Grading Lab Grown Diamonds for Color: Aligning with GIA Standards

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has established a comprehensive color grading scale that is widely employed in the evaluation of diamonds. Remarkably, this very same scale can be seamlessly applied to Lab Grown Diamonds. Let's explore this color grading scale based on GIA's standards:

• Grades D, E, F: These grades classify diamonds as "colorless." They exhibit a pristine, icy-white appearance, with virtually no discernible color.

• Grades G, H, I: Falling into the category of "near colorless," diamonds in these grades still appear predominantly white. However, they may exhibit subtle warmth or a hint of steely undertones.

• Grades J, K: These grades signify "faint color." In diamonds rated in this range, you may begin to notice a slight yellowish tint.

But what does this actually mean for the appearance of these diamonds? Well, diamonds in the D, E, F, and even G grades are virtually indistinguishable in terms of color. They all exude a striking colorless quality, often described as "icy" white. As you progress to grades H and I, the white appearance remains, but you might discern a subtle warmth or a touch of steely hue.

Now, the intriguing question arises: what sets D apart from F color diamonds? In reality, the distinction between these top-tier color grades is practically imperceptible. Discerning the difference necessitates specialized lighting, expert training, and an examination of the diamond or Lab Grown Diamond in an unset, loose state and, interestingly, upside down. Even when these diamonds are set in jewelry and observed under regular lighting conditions, distinguishing between a D color and a G or H color stone can prove to be a challenging task.

In essence, the difference between D and F color grades primarily exists on paper. When it comes to the visual allure and overall appearance of these diamonds, the variance is often negligible. This underscores the remarkable quality and precision involved in grading Lab Grown Diamonds, upholding the same standards as their natural counterparts.

Lab grown diamonds do need care to keep them at their brilliant best. A clean lab grown diamond will reflect light better and allow its fire and brilliance to show. That added brilliancy makes the lab grown diamond look larger than one that has been "dulled" by oil from the skin, soaps, cosmetics, and everyday activities.

Here are four simple ways to keep your lab grown diamond gemstones looking their best:

The Detergent Bath

Prepare a small bowl of warm soapy water. Use any mild liquid detergent that does not contain "soap" for it creates another type of "film" on the surface of the lab grown diamond. A mild liquid detergent would be something like original Dawn dish detergent. We do not recommend the use of any abrasive cleaners for any type of jewelry. Brush pieces gently with a toothbrush and rinse well. A hair dryer may be used to finish drying the jewelry.

The Cold Water

Another home cleaning process you can do is to make a cup of a solution containing water and household ammonia or similar product like Mr. Clean. We recommend about 3/4 parts of water and 1/4 part of the cleaning chemical. Let the lab grown diamond jewelry soak for about 10 minutes and with a toothbrush gently tap around the back and front of the mounting and if you can, try to reach behind the mounting where dirt would have accumulated. Rinse it well with warm to hot water and dry it with the help of your blow dryer. (We don't recommend the use of towels for drying your jewelry).

Commercial Home Jewelry Cleaners

You can purchase one of many formulated, non-toxic liquid jewelry cleaners such as GemCare. These cleaners are ideal for effectively removing the "film" that can accumulate on a gemstone surface.

Ultrasonic Cleaner

This is the most effective option for maintaining the brilliance of your lab grown diamond. It is the method our jewelers use prior to shipping customers' orders. It creates a high-frequency turbulence which can clean most of your jewelry.

Additional Recommendations

You may try to avoid using your fine jewelry while playing sports (working out in a gym is included here) or when you do any kind of rough work. Even though a lab grown diamond is the most durable natural crystal structure known to man, it can be chipped by a hard blow along its grain.

When you are not wearing your lab grown diamond jewelry, try to separate them individually. lab grown diamond pieces in a drawer or left in contact with other jewelry in a jewelry case can scratch each other and also can scratch other jewelry.

If you are having trouble logging into your account and have already requested a new password, please send us an email including your name, email address and address (or order number if you have it), and we would be happy to investigate and resolve the problem. If you provided the wrong email address when the account was created or misspelled part of the address (i.e. yahoo.con) we will need to investigate and fix it on our end.

To change your password, first log into your account, and then click on the "Account" link near the top of the website.  Once on the Account page, click on the "Change My Password" link (see 2nd illustration below). 

Lab Grown Diamonds: Durability in Heat and Chemicals

Lab grown diamonds are celebrated not only for their ethical sourcing but also for their exceptional durability. When it comes to resistance to heat and chemicals, lab grown diamonds exhibit remarkable properties that set them apart.

