DIAMOND GUIDE
The Ultimate
A Modern Conscious and Confident Woman’s Luxury Guide to Choosing a Diamond
Lab Grown Diamonds
What is
What Exactly Is a Lab-Grown Diamond?
A lab-grown diamond is a real diamond. It shares the same chemical composition, crystal structure, and optical properties as a mined/natural diamond. Under professional gemologist testing, it is identified as a diamond.
The only difference is origin: mined diamonds are formed beneath the Earth over billions of years; the other is grown by science in a controlled environment. Both are diamonds.
Instead of developing deep within the earth over billions of years, lab-grown diamonds are created using technology in highly controlled environments to replicate natural diamond-growing conditions.
Same structure, same brilliance, same durability.
Lab-Grown vs Natural Diamonds: Understanding the Difference
Origin, Not Appearance
Mined (Natural) diamonds form over billions of years beneath the earth’s surface. Lab-grown diamonds are created in controlled environments that mirror those conditions. Visually, structurally, and chemically, they are indistinguishable without specialized equipment.
Quality Control
Because lab-grown diamonds are created under precise conditions, they offer exceptional consistency in cut, clarity, and brilliance—qualities highly valued in fine jewellery.
Modern Value Perspective
For many modern buyers, lab-grown diamonds allow greater freedom: investing in design, craftsmanship, and personal priorities without compromising social elegance or aesthetic standards.
So, yes. Lab grown diamonds are real diamonds.
As real as it's meaning, values and how something makes you feel, it's beyond rarity. It's choosing intentionally. It's identity.
Choose Based on the Values You Hold
Ultimately, diamonds aren't just about sparkle, but about the story you want to tell. Natural diamonds offer a classic narrative of natural rarity and a long history, while lab-grown diamonds represent a more conscious, innovative, and relevant modern luxury.
Sol et Terre presents lab-grown diamond jewelry designed with a thoughtful approach to luxury, combining elegant design and craftsmanship, highest quality diamonds, and a commitment to transparency.
Each Diamond Collection is created not just to be worn today, but to accompany life's journey with values that feel personal and responsible.
The 4Cs: What Truly Determines Diamond Beauty
Cut
Cut defines brilliance. A well-cut diamond reflects light with precision, creating sparkle that feels alive rather than excessive.
Color
From icy whites to warmer tones, color selection is a matter of taste and harmony with metal choice.
Clarity
Clarity speaks to purity. At Sol et Terre, inclusions are evaluated not only by grade, but by how they appear to the naked eye.
Carat
Carat is presence—not just size. Proportion and balance matter more than numbers alone.
At Sol et Terre, our role is not to overwhelm, but to guide you—so each diamond feels right, not just impressive.
Do Lab-Grown Diamonds Sparkle the Same?
It is Science meets beauty.
Brilliance is determined by cut; not by origin. A well-cut lab-grown diamond displays the same fire, scintillation, and light performance as a natural diamond. They have the same brilliance, hardness and durability as mined diamond.
In fact, the controlled growing process often allows for higher clarity and precision, enhancing the diamond’s ability to reflect light beautifully.
For an elegant look that emphasizes classic simplicity, Sol et Terre's Round Diamond Stud Earrings are the ideal choice. Their round cut reflects light in a balanced way, creating a clean shine that feels both serene and timeless.
Meanwhile, for those seeking a soft, modern take, the Round and Pear Diamond Pendant offers the harmony of two contrasting yet harmonious diamond cuts. Its minimalist, effortless, and personal design embodies the balance between beauty and mindfulness.
Using advanced HPHT or CVD technology, scientists replicate the natural diamond‑growing conditions with precision.
This allows for exceptional control over clarity, cut, and quality — resulting in diamonds that often surpass traditional expectations of perfection.
Diamond cut has the greatest impact on brilliance because it determines how light reflects within the stone, making it more important than clarity or color.
Are Lab-Grown Diamonds Certified?
Yes. Reputable lab-grown diamonds like Sol et Terre are graded and certified by internationally recognized laboratories using the same 4C standards—Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat Weight; applied to natural diamonds.
Certification matters because it provides transparency and protects the buyer. It ensures that what you see, what you are told, and what you receive are aligned.
At Sol et Terre, certification is not optional. It is fundamental.
Learn more about how lab-grown diamonds are certified
Both lab-grown and natural diamonds of high quality are always certified by international gemological organizations such as the IGI or GIA. These certifications ensure transparency regarding the diamond's origin, formation method, and quality, based on global standards.
For lab-grown diamonds, certification also clearly states that the diamond was created in a laboratory, so there is no ambiguity about its authenticity or origin.
Sol et Terre presents lab-grown diamond jewelleries designed with a thoughtful approach to luxury, combining elegant design and craftsmanship, highest quality diamonds, and a commitment to transparency through certification.
Are Lab-Grown Diamonds Ethical?
It is Science meets beauty.
Lab Grown Diamonds are considered a more ethical choice they avoid environmental damage and reduce many social concerns linked to traditional mining.
Conscious Luxury
True beauty cannot exist without respect for the world that sustains it.
By choosing lab-grown diamonds, we reduce environmental impact and increase traceability. With every purchase, we contribute to sustainability initiatives and animal welfare—ensuring that beauty gives back.
Conscious luxury is not about perfection. It is about responsibility, carried with grace.
Sol et Terre explores and commited to many environmental initiatives, supported by local and global NGOs and moves beyond industry trends towards Earth-specific strategies.
It ensures confidence by allowing size or design adjustments, post-proposal.
Why Modern Luxury Chooses Lab-Grown Diamonds
Conscious Without Compromise
Lab-grown diamonds align with a growing desire for transparency and responsibility, while maintaining the refinement expected in luxury spaces.
