Best Lab-Grown Diamonds 2025 – Forbes Vetted

usncan 2025-08-08

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📝 usncan Note: Best Lab-Grown Diamonds 2025 – Forbes Vetted

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Chemically and physically identical to earth-mined diamonds, lab-grown diamonds come at a fraction of the cost. I determined seven online retailers that offer the best lab-grown diamonds, based on my certification as a jewelry expert and after extensively researching the highest quality gems on market. My top pick overall is Blue Nile because it offers investment-worthy pieces at reasonable prices, along with complimentary ring resizing and polishing services.

Here are the best lab-grown diamonds from retailers with stellar reputations and a stunning array of … More jewelry to pick from.

Illustration: Forbes / Photo: Retailers

To make my selections, I tapped into my own jewelry knowledge as a gem expert (I hold certificates in Lab-Grown Diamond Fundamentals and Jewelry Essentials from the Gemological Institute of America). I also collaborated with Ankur Daga, the founder and CEO of Angara, a leading online jeweler, to create an in-depth guide on everything you need to know about lab-grown diamonds before purchasing. Beyond recommending trusted retailers, I’ve selected standout pieces—from timeless engagement rings to shimmering tennis bracelets—if you’re on the search for some sparkle.

Price range: $365 to $11,620 | Shipping: Free 2-day shipping on all orders | Returns: 30-day returns; full return policy | White-glove services: Complimentary ring resizing for 1 year; free polishing, cleaning, prong inspection every 6 months

What you’ll love:

Diamonds are GIA-analyzed
Several customization options
Free gift box with purchase

Keep in mind:

Only orders over $500 are eligible for free overnight shipping

Blue Nile has been around for over 20 years, so it’s a trusted authority in an otherwise newer space. All of its loose diamonds are analyzed and graded for quality by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), one of the most accurate labs in the diamond industry. Since the brand sells direct-to-consumer, it’s able to offer high-quality stones with low overhead costs and, as a result, attainable pricing. In addition to rings, Blue Nile also offers a gorgeous selection of bracelets, earrings and necklaces—its Round Brilliant Stud Earrings earned the top spot on our list of the best lab-grown diamond earrings.

The brand provides plenty of opportunities for customization, so you can create a bespoke ring, pendant or earrings with lab-grown diamonds. For wedding rings, I love the Scalloped Pavé Diamond Ring; and for gifts, I’d suggest the Half Carat Stud Earrings or the classic Tennis Bracelet. I also appreciate Blue Nile’s thoughtful extras, like a free gift box and notecard with purchases.

Price range: $110 to $56,792 | Shipping: Free 2-day shipping on all orders | Returns: Free 30-day returns; full return policy | White-glove services: Free engraving for rings, prong tightening, re-polishing; real-time diamond viewing with expert gemologist online

What you’ll love:

Expert gemologists available for consultation
Free ring engraving
360-degree ring viewing

Keep in mind:

Number of options may be overwhelming for some

Located in the diamond district in New York, James Allen carries both natural and lab-grown diamonds. The jeweler is best known for its massive selection of stones in every cut, at every price point—it has an excellent reputation for quality, service and expertise. Plus, it offers a virtual service for custom-made rings, and you can inspect your diamonds in real time, with a 360-degree view and the advice of an in-house gemologist. Typically, if you shop for lab-grown diamonds, you can get up to 30% more size for the same cost—which really helps maximize your budget.

I can personally speak to the quality of the brand’s pieces: I own a gorgeous pair of James Allen lab-grown stud earrings, which actually sparkle more than one of my natural diamond pairs. The White Gold Petite Pavé Cathedral Engagement Ring is a favorite for rings, and I’d also recommend the Solitaire Diamond Pendant and the Blossom Tennis Necklace.

Coupons By Forbes VettedThe Best Blue Nile Coupons | Online Promo Codes, Offers & Discounts

Price range: $170 to $180,000 | Shipping: Free 2-day shipping on all orders | Returns: Free returns within 30 days of ship date; full return policy | White-glove services: Design your own ring, necklace, bracelet or earrings; price match guarantee

What you’ll love:

Wide selection of pre-set jewelry options
Price match guarantee
Option to customize more than just rings

Keep in mind:

No at-home try-on feature

Grown Brilliance sources all of its lab-grown diamonds directly from trusted diamond growers, and sends them directly to a manufacturing facility that works exclusively on Grown Brilliance jewelry. There, expertly trained artisans customize your piece—in addition to engagement rings, you can also customize earrings, necklaces and bracelets—or you can shop the ready-to-ship pieces, including diamond studs, solitaire pendants and bangles.