Heat Resistance:

Lab grown diamonds, like natural diamonds, are highly heat-resistant. They can withstand extremely high temperatures without damage. This heat resistance makes them suitable for various jewelry applications, including settings that may involve exposure to heat during repairs or adjustments.

However, it's important to note that while lab grown diamonds are resilient to heat, their settings, especially those made of metals like gold or platinum, may not share the same level of heat resistance. Thus, when working with lab grown diamond jewelry, jewelers often take precautions to protect the settings from extreme temperatures.

Resistance to Chemicals:

Lab grown diamonds also exhibit impressive resistance to chemicals. They are not easily affected by most common household chemicals, such as acids, bases, or cleaning solutions. This chemical resistance ensures that lab grown diamonds maintain their brilliance and beauty over time, even with regular wear.

However, it's crucial to be aware that some chemicals, particularly strong acids or bases used in industrial or laboratory settings, can potentially harm lab grown diamonds. Therefore, while they are highly resistant to household chemicals, it's advisable to avoid exposing them to harsh chemicals whenever possible.

Example of Lab Grown Diamond Durability:

Consider a lab grown diamond engagement ring passed down through generations. Over the years, it becomes a cherished heirloom, worn daily, and exposed to various environmental factors. The lab grown diamond at the center retains its brilliance, even when occasionally coming into contact with household cleaning agents or the occasional encounter with chemicals during daily life.

In such scenarios, the durability of lab grown diamonds shines through. Their ability to withstand exposure to chemicals ensures that their sparkle remains intact, and their resistance to heat allows them to endure even the most demanding conditions.

In conclusion, lab grown diamonds are prized not only for their ethical and sustainable attributes but also for their exceptional durability. Their resistance to heat and chemicals makes them suitable for a wide range of jewelry applications and ensures that they maintain their brilliance and beauty over time.

Understanding Diamond Scratches: Causes and Prevention

Diamonds are renowned for their exceptional hardness, but like all precious gemstones, they aren't entirely immune to scratches. In this article, we'll explore the causes of diamond scratches and provide tips on how to prevent them.

Diamond Hardness:

Diamonds are the hardest known natural substance on Earth, ranking at the top of the Mohs scale of mineral hardness with a perfect score of 10. This remarkable hardness means that diamonds can cut through most other materials and are highly resistant to abrasion.

What Causes Diamond Scratches:

While diamonds are exceptionally hard, they are not impervious to damage. Diamond scratches can occur under certain circumstances:

• Contact with Other Diamonds: Diamonds can scratch each other. If two diamonds come into direct contact or are subjected to forceful rubbing, they can leave scratches or abrasions on each other's surfaces.

• Hard Materials: Although diamonds are hard, some natural materials are even harder. For example, a diamond can be scratched or damaged by another diamond with a higher level of impurities or certain man-made materials, such as cubic boron nitride.

• Impact: While diamonds are tough and resistant to breaking, a forceful impact, especially if it hits at a vulnerable angle, can chip or fracture a diamond and create visible damage.

Example of How Diamond Scratches Can Occur:

Imagine you have a beautiful diamond engagement ring adorned with a stunning center diamond. Over time, the ring is subjected to everyday wear and tear. You accidentally bump your hand against a granite countertop while cooking or working, causing the diamond to come into contact with the hard surface.

In this scenario, the granite countertop, though not as hard as a diamond, is harder than most everyday materials. The impact can lead to the formation of tiny scratches or abrasions on the diamond's surface. While these scratches may not be immediately visible to the naked eye, they can accumulate over time, dulling the diamond's sparkle and brilliance.

Preventing Diamond Scratches:

To preserve the brilliance and beauty of your diamond jewelry and prevent scratches, consider these precautions:

• Remove Jewelry When Necessary: Take off your diamond jewelry when engaging in activities where it might come into contact with hard surfaces, chemicals, or abrasive materials.

• Safe Storage: Store your diamond jewelry in a soft, padded jewelry box to minimize contact with other pieces and protect them from potential damage.

• Regular Cleaning: Clean your diamond jewelry regularly to remove dirt and oils, which can exacerbate the appearance of scratches.

• Professional Inspection: Periodically have your diamond jewelry inspected by a professional jeweler to detect any potential damage or signs of wear and tear.

