Best Lab

Nov 10, 2023

Lab-grown diamonds have been around for more than a half century: They were first created by General Electric in 1954 and became commercially available in the 1980s. Today, lab-grown diamonds are growing in popularity because they’re typically more affordable, are sourced with transparency and have a lesser environmental impact than mined diamonds. The best lab grown diamond earrings are part of a rapidly growing global market that's projected to reach $49.9 billion by 2030.

The best lab-grown diamond earrings are sustainable, affordable and plenty stylish.

The variety of lab-created diamond jewelry seems to know no bounds. The best lab-grown diamond earrings sparkle and shine bright, and are very much "real:" The stones share the same optical, physical, and chemical properties as mined diamonds. Here are the best lab-grown diamond earrings to give, receive or just covet. It's never too early to start dropping hints for your holiday wish list.

Blue Nile

Metal: 14k white gold | Diamond Shape: Round | Color: G | Clarity: SI1 | Carat Weight: 1/4 tcw

Blue Nile was founded in 1999 in Seattle, Washington, with the goal of building a more affordable and accessible jewelry industry. All of their lab-grown diamonds are graded by the independent experts at Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and come with a grading sheet for your reference. These versatile studs are a classic choice to add some polish to your everyday.

Kimai

Metal: Recycled 18K yellow gold | Carat Weight: 0.25 ct.

Antwerp-based, woman-owned Kimai has become a fashion darling not only for their sustainability practices, but also for daring, unexpected designs that are a departure from tradition. They’re on the delicate side, but these glittery, constellation-like studs make a statement.

Brilliant Earth

Metal: 14k yellow gold | Shape: Round | Color: H/I | Clarity: SI| Carat Weight: 1 tcw

Modern jewelry brand Brilliant Earth creates lab-grown diamonds with the goals of sustainability and transparency in mind. Throughout their process, the San-Francisco-based brand emphasizes climate neutrality and invests in clean technology. These classic hoop earrings come in either 1 or 2 carat sizes and feature lab diamonds from the inside and outside to increase the sparkle.

Grown Brilliance

Metal: 14k white gold, yellow gold or rose gold | Diamond Shape: Pear shape with pave | Color: Near-Colorless (GH) | Clarity: SI1+ | Carat Weight: 2.52 ct. (available in different sizes as well)

This popular brand creates jewelry from conflict-free, lab-made diamonds at affordable prices. Grown Brilliance is particularly sought after by brides and also has a collection with Badgley Mischka. This timeless pear drop flatters most face shapes and is a stunning accent whether hair is worn up or down.

Saks Fifth Avenue

Metal: 14k white gold | Diamond Shape: Pear, emerald | Color: G-J | Clarity: VS2+ | Carat Weight: 3.6 tcw

Luxury brand Vrai is a celeb favorite, with fans including Reese Witherspoon, Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner, and it's even backed by Leonardo DiCaprio. They’re integrated with The Diamond Foundry, which uses renewable hydropower to create their diamonds. This sustainably grown diamond drop earrings offers a flash of diamonds in a not-so-traditional setting.

Clean Origin

Metal: 14k white gold or yellow gold | Diamond Shape: 16 round stones | Color: G/H | Clarity: SI | Carat Weight: 1/7 ct.

Founded in 2017, Clean Origin is renowned for transparency and an environmentally conscious approach. They have notoriously good customer service, all of their diamonds are independently certified and they also plant a tree with every purchase. These versatile mini hoops are an easy day-to-night earring.

Lark and Berry

Metal: 18k gold vermeil | Color: DEFG | Clarity: SI+ | Carat Weight: Not listed

For a bolder turn, try these sculptural, fan-shaped sparklers created from cultured diamonds. Lark and Berry has been popular with fashionable types since 2018—the brand counts Taylor Swift, Regina King and Ellie Goulding as fans.

Nordstrom

Metal: 18k yellow gold | Diamond Shape: Pave | Color: G | Clarity: VS | Carat Weight: .40 ct

Since 2008, French jewelry house Jem Jewelry has been creating pieces from fairly mined ethical gold and, more recently, synthetic diamonds. Their octagonal earrings are an exercise in French minimalism—and an effortlessly chic, classically cool accent.

With Clarity

Metal: 14k white gold or yellow gold| Diamond Shape: Round | Color: | Clarity: I SI | Carat Weight: 1.52 tcw.

New York-based With Clarity was founded in 2014 by Anubh Shah and Slisha Kankariya with the intention of simplifying the engagement ring buying process and offering exceptional customer service with expert input from trained gemologists. They offer both mined and lab-created diamonds; we love these sweet lab studs for their serious flash.

To compile this list, we reached out to gem experts their insight, including Andrew Brown, CEO of MyGemma, and Sally Mangana, a researcher and senior manager of gemstone identification for the Gemological Institute of America. We thoroughly researched the most well-respected diamond retailers to put together a consummate—and stylish—collection of lab-created diamond earrings at different price levels.

The Four Cs"Like any natural diamond, a lab-grown diamond is graded on a variety of characteristics, including the 4 Cs: clarity, cut, color and carat weight," says Andrew Brown, CEO of MyGemma. "Lab-grown diamonds come in all shapes, sizes and quality, but choosing one is identical to that of a natural one: you’re looking at the 4 Cs for the right diamond in your budget."

A Quality ReportThe best way to be certain of the quality of the diamonds or laboratory-grown diamonds you buy is to get one that has a certified report from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) of the International Gemological Institute (IGI). "The GIA uses its decades of gemological research to evaluate the stone to determine quality, if it is natural or laboratory-grown, and discloses any treatments discovered during examination," says Sally Mangana, GIA researcher and senior manager of gemstone identification. GIA also has a Retailer Lookup where you can search a city or postal code to find retailers who carry GIA-graded diamonds or have GIA-trained staff.

"Laboratory-grown diamonds and natural diamonds have the same chemical, physical, and optical characteristics," says Magana. "They are almost identical but what makes them completely different is the way in which they form." Laboratory-grown diamonds are created by two processes, either utilizing the high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) method or the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. Natural diamonds are formed over millions of years within the earth and are brought to the surface, where they are mined. "It takes a trained gemologist to be able to properly distinguish these stones," says Magana.

Yes. "The most alluring part of lab-grown diamonds is their price point compared to their natural counterparts," says Brown. "Lab-grown diamond manufacturers typically sell certified, lab-grown diamonds at 30 to 50% less than the equivalent natural diamonds." Lab-grown diamond prices have been steadily dropping in recent years, too, adds Brown.

Yes. "Laboratory-grown diamonds have the same physical properties as natural diamonds," says Mangana. "When measuring the hardness of stones, jewelers reference the Mohs Scale of Hardness," explains Brown. "On this scale, both lab-grown and natural diamonds rank the highest at a 10, making them extremely durable and known as the hardest substance on earth."

"No, you may clean and wear laboratory-grown diamonds the same way you would natural diamonds," says Mangana.

This is an interesting question. It remains to be seen but the short answer is no, at least for now. "Given that only approximately 1% of diamond supply is lab grown, we expect the recycled lab grown diamond market to remain extremely small and immaterial," says Brown.