I love the convenience of being able to shop both pre-set and custom-designed jewelry, since it can be overwhelming to know where to start. If you decide to go the pre-set route, the brand partnered with wedding designer Badgley Mischka on a jewelry collection that’s truly one of a kind and very special.

Price range: $125 to $59,000 | Shipping: $10 flat rate for 2-day shipping | Returns: Free returns for in-stock jewelry under $15,000 within 30 days of delivery; full return policy | White-glove services: 1 complimentary ring resizing (up or down one full size), virtual appointments

What you’ll love:

Price and origin transparency
Lifetime warranty
Diamonds are made entirely with sustainable hydropower

Keep in mind:

Known for its commitment to sustainability, Vrai exclusively works with lab-grown diamonds. Stones are created in its zero-emissions diamond foundry, which is based in the Pacific Northwest and run on 100% hydropower. Leonardo DiCaprio is an investor in this forward-thinking jeweler, and all lab-grown diamonds come with certification that includes country of origin (not all brands offer this), along with a lifetime warranty.

Aside from preserving the environment, Vrai prides itself on hand-chiseled and polished diamonds by artisans. The attention to detail shows: Vrai’s diamonds have some of the best, sparkling cuts on the market. Some of my favorites include the Knife-Edge Round Brilliant Engagement Ring, the Solitaire Studs and the Tennis Bracelet. I also like how transparent the brand is about prices and policies, which are listed right on every product page.

Forbes Vetted readers get 10% off lab-grown diamonds at Ritani by entering code LAB10 at checkout.

Price range: $125 to $40,000+ | Shipping: Free overnight shipping on all orders | Returns: Free returns within 30 days; full return policy | White-glove services: Complimentary ring cleanings for life

What you’ll love:

Price and origin transparency
Lifetime warranty
Diamonds are made entirely with sustainable hydropower

Keep in mind:

Ritani’s settings are on the pricier side

New York-based Ritani lets you start with your choice of diamond (lab-grown or natural) and shape, including classic options like round, cushion and princess cuts. The family-owned jeweler is transparent about pricing, giving a breakdown of costs, and also analyzes the prices of nearly 200,000 diamonds on the market daily. If a comparable diamond in its inventory has a lower price from another jeweler, Ritani will price-match it. The brand’s Petite 6-Prong Knife-Edge Solitaire Engagement Ring is one of its most popular items, and it’s a classic stunner. I also love the Bezel Set Diamond Bar Necklace and Eternity Hoop Earrings.

Why Trust Forbes Vetted

At Forbes Vetted, we have published numerous jewelry stories, including guides to the best places to buy engagement rings and the best jewelry stores online.

This article was written by Forbes Vetted deputy editor Kari Molvar, who oversees the site’s fashion vertical. Molvar has over two decades of experience reporting on apparel and accessories.
In addition to serving as Vetted’s in-house style expert, Molvar holds certificates in Lab-Grown Diamond Fundamentals from the International Gem Society and Jewelry Essentials from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).
To gain a deeper knowledge of lab-grown diamonds, we also tapped Ankur Daga, the founder and CEO of Angara, a leading online jeweler. Daga is a graduate of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).
This article is regularly updated to ensure all product information and pricing is accurate. It was last updated in August 2025 by fashion writer Claire Epting, who expanded on our informational sections regarding diamond certification and grading.

How We Chose The Best Lab-Grown Diamonds

We spent hours researching top lab-grown diamond companies, considering factors such as the overall quality and white-glove services that guarantee an excellent shopping experience.

We focused on companies with stellar reputations within the diamond industry for high-quality stones and environmentally-conscious practices.
We looked to retailers who offer certified reports from an independent organization, such as the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) or the International Gemological Institute (IGI).
We closely evaluated return policies, warranties, white-glove services and the ability to contact a live human, in case you have a question or need assistance when shopping.
We prioritized retailers that offer a variety of jewelry offerings at a wide range of price points: Our top picks sell lab-grown diamond rings, bracelets, earrings and necklaces to suit any budget.

