At Hera, we love lab-grown diamond engagement rings - they’re affordable, ethical and, when grown correctly, look identical to their mined diamond counterparts. We even offer SCS sustainably rated lab-grown diamonds grown in a solar-powered factory! But it’s always best to buy your diamond in collaboration with an expert, especially if you are looking for a lab-grown diamond for your engagement ring.
A lot of big box online retailers put up a database of diamonds, and the consumer picks their own, typically based on the cut, color and clarity grades. Here’s the thing, though: there’s a lot more information on a diamond certificate that is difficult for the layperson to interpret - things like the depth and table percentage, crown and pavilion angles, and inclusion plot. It’s best to have a diamond expert check the certificate and view the stone in person so you can be confident you’re truly getting the best diamond possible for your money.
This is especially true for lab-grown diamonds. There are some quirks of poorly grown lab-grown diamonds that should be avoided - things like brown or blue undertones or growth strain lines. Diamond certificates don’t measure these things, so you won’t know from a certificate if your lab diamond was grown correctly. That’s why we highly recommend that a lab-grown diamond expert inspect your stone to make sure no growth issues are present. It’s important that the person you’re working with is very familiar with lab-grown diamonds, not just diamonds in general, because most jewelers aren’t familiar enough with the lab-grown diamond growth process to screen for these issues either.
At Hera, we hand-select each individual diamond for our clients’ engagement rings. We first eliminate about 90% of the available lab-grown diamonds on the market and select the best possible diamond from the certificates and images available. We then have our experts hand-inspect the diamond to make sure it was grown correctly and looks as beautiful in person as we would expect based on the certificate. We highly recommend working with someone who can curate your diamond in this way, so you end up with something truly beautiful to celebrate your love!