In conclusion, while diamonds are incredibly hard and durable, they can still experience scratches or abrasions under certain conditions. Understanding the causes of diamond scratches and taking preventative measures can help ensure that your diamond jewelry maintains its brilliance and beauty for generations to come.

Toughness in Diamonds:

Toughness is a critical property in gemstones like diamonds, measuring their resistance to breaking, chipping, or cracking when subjected to external forces or impacts. It is one of the factors that contribute to a gemstone's overall durability.

Lab Grown Diamonds vs. Natural Diamonds:

In terms of toughness, lab grown diamonds and natural diamonds share similar characteristics because they have the same crystal structure and chemical composition, consisting of pure carbon atoms arranged in a tight, three-dimensional lattice. This strong atomic structure gives both types of diamonds remarkable toughness.

However, diamonds, whether lab grown or natural, are not invincible. They can be vulnerable to damage under certain circumstances:

• Cleavage: Diamonds have planes of weakness known as cleavage planes. Applying a force along these planes can cause the diamond to split or cleave.

• Inclusions and Fractures: Both types of diamonds can contain internal inclusions or fractures. These features, especially if they reach the diamond's surface, can weaken it and make it more susceptible to breaking or chipping upon impact.

• Extreme Heat: While diamonds are highly heat-resistant, exposure to extreme temperatures can weaken them. Rapid cooling or heating can lead to thermal shock, causing fractures or damage.

• Chemical Reactions: Diamonds are resistant to most chemicals, but exposure to strong acids or bases can potentially damage them.

It's essential to note that while both Lab Grown Diamonds and natural diamonds share similar toughness properties, the quality of the individual diamond, its cut, and any existing inclusions or fractures can impact its overall vulnerability to damage. Proper care and maintenance, such as avoiding hard impacts and extreme temperature changes, can help preserve the durability of diamonds over time.

The new Labgrown is made of the same type of Labgrown crystal as the Forever One brand (called 4H Silicon Carbide). We are lovers of the Forever One Labgrown and continue to proudly offer it. Our new brand is simply a lower cost alternative for those customers who demand high quality, but are on a tighter budget.

The Labgrown brand is colorless (E-F color), visually flawless clarity (VVS+) and the cut and polish is excellent. The Forever One is offered in both colorless (D-F) & near colorless (G-H), VVS+ clarity and the cut and polish is excellent

We are offering the same warranty as Charles & Colvard does on the Forever One Labgrown, including warrantying larger stones (5mm and larger) against damage, although there may be a partial replacement fee in the case of damage.

We provide custom designs services. Please provide us with photos or a direct link to what you are looking for, along with all the details of what you would be interested in.

The details would include: The center stone shape, size, and type (Forever One or Labgrown brand), metal type, ring size and side stone type (diamond or forever one) you would be interested in.

We are sorry that you weren't satisfied with your order. To initiate a return/exchange , please fill out the RMA form below. You'll want to list the details in the "reason for return" section. Once submitted, you will receive complete instructions via email, within 1-2 business days.

Submit a return request.

We offer a 30 day return policy on most items purchased through our website. Please click here for further details.

In order to offer the enormous selection of jewelry and product options at below-retail prices, a small restocking / processing fee is applied to orders that are returned.

The restocking / processing fee for items returned for a refund are as follows (higher for eternity rings, please see above): 14k gold: 5% Palladium: 7% Platinum: 10% Special Order Loose Stones: 2.5%

There is no restocking fee on items exchanged for something of more or equal value (if exchanged orders are also returned, there is a restocking fee on both orders). The exception are eternity rings (please see eternity ring section above).

There is NO restocking fee if a single loose stone is purchased and a single loose stone is returned for a refund. If multiple stones are purchased within a 30 day period and multiple stones returned for a refund there is a restocking / processing fee of 2.5% (regardless if it is a single order or multiple orders).

Shipping fees are not refundable.

We would encourage you to review the full return policy for other stipulations.

Since all of our jewelry is made to order according to the specifications chosen by our customers, the order processing time can vary. The processing time varies from 1 - 3 weeks depending on the item purchased. Please reference the individual product pages for the most current processing times. Once completed, orders are shipped via UPS and a shipping notification will be emailed to you with the tracking information. For more details click here.

Below are the links to our warranties, already included in your purchase.

Labgrown Warranty & Guarantee

Jewelry Warranty

We highly recommend considering JewelersMutual.com for your jewelry insurance needs. We insure not only our company's jewelry but our personal jewelry through Jewelers Mutual, and we don't believe there is a better source. Their rates are the most affordable, and their claim process couldn't be easier.