What To Know About Lab-Grown Diamonds

To separate fact from fiction about lab-grown diamonds, I asked Daga to weigh in on some commonly asked questions. Below, I’ve summarized everything you need to know about lab-grown diamonds. (If you want even more info, we took a deep dive into lab-grown diamond creation with another jewelry expert.)

Creation Process

Lab-grown diamonds are chemically, optically and physically identical to natural, earth-mined diamonds. However, while natural diamonds take millions of years to form, lab-grown diamonds are grown within weeks in a laboratory using cutting-edge technology that mimics the conditions in which natural diamonds are formed in the earth. There are two main processes which are used to create lab-grown diamonds:

Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD): This method involves a diamond seed placed in a vacuum chamber filled with carbon-rich gas. As the gasses break down, they form the diamond in layers within a few weeks, depending on the size.
High-Pressure High-Temperature (HPHT): This method exposes a diamond seed to the extreme temperature and pressure conditions typically found deep within the earth’s mantle that lead to the formation of diamonds. Producing diamonds with HPHT is faster than via CVD, but can also take a few weeks.

Benefits

Lab-grown diamonds offer a great value in terms of price and quality, and they’re often created using sustainable practices. Here’s a quick breakdown on the benefits of lab-grown diamonds:

Price: Lab-grown diamonds are becoming significantly less expensive than natural diamonds, although they don’t retain their investment value. In 2019, the discount compared to natural diamonds was merely 20 to 30%. Today, at Angara, a 2-carat G color VS1 clarity lab-grown diamond retails for $2,000, whereas a natural 2-carat diamond of the same quality retails for $20,000.
Quality: Unlike moissanite and cubic zirconia, lab-grown diamonds are indistinguishable from natural diamonds with a naked eye. Only machines at a gemological laboratory can tell the difference. Furthermore, in 2018, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ruled that lab-grown diamonds are, in fact, diamonds—and can be marketed as such, as long as they are accurately described as lab-grown.
Eco-friendly: In addition to being budget-friendly, lab-grown diamonds are also environmentally friendly. Although there is a considerable amount of energy used to heat the chambers used to create lab-grown diamonds, it is still a fraction of what is used to mine natural diamonds, and there is no direct impact on the earth.

Certified And Graded Like Real Diamonds

Lab-grown diamonds are certified and graded using the same scale as natural diamonds. Independent gemological laboratories clearly mark the origin of lab-grown diamonds on the certificate, often inscribing the girdle of the stone itself as “laboratory-grown.”

The Four Cs

Just like natural diamonds, gemologists assess the quality of lab-grown diamonds based on the well-established 4 Cs criteria: Carat, Color, Clarity and Cut. These certifications provide valuable information about the diamond’s characteristics and quality. Here’s a brief breakdown of each:

Carat: A diamond’s weight is measured in carats—1 carat equals 200mg. Because carats are used to determine a diamond’s heaviness, not its size, two stones with equal carat weight can look quite different depending on their cut and shape.
Color: When it comes to color grading, it’s actually the absence of color that indicates a diamond is of the highest quality. The most rare diamonds are completely colorless, while a lower-quality diamond will have a higher level of color saturation. Like with natural diamonds, certain elements can influence the final color of lab-grown diamonds.
Clarity: To assess clarity, gemologists examine how many inclusions, or internal characteristics, a diamond has. They also take note of any external blemishes. Some inclusions are so microscopic that they’re undetectable to the naked eye, while others are more noticeable.
Cut: The cut of the diamond is the main factor in how the stone interacts with light, giving it that recognizable sparkle. While carat, color and clarity are formed during the diamond’s growth process, this characteristic is all dependent on the work of the diamond cutter. A high-quality diamond is cut in a way that allows for maximum brilliance.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Lab-grown diamonds are more eco-conscious and cost-effective than natural diamonds, so they’re worth buying for those who prioritize sustainability and value. However, they typically have a much lower market value than natural diamonds with similar characteristics. In recent times, the supply of lab-grown diamonds has increased substantially, so their prices are in steady decline. Consumers looking for something that’s truly rare, and that can be considered a financial asset, should purchase a natural diamond.