Socially Fluent Luxury
For those accustomed to natural diamonds, lab-grown diamonds offer a way to remain aligned with social standards—while choosing to prioritise experiences, growth, or future plans.
Design Freedom
With lab-grown diamonds, clients often explore bolder designs, custom settings, or meaningful collections—such as everyday bangles or personal symbol jewellery.
Why Gen Z prefers lab grown diamonds ?
Because Gen Z values sustainability, transparency and self expression. And luxury today isn't just about rarity. It's about meaning, values, and how something makes you feel. That's why Lab Grown Diamonds feel right for the future.
Diamond Certification Explained
In This Guide
GIA (Gemological Institute of America) is the world’s most respected diamond grading authority.
- Founded in 1931
- Created the 4Cs system
- Known for strict, consistent grading
GIA is a non-profit organization, considered as the world’s foremost authority on diamonds and gemstones.
The GIA provides unbiased and accurate grading reports and education to industry professionals and consumers.
With it's mission to protect consumers by setting and maintaining the highest standards of integrity, technology, and professionalism through education, research, laboratory services, and instruments.
Best for:
High-value diamonds, engagement rings, heirloom pieces
IGI (International Gemological Institute) is globally recognized and widely used for both natural and lab-grown diamonds.
IGI offers :'
- More flexible pricing
- Faster certification turnaround
- Popular in modern fine jewelry
Globally recognized as diamond and gemstone grading organization established in 1975 with one of the world's largest independent gemological laboratories, IGI has built a solid reputation in the diamond industry over the past several decades.
Best for:
Design-focused pieces, lab-grown diamonds, contemporary jewelry
GIA provides a detailed report of the gemstone’s quality and characteristics, including information on its weight, size, color, clarity, and cut.
GIA Diamond Certification covers:
- Shape and Cut. Describes the geometric outline and faceting pattern of the diamond
- Dimensions: The physical dimensions of the diamond in millimeters, typically representing length x width x depth.
- Carat (Weight) : The mass of the diamond expressed in carats
- Color Grading: Rates the grade of a diamond's colors on a scale typically ranging from D (colorless) to Z (light yellow or brown).
- Clarity Grading : Rates the presence of internal or external inclusions and/or blemishes
- Polish: Rates the smoothness of the diamond's facet surfaces
- Symmetry: Evaluates how precisely the facets align with each other
- Fluorescence: Indicates how the diamond reacts under ultraviolet light
- Clarity Characteristics: Specific details about the inclusions or blemishes
Particularly popular for laboratory-grown diamonds, IGI provides certification for mounted jewelry pieces, offering a complete assessment of both the gemstones and the craftsmanship.
IGI certification main goals are :
- provides consumers with a reliable and objective assessment of a diamond's or gemstone’s quality,
- helping consumers to make informed purchasing decisions
- helps to prevent fraud and misrepresentation by providing a standardized system for Diamond and Gemstones evaluation and grading.
GIA is known for strict, conservative grading and is ideal for high-value diamonds, while IGI offers globally recognized certification with more flexibility, often used for custom and lab-grown diamonds.
Transparency is the quietest form of luxury.
Sol et Terre works with both GIA and IGI, selecting certification based on:
- Diamond type
- Client preference
- Design intention
- Budget transparency
Certification Is About Trust
A certificate is not just paperwork—it is assurance that your diamond’s beauty is verified, traceable, and honest.
A diamond’s beauty is subjective.
Its quality should never be.
What Actually Makes a Diamond Sparkle
Diamond Cut vs Brilliance
What Is Diamond Brilliance?
Why Diamond Cut Matters More Than Color or Clarity
How Different Diamond Cuts Perform
Which Diamond Cut Truly Suits You?
Which One Lasts Longer, Emotionally?
Discover Lab Grown Diamonds by Cut
Our Commitments
Our Commitments
-
From a gemologist’s perspective, it is cut, clarity, colour, and carat — verified by independent certification, like GIA or IGI.
Sol et Terre works only with certified lab-grown diamonds that meet the same physical standards as mined natural diamonds.
-
A diamond is not static — neither are you. At Sol et Terre, we believe jewellery should evolve as a woman evolves. Careers expand, self-worth deepens, milestones shift. Our Diamond Upgrade Program exists to honour that truth.
From a gemologist’s perspective, diamonds ( especially well-selected lab-grown diamond stones) retain structural integrity over time.
From a woman’s perspective, upgrading is not about replacing the past, but refining it. Much like how taste matures, an upgraded diamond reflects growth, not excess.
Every Sol et Terre diamond is designed with future possibility in mind.
When you are ready to grow, your diamond grows with you.
-
True luxury is confidence. Our Buy-Back Program is a commitment, not a promotion, rooted in transparency and trust.
Very few jewellery houses are willing to stand behind their creations beyond the point of sale. We do. Because we design with intention, certify with rigor, and price with long-term realism.
For our clients, this program offers peace of mind. Understand long-term value commitment.
For Sol et Terre, it is a declaration of accountability.
-
Love is emotional. Proposals are vulnerable moments. Choosing a ring should never feel like a risk.
Our Perfect Ring Guarantee was created for modern couples — especially those planning surprise proposals — who value intention over pressure. Begin with a symbolic ring. Refine it together later.
From the perspective of global maisons like Cartier, the most meaningful jewellery is not rushed — it is considered. This program ensures your ring becomes a shared decision, not a stressful one.
-
Absolutely! We offer customization options including engraving, metal selection, and Diamond Cuts and Colors choices.
Contact us to discuss your vision and we'll create something uniquely yours.
