold sourced from conflict free regions. Take a peek at Idyl’s gorgeous assortment of dainty earrings and necklaces—a go-to for A-listers like Eva Longoria, Mila Kunis, and Kaia Gerber—these are the jewels you’ll want to layer forever with your white tee and a crisp blazer.

• Styles offered: Everyday fine jewellery and high jewellery
• Price range: From US$275
• Special services: Free worldwide shipping and insurance, returns offered within 30 days

Fiametta

Fiametta, which translates to “little fiery one,” is redefining modern luxury with a fresh take on diamond jewellery. Equal parts sophisticated and forward-thinking, the brand blends old-world craftsmanship with cutting-edge innovation, offering pieces as meaningful as they are beautiful.

Every piece features lab-grown diamonds set in 14K recycled gold, making it a go-to for those who want their jewellery to reflect timeless elegance and thoughtful ethics. The result? Jewellery that feels as good to wear as it looks, proving you can indulge in luxury without compromising your values. Whether you’re customising a one-of-a-kind engagement ring or layering pendants to tell your story, Fiametta delivers sophistication with heart.

• Styles offered: Everyday fine jewellery, custom designs
• Price range: From US$180
• Special services: Bespoke design consultations for one-of-a-kind creations; commitment to sustainable practices

The Invisible Jewels

Founded by Kym Canter, The Invisible Jewels takes an understated yet impactful approach to luxury, offering jewellery that speaks to those who appreciate quiet elegance with a modern edge. At the brand’s core is its signature “naked” diamonds—a unique design concept where stones are meticulously pierced and set without traditional metal settings, giving the illusion of being suspended in mid-air. This innovative technique enhances brilliance from every angle, resulting in bold, empowering, and effortlessly personal pieces. From delicate necklaces and bracelets to striking hair accessories and face gems, every lab-grown diamond is made using renewable energy and is fully traceable across the value chain, ensuring transparency and ethical integrity.

• Styles offered: Necklaces, bracelets, hair accessories, and face gems
• Price range: From US$150
• Special services: International Gemological Institute-rated diamonds, jewellery repair

To help guide your shopping journey, we enlisted two experts to help answer the most commonly asked questions around lab-grown diamonds.

What is a lab-grown diamond? Are lab-grown diamonds real diamonds?
“Lab-grown diamonds are molecularly exactly the same as mined diamonds. In 2018, the FTC updated their definition of what a diamond is, reflecting that lab-grown diamonds are indeed “real” diamonds,” Strachan says. “The only difference between a lab-grown diamond and a mined diamond is the setting in which it’s created–under heat and pressure in a controlled lab setting versus under heat and pressure in the earth.”

How are lab-grown diamonds made?
To put it simply, “A lab-grown diamond is made of carbon, created under heat and pressure in a controlled lab setting, says Strachan. “The ability to create diamonds in the lab means growers can control for the desired colour, cut, clarity, and size.”

Is the difference between lab-grown diamonds and natural mined diamonds visible?
With the naked eye, “it’s nearly impossible to tell the difference between mined and lab-grown diamonds,” says Strachan. “Only a gemologist with the most trained eye is able to tell the difference, and even this is currently under scrutiny,” she adds. “I hear from many Dorsey customers that they layer a Dorsey lab-grown necklace next to a mined diamond necklace, and no one can tell the difference.”

What is the highest grade of lab-grown diamonds?
Lab-grown diamonds can reach the highest grades of Flawless (FL) or Internally Flawless (IF) clarity, D colour, and Super Ideal Cut. However, achieving these top grades remains rare.

“Although lab diamond technology has advanced tremendously, the highest colour and clarity grades, such as D/FL and D/IF, are still difficult to achieve,” says Annie Chen, Brilliant Earth’s senior vice president of merchandising.

Do the 4 C’s apply to lab-grown diamonds?
The 4 C’s—colour, clarity, cut, and carat weight—apply to lab-grown diamonds like to mined diamonds. Lab-grown diamonds are evaluated by independent grading labs such as GIA, IGI, and GCAL using identical standards. “Lab-grown diamonds are made of the same material as natural diamonds and have the same optical and chemical properties,” says Chen. “The higher the colour and clarity, the rarer the diamond.”

What are the types of lab-grown diamonds that exist?
There are two primary methods for creating lab-grown diamonds: High-Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) and Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD). “Both HPHT and CVD processes yield high-quality lab-grown diamonds with the same chemical, optical, and physical properties as natural diamonds,” Chen explains. While the methods differ, the resulting diamonds are virtually indistinguishable from those mined from the earth.

Do lab-grown diamonds hold their value?
There is not a clear-cut answer to this question, but ultimately relying on the design and prestige of the jeweller is where it will matter most.

Are lab-grown diamonds more ethical?
The question of whether lab-grown diamonds are more ethical than mined diamonds comes down to each company’s ability to trace and monitor each step, and the ethics lie within this process.

Meet the Experts:
Meg Strachan, founder and CEO, Dorsey
Annie Chen, senior vice president of merchandising, Brilliant Earth

This article was originally published on Vogue.com.