Unfortunately, we don't offer a customer service phone number at this time. We offer a live chat service through our website Monday through Friday, 8AM to 6PM CST. We are available via email 7 days a week and work hard to answer all inquiries within a few hours. However, the guaranteed time is 24 - 48 hours.

We are a factory direct manufacturer of Labgrown jewelry. All of our jewelry is made to order according to the specifications requested by our customers. Therefore, we do not currently have a showroom.

If you need your order delivered by a specific day, please contact us with the details of the item(s) you would like to order and the required delivery date, and we can confirm whether or not it is possible. We do not charge a rush processing service, but we do require that the customer upgrade to overnight shipping for U.S. orders (an additional $25).

Labgrown takes every precaution to ensure that your order arrives safely. Your order is fully insured during transit, and we require a signature for all packages.

All items are shipped with a signature required. In order to insure the package, our insurance company and UPS require a signature. If we were to waive the signature requirement, if the package was lost, damaged, delivered to the wrong address, tampered with by a UPS employee or stolen from your doorstep, etc. there would be no coverage. For this reason, waiving the signature requirement is not an option.

If payment is completed via credit card (not through Paypal) your order can be shipped to an address other than the billing address. Additional review and verification of your order may be required to ensure it is authorized by the credit card owner.

UPS will attempt delivery 3 times before holding the package at the station for pickup. If after the 1st attempt you would prefer to pick it up in person at the UPS station, please call the number on the UPS door tag or 1-888-742-5877 with your tracking number.

For U.S. and Canada orders, we can request that UPS hold the package at the nearest UPS Office or UPS station for pickup. Please make the request in the Special Instructions box at the bottom of the page, and we provide the instructions to UPS.

Please note that the owner of the credit card used to make the purchase must pick up the package. UPS will require a government issued photo ID to release the package.

We ship in plain UPS packages with no mention of Labgrown or jewelry. Therefore it is very discreet.

Yes. We will gladly mail your purchase to any military APO using the US Postal Service Priority Mail Service. APO mail shipments are fully insured and can take one to two weeks for delivery, so order early!

We can ship your order to a PO box via USPS Priority service only if it is also your credit card billing address. Otherwise we will need a physical address for delivery.

UPS International shipping normally arrives to most Canadian locations in 1 business day, and is guaranteed within 3. To all other countries, it normally arrives in 2 - 4 business days.

International customers will be responsible for any duties, VAT, taxes or surcharges levied or charged upon entry of the package, so please check with local authorities prior to placing your order to confirm taxes and duties.

To deter theft and tampering with packages, we declare the value of the package contents at $400 USD and describe the contents as "Costume Accessories". Based on the feedback we have received from our customers, duties or taxes assessed on the package are typically assessed on this declared value.

To deter theft and tampering with packages, we declare the value of the package contents at $400 USD and describe the contents as "Costume Accessories". Based on the feedback we have received from our customers, duties or taxes assessed on the package are typically assessed on this declared value.

Once your order has been processed, packaged, and picked up by UPS, we will email the tracking number to the email address provided. We also will update your order history with the tracking number.

Because most of our jewelry is made to order, orders are shipped within 1 - 10 business days depending on the item purchased. This time is required for our jewelers to cast, polish, size items (if applicable), and set stones.

We do our very best to accomodate our customers' special dates (engagements, anniversary, birthdays, etc.). If you need your item by a certain date, please request it during checkout. If it is not possible, we will contact you right away.

• Loose stones are typically in stock and ship within 1-2 business days.
• Stud earrings typically ship in just 6 to 8 business days, unless otherwise stated.
• Sale rings typically ship in 5-7 business business days.
• The rest of our jewelry typically ships in 10-15 business days.

Please send us an email with your order number and the address to which you need it shipped.

Please note that if you paid via Paypal, we have to ship it to the confirmed Paypal address.

For U.S. orders, if you would like to upgrade to a faster service, please send us an email, and we can add it to your order.

If you paid with a credit or debit card, we will charge the upgrade fee to the account and update your order. If you paid via Paypal, we will need you to send us a Paypal payment to sales@labgrown.com.

This order status means that your order is currently being made by our jewelers. The suffixes (i.e. U, C, A, etc.) are internal codes only.

Once your order is ready to ship, the status will change to "Ready to Ship" on the website. Once UPS has picked up the package, the tracking number will be emailed.

To initiate the return process, please go to the return policy page and submit an RMA request. Return instructions will then be emailed to you.