Lab-Grown Diamond Care: Do Lab-Grown Diamonds Need Different Care?

Do lab-grown diamonds need different care?

The short answer is no. A lab-grown diamond is not a coating, a simulant or a softer copy. It is pure carbon arranged in the same cubic crystal lattice as a diamond formed deep in the earth. The only real difference is where and how fast it grew. That is why gemmologists, insurers and repairers treat it the same way at the bench. If you want the full background first, our complete lab-grown diamonds guide covers growth, grading and pricing in one place, and our explainer on why lab-grown diamonds are real diamonds sets out the science.

So where does the idea of special care come from? Mostly from confusion with simulants (stones that imitate diamond but are a different material), such as cubic zirconia, which scratches and clouds over time. Some lab-grown and natural diamonds also carry treatments applied after they form, and a handful of those do need gentler handling. The care that matters is decided by three things, in this order: the setting and metal, any treatment on the report, and the stone's shape and inclusions. Natural or lab-grown origin is not on that list.

Selling both natural and lab-grown diamonds across the counter, we see the same wear patterns on each: worn claws, grease under the stone, the odd chipped point on a pear or marquise. None of it is caused by origin.

Why is lab-grown diamond care the same as natural diamond care?

Care advice for any gem comes from three physical properties. Hardness is resistance to scratching, measured on the Mohs scale from 1 (talc) to 10 (diamond). Toughness is resistance to chipping and breaking. Stability is how the stone reacts to heat, light and chemicals. Lab-grown and natural diamond score the same on all three, which is the core of how lab-grown and natural diamonds compare.

That table explains most of the myth. A cubic zirconia ring worn daily for a few years often develops rounded facet edges and a milky look, and people who have owned one sometimes expect the same from a lab-grown diamond. It will not happen. Our page on lab-grown diamonds versus cubic zirconia goes through the differences you can see and test.

Diamond does have one weakness in common, natural or lab-grown: cleavage. This is a tendency to split along flat planes inside the crystal if it takes a sharp knock at the wrong angle. A diamond can scratch almost anything, yet still chip on a granite benchtop. Thin edges, called the girdle (the outer rim of the stone), and pointed tips are most exposed. Any unfamiliar word here is in our plain-English jewellery glossary.

Can treatments change how you care for a lab-grown diamond?

Yes, and this is the one place where care can genuinely differ from stone to stone. Lab-grown diamonds are grown by two methods: HPHT (high pressure, high temperature, which copies the conditions deep in the earth) and CVD (chemical vapour deposition, where carbon from a gas settles layer by layer onto a diamond seed). Our guide to how HPHT and CVD growth work explains both. Many CVD diamonds are then given a post-growth treatment to improve their colour.

HPHT annealing is the treatment you are most likely to meet on a colourless lab-grown stone. It is used to remove the brown or grey tint in CVD stones, and the result is stable in everyday life. It does not wear off and needs no special cleaning. It does affect how the stone was graded, which is covered in our page on lab-grown colour grades.

Coloured lab-grown diamonds deserve more thought. A pink or blue lab-grown diamond has often been irradiated and heated to create its colour, and very high heat can alter it. In daily wear this is irrelevant. At the repair bench, it means the stone should come out before any torch work. Check the comments section of the grading report: reputable labs state the growth method and whether post-growth treatment has been detected.

A small number of CVD diamonds have also been documented showing a slight, temporary change of colour after strong UV light or heating, which returns to normal over time. It is uncommon and harmless, but worth knowing if a stone ever looks a touch different straight after a repair.

How do you clean a lab-grown diamond at home?

Diamond is lipophilic, meaning it attracts oil and grease, and it repels water. Hand cream, sunscreen, soap residue and skin oil cling to the underside of the stone, called the pavilion. Once the pavilion is coated, light no longer reflects back up through the top, and even a well-cut lab-grown diamond looks flat and grey. Almost every "my diamond has gone cloudy" visit we see is grease, not the stone.

A gentle home clean once a week or so keeps a ring bright:

• Soak: a small bowl of warm (not hot) water with a few drops of mild dishwashing liquid, for 15–20 minutes.
• Brush: a soft baby toothbrush, working from underneath the stone and around each claw.
• Rinse: under warm running water with the plug in, or in a second bowl, so nothing goes down the drain.
• Dry: a lint-free cloth or a microfibre cloth; tissues can leave fibres caught on claws.
• Avoid: toothpaste, bicarb soda paste, bleach and household spray cleaners. Abrasives will not hurt the diamond but will scratch gold and platinum.

Can you put lab-grown diamonds in an ultrasonic cleaner?

An ultrasonic cleaner uses high-frequency sound waves in liquid to shake dirt loose. Jewellers use them every day on both natural and lab-grown diamonds. The diamond itself is not at risk. The risk is to loose claws, which the vibration can open further, and to any other materials in the piece.

If you own a home ultrasonic unit, check the claws first: run a fingertip over them and listen for a faint rattle when you tap the ring next to your ear. Any movement at all and it should go to a jeweller instead. Pavé and micro-pavé (rows of tiny diamonds held by beads of metal) are the most likely to lose a stone in an ultrasonic bath.

Can a lab-grown diamond chip, scratch or get damaged by heat?

