Good for low entry prices near 1 carat
Clean Origin lab-grown diamonds
See lab-grown on Clean OriginOpens Clean Origin's site. Not a referral link.
Guide: origin
Lab-grown vs natural: the price gap
Stones of the same shape, weight and grades, on one jeweler's site, on one morning, so origin is the main difference.
- 68-73%
- Lab as share of natural, about 0.3 ct
- 10-18%
- Lab as share of natural, 1.5 ct and up
Matched Brilliant Earth and Blue Nile listings, read Oct 2, 2026. See source
On this page
Real pairs, not a headline percentage
Price comparisons between laboratory-grown and natural diamonds usually quote a percentage without saying which stones. Below, each row is two real listings from the same jeweler on October 2, 2026, matched on shape, cut grade, colour and clarity, with weights within 0.03 carats (the one Blue Nile row differs in colour, as marked).
Matched pairs, Brilliant Earth and Blue Nile, October 2, 2026
| Stone | Natural | Laboratory-grown | Lab as share of natural |
|---|---|---|---|
| Princess 0.31 ct, D, VS1, Ideal1 | $310 | $210 | 68% |
| Cushion 0.34 ct, D, VVS2, Ideal1 | $400 | $290 | 73% |
| Round about 1.5 ct, H, VS2, Super Ideal1 | $7,590 | $1,380 | 18% |
| Cushion about 1.5 ct, G, VVS1, Super Ideal1 | $9,000 | $1,330 | 15% |
| Round 1.50 ct, Excellent (Blue Nile; natural F VS1, lab D VS1)2 | $9,696 | $1,011 | 10% |
| Round 2.00 ct, I, VS2, Super Ideal1 | $15,050 | $1,930 | 13% |
| Round 2.01 ct, I, VS1, Super Ideal1 | $14,330 | $1,770 | 12% |
| Emerald 2.00 ct, D, VVS1, Super Ideal1 | $24,720 | $2,450 | 10% |
| Source | Brilliant Earth and Blue NileRead Oct 2, 2026 | Brilliant Earth and Blue NileRead Oct 2, 2026 | Our arithmeticRead Oct 2, 2026 |
Shares are the laboratory-grown price divided by the natural price, rounded. Where the two weights differed (by 0.03 ct at most), the natural weight is shown in the label. Full listing data: our evidence file for this date.
What the pairs say
The gap grows with size. For quarter- and third-carat stones the laboratory-grown price was about two thirds to three quarters of the natural price. From 1.5 carats up, it was about a tenth to a fifth12.
So the decision matters most for the centre stone. Small accent stones in a band or halo cost about the same either way in these listings; a 2 carat centre stone differed by more than $12,000.
Grades are not the whole story. Two stones with the same headline grades can still differ in proportions, fluorescence and how the inclusions sit. Use the pairs to set a budget, then compare individual reports.
How laboratory-grown stones must be labelled
The FTC Jewelry Guides define a diamond by its mineral properties and say it is unfair or deceptive to use the unqualified word "diamond" for a product that does not meet that definition3.
For laboratory-created stones that have essentially the same optical, physical and chemical properties as mined diamonds, the Guides allow the word "cultured" only with a clear and conspicuous qualifier such as "laboratory-created", "laboratory-grown" or "[manufacturer name]-created" that conveys the stone is not mined3. The listings we read used "Lab Grown Diamond" and "Lab-Grown Diamond" in each stone's title12.
Questions about the gap
Laboratory-grown listing pages
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Good for 1 to 3 carat stones
With Clarity lab-grown collections
See lab-grown on With ClarityOpens With Clarity's site. Not a referral link.
Also on With Clarity's site
Good for IGI-graded stones near 1.5 carats
Blue Nile lab-grown diamonds
See lab-grown on Blue NileOpens Blue Nile's site. Not a referral link.
Good for matching a lab stone to a natural one on the same site
Brilliant Earth lab-grown diamonds
See lab-grown on Brilliant EarthOpens Brilliant Earth's site. Not a referral link.
About this page
We do not earn anything from purchases today. Every product link is a plain link to the merchant's own page, without an affiliate code. We may join merchants' affiliate programs in the future, and this notice will say so before that changes.
Diamond listings change by the hour: stones sell, prices move and sales start and end. Every price here is the merchant's listed price on the date shown. The merchant's own page is the final word on price, availability and terms.
RingPrice Index does not sell jewelry, does not grade stones and does not take your details. We read merchants' public listing pages and report what they showed.
