As we all say, diamonds are a girl's best friend, and we mean it more than most.
At Keemti, we did not just build a jewellery brand around diamonds. We built it around the women who wear them, the ones collecting quiet wins nobody claps for, showing up for themselves before anyone else notices, and choosing things that actually reflect who they are becoming.
So when someone asks us what happens to a lab grown diamond over time, or wonders ‘lab grown diamonds are they real’, we have our distinct approach to it. Because it is not really about the diamond. It is about whether the piece you chose, maybe for a new chapter, a promotion, or simply because you deserved something beautiful, will still feel as right - ten or twenty years from now as it does today.
The short answer is yes. The longer answer is what this piece is about.
From the science behind lab grown diamond durability to the everyday habits that keep them brilliant, here is everything you actually need to know.
Lab Grown Diamonds Are They Real? Let's Start There
Before talking about time, let's talk about what a lab grown diamond actually is, because the answer shapes everything else.
A lab grown diamond is a real diamond. Not a diamond alternative. Not a synthetic substitute. A real, certified diamond, grown from a carbon seed in a controlled environment that replicates the extreme conditions found deep within the Earth. The result is a diamond with the same chemical composition (pure carbon), the same crystal structure, and the same optical and physical properties as any mined diamond.
Gemological institutes like the GIA, SGL and IGI, grade lab grown diamonds using the exact same 4Cs framework used for mined stones: cut, clarity, color, and carat.
If you place a lab grown diamond and a mined diamond side by side, even a trained gemologist cannot tell them apart without specialised equipment. That is not a marketing claim. That is science.
So when you ask lab grown diamonds are they real, the answer is grounded in fact. They are real in every measurable sense, and fully recognised within the industry as lab diamonds real in composition and performance.
Lab Diamond Hardness: The Number That Matters Most
When it comes to understanding lab grown diamond durability, one number stands above everything else: 10.
Diamonds, whether formed under the Earth or grown in a lab, score a perfect 10 on the Mohs scale of hardness. This is the highest score any material can achieve. For context, sapphires and rubies sit at a 9, and most everyday materials like glass or steel fall far below that.
A Mohs 10 rating means a diamond can only be scratched by another diamond. Nothing else in your daily environment, not keys, not countertops, not other gemstones in your collection, will leave a mark on it. This is what makes diamonds the preferred stone for pieces meant to be worn every day, through every season of your life.
Lab grown diamonds carry this same hardness without exception. Their cubic crystal lattice structure, formed of tightly bonded carbon atoms, is identical to that of mined diamonds. It is this atomic arrangement that gives the diamond its legendary resistance to scratching, abrasion, and surface damage.
How Lab Grown Diamonds Are Made (And Why It Matters for Longevity)
Understanding how lab grown diamonds are created helps explain why they last as long as they do.
There are two primary methods used to grow diamonds in a laboratory:
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HPHT (High Pressure High Temperature): This process places a carbon seed under extreme pressure and heat, mimicking the geological conditions of the Earth's mantle. The carbon crystallises around the seed and grows into a full diamond over a period of weeks.
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CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition): In this method, a diamond seed is placed in a chamber filled with carbon-rich gas. The gas is energised, causing carbon atoms to deposit layer by layer onto the seed, building the diamond gradually.
Both methods produce diamonds with the same hardness, brilliance, and durability. CVD diamonds tend to offer higher clarity, while HPHT can produce larger stones. But in terms of longevity, the result is the same: a diamond that will not degrade, cloud, or deteriorate over time.
What Actually Happens to a Lab Grown Diamond Over the Years
This is the core of what most people genuinely want to know, and the answer is refreshingly simple.
A lab grown diamond does not age. It does not turn yellow, fade, or lose its refractive brilliance over time. The same chemical stability that makes mined diamonds prized across centuries applies fully to lab grown ones. Studies and independent gemological testing have confirmed that lab grown diamonds maintain their optical properties even under accelerated aging conditions.
Here is what you will not experience with a lab grown diamond:
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Yellowing or colour change due to age
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Surface dulling from regular wear
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Loss of structural integrity over decades
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Clouding or hazing that cannot be cleaned away
What you may experience, if the piece is not cared for, is a build-up of oils, soap residue, and dust that can temporarily reduce brilliance. But this is not the diamond itself changing. It is simply surface residue, and it cleans away completely with basic care.
One distinction worth noting: while the physical diamond will not lose value in terms of beauty, the market value of lab grown diamonds has shifted in recent years as production has become more accessible. This is a conversation about economics, not about the diamond itself. The diamond on your finger will be just as brilliant at year thirty as it is today.
Lab Grown Diamond Care: Keeping the Brilliance Alive
Because lab grown diamonds are real diamonds, their care routine is the same as that for mined ones. Simple, consistent, and nothing complicated.
To keep your jewellery looking their best, follow essential lab grown diamond care practices:
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Soak jewellery in warm water with a drop of mild dish soap for a few minutes, then gently scrub with a soft toothbrush to remove oils and residue. Rinse thoroughly and pat dry with a lint-free cloth.
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Avoid exposure to harsh chemicals like bleach or chlorine. While diamonds themselves are chemically stable, the metal setting can be affected.
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Store pieces individually in a soft pouch or lined jewellery box to prevent scratching of the metal and other stones.
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Take your jewellery off before activities that involve repetitive impact, like heavy lifting or sports. Diamonds are hard but they can chip if struck at a specific angle with significant force.
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Professional cleaning once or twice a year keeps the setting in good shape alongside the stone.
That is genuinely all it takes. There is no special treatment, no periodic recharging, no professional coating required.
For Every Version of You
At Keemti, this is precisely what we design for. Our 9 to 5 Collection and Everyday Edit are built around the understanding that modern women do not separate their jewellery from their lives.
These pieces are worn through long work days, weekend plans, and every small moment in between. They need to move with you.
Lab grown diamonds make that possible without compromise. A pendant from the Everyday Edit does not ask to be taken off before a meeting. A pair of earrings from the 9 to 5 Collection handles the full arc of your day without losing a single degree of shine.
A Diamond That Stays
A lab grown diamond grows from a single carbon seed, under pressure, over weeks, into something that will outlast almost everything around it. That is not a small thing.
The piece you choose today will look the same ten years from now. The clarity will not shift. The brilliance will not soften. Science takes care of that part.
What it cannot account for is what the piece accumulates over time, the memories attached to it, the mornings it was there for, the version of you that wore it first versus the one wearing it later.
That kind of meaning does not come from a mined diamond or a lab grown one. It comes from time. And your Keemti piece will be there for all of it, unchanged, still catching light, still entirely yours.
