A lot of people have been told, by a jeweller or a family member or a confident stranger on the internet, that lab-grown diamonds are fake. The word fake implies a substitute or a copy. Lab-grown diamonds are neither. They are carbon atoms bonded in a cubic crystal lattice — exactly the same structure, exactly the same hardness, exactly the same optical behaviour as a diamond pulled from the ground. The material is identical. Only the biography is different.

The Chemical Identity

What a lab-grown diamond actually is

Chemical FormulaCPure carbon. Same as every diamond ever mined.
Crystal StructureCubic latticeFace-centred cubic. The defining structure of diamond.
Mohs Hardness10 / 10The hardest naturally occurring and lab-grown material known.
Refractive Index2.42Identical to mined diamond. Determines brilliance and fire.
IGI GradingFull 4C certificateSame criteria as mined. Cut, Colour, Clarity, Carat.
Diamond TesterPassesEvery conventional instrument reads it as a diamond.
Thermal Conductivity900 to 2,320 W/mKIdentical range to mined diamond. What diamond testers measure.
Growth MethodCVD or HPHTDisclosed on IGI certificate. Does not affect 4C grades.

What "Real" Actually Means in Chemistry

A diamond is defined by its chemistry. Carbon atoms bonded in a face-centred cubic crystal lattice. That structure and nothing else — not how long it took to form, not which continent it came from — determines whether a material is a diamond. Lab-grown diamonds meet that definition completely and without qualification.

The alternative definition, the one that treats origin as a quality judgment, is not chemistry. It is sentiment. Sentiment is a valid thing to feel. It is not a scientific classification.

"Aspirin is made in a laboratory. So is insulin. So is the vitamin C in most supplements. Manufacturing location does not determine whether something is real. The material determines that."

2018

US Federal Trade Commission · Regulatory Update

The United States Federal Trade Commission updated its guidelines on jewellery marketing. It removed the word "natural" from its definition of a diamond. The reason given: lab-grown diamonds are chemically and physically identical to mined diamonds. Describing only mined diamonds as "real" was found to mislead consumers. This was not a favour to the lab-grown industry. It was a correction based on material science, made by a consumer protection regulator.

The Objections — Answered Directly

It was grown in a lab, so it cannot be a real diamond.
The definition of a diamond is chemical, not geographical. A lab-grown diamond has the same chemical formula, the same crystal structure, and the same physical properties as a mined one. The location of growth is not part of the definition.
A mined diamond took billions of years to form. That makes it more valuable.
Duration of formation is not a chemical property. It affects the story behind the stone, not the stone itself. Whether that story matters to you personally is a legitimate preference. It is not a quality rating. The 4C grades on the IGI certificate are the quality rating.
Will it last as long as a mined diamond?
Yes. Hardness is a property of the crystal structure, not the growth method. At Mohs 10, a lab-grown diamond is as resistant to scratching as any mined diamond at the same grade. A well-cut lab-grown diamond worn daily will outlast most other materials in jewellery.
My jeweller told me it is not a real diamond.
Ask your jeweller to clarify what they mean by real. If they mean natural origin, that is a factual statement about where it grew. If they mean it is not chemically a diamond, they are wrong, and you can verify this independently at igi.org using the certificate number on any VAIMA piece.
What is the difference between a lab-grown diamond and a fake diamond?
A fake diamond — moissanite, cubic zirconia — is a different material that resembles diamond visually. A lab-grown diamond does not resemble diamond. It is diamond. Same atoms, same structure, same everything except origin. The distinction is not subtle. It is chemical.

What GIA and IGI Actually Say

The Gemological Institute of America, which sets global standards for diamond grading, classifies lab-grown diamonds as diamonds. It grades them. It issues certificates for them. Its grading reports for lab-grown stones use the same 4C framework as mined stones.

The International Gemological Institute does the same. Every VAIMA diamond ships with an IGI certificate that grades it as a diamond, states the growth method (CVD), and lists the 4C grades. The certificate number is printed on the product page. You can verify it at igi.org before you buy.

What the certificate discloses: The IGI certificate on a lab-grown diamond states "Laboratory Grown Diamond" and the growth method (CVD or HPHT). It does not say "synthetic" or "simulated." Both terms are technically incorrect for lab-grown diamonds and are not used by reputable grading laboratories.

How to Use This Information

If you are buying a lab-grown diamond and someone tells you it is not real, you now have the specific response: the FTC definition, the IGI grading standard, and the chemical formula. You are not asking them to take your word for it. You are pointing them to a verifiable document.

If someone in your family is sceptical, the most useful thing you can do is show them the IGI certificate. Point to the line that says "Laboratory Grown Diamond." Point to the Cut, Colour, Clarity, and Carat grades. Those grades are the same grades that appear on a mined diamond certificate. The language is identical because the material is identical.

The question "is it real?" is worth asking. Every person buying a diamond deserves a clear answer. The answer is yes.