-No, Diamonds are made entirely from carbon, whereas cubic zirconia is made with elements like zirconium, magnesium, and calcium, and contains zero carbon! CZ’s are much weaker than diamonds and have different light performance and patterning. Any jeweller can easily tell the difference between a diamond and an inferior diamond simulant such as CZ or moissanite.

-Yes, Laboratory grown diamonds can be referred to as lab created diamonds, grown diamonds, synthetic diamonds, man-made diamonds, cultivated diamonds, or cultured diamonds. That being said, VELVET BOX believes that synthetic is a scientifically inaccurate term for laboratory grown diamonds. 

-No! a jeweller cannot tell the difference, because they’re both diamonds! Our lab diamonds have the exact same chemical and optical properties as mined diamonds. VELVET BOX’s lab diamonds and natural diamonds of the same quality look the same, even to a trained eye. Traditional jeweller’s tools such as microscopes or loupes cannot detect the difference between a laboratory-grown diamond and a natural, mined diamond.

The low-cost diamond testing tools (such as Diamond Testing Pen) used by many jewellers are designed to test between fake diamonds (CZ, moissanite) and diamonds. These tools are rudimentary and are not able to accurately differentiate between mined and grown diamonds.

The gemological equipment needed to reliably determine if a diamond is mined or grown is quite complicated and costs in lakhs. The most accurate detection method, Photoluminescence Spectroscopy, requires deep freezing the diamonds to −320°F (−196°C)! Most jewellers do not own such equipment due to the high cost and complexity.

That being said, all of VELVET BOX’s lab diamonds above 0.30Ct are graded by third party and trustworthy, non-profit gemological organisations and certified as lab grown with a microscopically laser inscribed unique ID number and the letters ‘LG’ indicating the diamond is lab grown.

A jeweller can utilise a microscope and look up the unique ID of the diamond in a public database. We are proud of the origin of our diamonds and do not try to hide the fact that they are lab grown.

-By recreating the conditions underneath the Earth’s mantle that result in diamond growth: pressure, heat, & carbon. 

Today, thanks to technology we have there are two methods of growing diamond gemstones: 1)High Pressure-High Temperature (HPHT) & 2)Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD). Each process is best suited for certain sizes & colours of diamonds.

-It takes minimum 7-10 days to grow a 1 carat lab diamond, and about a month to grow a 3 carat diamond.

If you try to grow a diamond any faster, the diamond crystal will fracture. Thus, there is a physical speed limit to how fast you can grow diamonds. 

-No, Because diamonds are grown by recreating the conditions of nature, lab grown diamonds have the same variations of color and clarity that exist in natural diamonds (the 4Cs).

Lab diamonds still range across the color and clarity spectrum, just like mined diamonds. VELVET BOX chooses to only work with diamonds that are J+ better in color and SI1+ better in clarity. Just like mined diamonds, lab diamonds can vary in their quality even within the 4Cs, so it’s imperative that a lab diamond expert inspect your diamond before purchase. You should never buy a lab diamond completely sight unseen.

-Yes, Lab created diamonds tend to retail at a 40-50% discount off of equivalent quality natural diamonds. Lab grown diamonds are priced based on their quality, just like mined diamonds.

We often get asked "how much is a 1 carat lab diamond?" and the answer is, it depends on the quality, just like mined diamonds.

Fancy coloured lab diamonds are significantly less expensive than fancy coloured natural diamonds.  While a natural blue or pink diamonds can sell for millions of dollars per carat at auction, lab grown yellow, blue, pink, red, green, and black diamonds are only a small premium over the price of colourless lab diamonds. Just like in mined diamonds, fancy coloured lab diamonds are still rare and their supply unpredictable.

-Yes, there is a resale market for lab grown diamonds. Just like a mined diamond, a lab diamond is also forever and will always have a resale value. A purchaser of a lab created diamond can expect to resell their lab diamond at a similar discount to what they would receive for a mined diamond.

VELVET BOX offers a Lifetime Trade-In for our clients who would like to upgrade to a larger/better diamond.

Because lab diamond gemstone sales are relatively new, there are not as many outlets that will buy back a lab grown diamond, yet. IE pawn shops, diamond liquidators, and traditional jewellers many not yet buy lab diamonds; however, that is changing as the industry grows. For example, one of the largest online diamond brokers in the world recently started allowing sales of lab diamonds on its network.

It is important to note that both grown & mined diamonds do not increase in value over time, relative to inflation, and should not be considered a place to "park" your money.

VELVET BOX advises our clients to view their lab diamond purchase as a luxury, discretionary purchase, not an investment. You should never expect to be able to sell your diamond for more or the same of what you originally paid for it at retail, whether natural or lab grown, relative to inflation. This is because retailers who buy your diamond from you have to be able to resell that stone for a profit. 

-No. Laboratory-grown diamonds do not fade, discolour or cloud over time.

-Yes, it is sustainable to grow diamonds with abundantly available carbon and renewable energy. Growing diamonds is certainly energy intensive; however, the impact on the earth to grow diamonds is a fraction of the impact of diamond mining.

It requires approximately 250 kilowatt hours of electricity to grow a 1 carat diamond. That same amount of electricity could power the average Delhi household for a month or allow you to drive a Tesla Model S approximately 1,100 kms.

-Known Ethical Origin: All the diamonds we offer are conflict free and in no way connected to the dubious diamond trade that continues to flourish to this day.

A Cleaner Purchase: The extraction of diamonds from the earth is fossil fuel intensive, environmentally damaging, and becoming less sustainable every year. Growing diamonds uses a fraction of that energy and does not contaminate fragile ecosystems in rivers and lakes.

Superior Quality & Size: VELVET BOX’s clients typically are able to achieve a 50% larger carat weight in lab grown over a comparable mined diamond of the same quality. Want a diamond you can be proud of? Lab grown offers the ability to go from unexceptional to extraordinary, carat for carat, price for price.