It can chip, in exactly the same way a natural diamond can. It will not scratch in normal wear, because only another diamond can scratch a diamond. In practice, damage comes from four places:

• Hard knocks: doorframes, gym equipment and stone benchtops. Points on pear, marquise, heart and princess shapes, and very thin girdles, are most exposed.
• Diamond-on-diamond contact: two diamond rings stored loose together can scratch each other's facets, and eternity bands rub against engagement rings over years.
• Chlorine: pools and spas do nothing to the diamond but can attack the alloy metals in gold, weakening claws over time. Take rings off before swimming.
• Extreme heat: diamond starts to burn in air somewhere above about 700–900 °C. A house fire or a careless torch can reach that, so a jeweller protects or removes the stone before soldering.

Inclusions matter for toughness too. A feather (a small internal crack) that reaches the surface near a girdle or point can give a knock somewhere to start. This is just as true for lab-grown stones, which often have metallic flux inclusions (HPHT) or dark carbon specks (CVD) rather than the crystals and feathers typical of natural diamonds. The report's plot diagram shows where each sits.

One thing lab-grown diamonds do not do is fade, go cloudy or lose sparkle with age. The crystal is as stable as a natural one. If a lab-grown diamond looks different after a few years, the cause is grease, a bent claw tilting the stone, or worn metal around it.

How should you look after lab-grown diamond rings, earrings and tennis bracelets?

Because lab-grown diamonds cost much less than natural diamonds of the same size, people often wear larger stones and more of them. That shifts the care load from the stones to the metalwork holding them.

• Engagement rings: claws thin with daily wear, usually fastest on the palm side. Platinum claws tend to bend and move metal rather than wear away; white gold claws tend to wear down and need rhodium plating to keep their colour.
• Stud earrings: check that butterflies or screw backs still grip firmly. A loose back, not a loose stone, is the most common way studs are lost.
• Tennis bracelets: dozens of small settings and hinged links. Check the clasp and safety catch, and lay the bracelet flat to look for kinked links or gaps where a stone sits crooked.
• Pendants: the bail (the loop the chain runs through) wears thin over years of movement.

Our guide to lab-grown diamond earrings and tennis bracelets covers how these pieces are made and what to check when you buy, which also tells you what to keep an eye on as they age.

Store each piece separately, in a soft pouch or a lined box with dividers, and take rings off for gardening, gym sessions, heavy cleaning and swimming. Putting jewellery on after hand cream and perfume, rather than before, keeps it brighter for longer.

What happens when a lab-grown diamond ring goes in for repair?

The bench work is the same as for a natural diamond: retipping (adding new metal to a worn claw tip), reclawing, resizing, rhodium plating and polishing. The differences are in the paperwork and in heat.

Under the Australian Consumer Law, a business must not engage in misleading conduct, including about what goods are. To protect yourself, ask that your repair job sheet record the stone as lab-grown, along with its weight, shape and any laser inscription (a report number etched on the girdle, readable under magnification). Ask for that in writing when you drop the ring off and check the inscription when you collect it. Standard diamond testers read lab-grown stones as diamond, so a basic tester cannot tell you whether you got your own stone back; our page on how lab-grown diamonds respond to diamond testers explains what the different instruments actually show.

For heat work, a jeweller will usually protect an untreated or HPHT-annealed diamond with a flux coating, or use laser welding, which keeps heat very local. Irradiated coloured stones, coated stones and fracture-filled stones should come out of the setting first. Tell the jeweller if your report mentions any treatment.

If wear has gone far enough that the setting needs replacing, a remodel is often the better choice than repeated repairs. Our explainer on whether a remodel needs a wax or resin model first covers how a new setting is planned around an existing stone.

Does lab-grown diamond care affect insurance and value?

Care does not change what the diamond is worth, but documentation does change how easily you can insure, identify and replace it. Keep the original grading report, a valuation and a clear photo of the piece together, and store a digital copy. When comparing a replacement stone, remember that comparing grades from different laboratories is not always like for like.

Lab-grown diamond prices in Australia have fallen considerably over recent years, so a valuation written a few years ago may overstate today's replacement cost. Many insurers replace like for like rather than pay the valuation figure, so it is worth updating the valuation every two to three years and checking how your policy handles it. Natural and lab-grown diamonds also behave differently on the resale market, which our page on natural versus lab-grown value over time explains without the hype.

These are broad ranges only and vary with the metal, the number of claws and the work involved. When two stones with the same grades are quoted differently, the reasons are covered in why matching 4Cs can still mean different prices.

How do you care for a lab-grown diamond? Step by step

1. Read the report. Note the growth method, any post-growth treatment and the laser inscription number.
2. Clean weekly at home. Warm water, mild dishwashing liquid and a soft brush under the stone; rinse and dry with a lint-free cloth.
3. Take it off for risky jobs. Swimming, gym, gardening and heavy cleaning are where claws bend and chlorine attacks gold.
4. Store pieces apart. Separate pouches or a divided box, so diamonds do not scratch each other or the metal.
5. Check it yourself monthly. Look for a stone that sits crooked, claws that catch on clothing, or a faint rattle when tapped.
6. See a jeweller every 6–12 months. A professional clean and claw check catches wear before a stone is lost; mention any treatment on the report.
7. Keep paperwork current. Update your valuation every two to three years and confirm the inscription after any repair.

If you are still deciding between stones, our starting point for lab-grown buyers brings growth, grading and care together.