What are Lab Grown Gemstones?
A lab grown gemstone is the real thing — chemically, optically, and physically identical to a mined stone — grown in a controlled environment rather than extracted from the earth over millions of years. The colour is vivid. The hardness is the same. The only thing missing is the environmental toll and the opaque supply chain.
At Lab Grown Dreams we have spent over 35 years sourcing and crafting natural diamonds along with lab gemstones for customers who want exceptional quality without compromise. This guide covers everything you need to know: how they're made, how they compare to mined gems, what the quality grades mean, and how to choose the right stone for you. Ready to shop? Jump straight to our complete buying guide.
Dramatically
Better Value
Lab grown gems typically cost 50–80% less than a comparable mined stone. That means you can choose a genuinely large, high-clarity emerald — the kind that would be prohibitively expensive if it came from a Colombian mine — and still have budget left for a custom setting. The science has not lowered the quality; it has lowered the barriers.
An Ethical Choice
Mined gemstones carry real risks: habitat destruction, water contamination, and labour conditions that are difficult to verify even with certification schemes in place. Lab grown stones sidestep those concerns entirely. They are produced in audited facilities, with a supply chain you can trace from crystal to setting. For many of our customers that peace of mind is the deciding factor.
Access to Rarer Colours and Clarities
Nature produces vivid-red rubies and deeply saturated emeralds rarely and unpredictably. The lab removes that lottery. Growth conditions can be dialled in to consistently produce the colour grades and clarity levels that would be exceptional finds in a mine, and at a price that reflects the science rather than the scarcity.
How Lab Grown Gems and Diamonds are Made.
Lab grown diamonds — HPHT and CVD High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) mimics the geological conditions deep in the earth's mantle: a carbon seed is placed under extreme pressure and heat until diamond crystal grows around it. Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) takes a different route — carbon-rich gas is ionised into plasma above a seed crystal, and the carbon atoms settle layer by layer to build a diamond. Both methods produce gem-quality diamonds that pass standard testers identically to mined stones.
Lab grown emeralds (Hydrothermal growth)
Emeralds grown hydrothermally are placed in a high temperature autoclave with a water-based solution carrying the same mineral chemistry: Beryllium, Aluminium, Silicon, and chromium — that colours natural Colombian stones green. Over several weeks a crystal grows on a seed plate. The result is an emerald with the same composition and often fewer of the inclusions ("jardin") that make mined emeralds difficult to cut cleanly.
Lab Grown Rubies and Sapphires (Flame Fusion and Flux)
Both are varieties of corundum (aluminium oxide), coloured by trace elements — chromium for red in rubies, iron and titanium for the blues of sapphire. The flux method dissolves these ingredients in a molten salt solution and allows crystals to precipitate slowly, producing stones with exceptional clarity and consistent colour saturation. Flame fusion is faster and yields material well-suited to commercial jewellery.
Quality & Colour Grades
Lab grown gems are graded by the same standards as mined gems. Understanding these grades helps you make an informed choice rather than trusting marketing language.
The Four Cs for diamonds
Cut, Colour, Clarity, and Carat weight, the universal diamond grading framework, apply identically to lab grown diamonds. GIA and IGI both certify lab grown stones and issue reports you can verify independently. We recommend prioritizing cut above all else: a well-cut stone returns more light regardless of its colour or clarity grade.
Colour Saturation for Coloured Gems
For Rubies, Emeralds, and Sapphires the dominant quality factors are colour (hue, saturation, and tone), clarity, and cut.
A vivid, evenly saturated ruby with good transparency is worth more than a larger stone with a washed-out or overly dark tone. Our team grades every coloured stone individually,see our ruby buying guide, emerald buying guide, and sapphire buying guide for stone-specific detail.
Custom Lab Grown Jewellery
Custom lab grown gemstone jewellery
Choosing your stone is only half the story. At Lab Grown Dreams our Bangkok atelier handles the full journey: from selecting the right rough or cut stone to designing a setting that lets it perform at its best. Whether you have a sketch, a reference image, or just an idea, our team will turn it into a finished piece. Custom work is also how you ensure the metal, setting style, and proportions are tuned to your stone's specific colour and cut. Explore our bespoke jewellery service →
Designing Custom Jewelry with Lab Grown Dreams
Custom jewelry is one of the fastest-growing choices for modern buyers. Rather than purchasing a mass-produced piece, our team guides you through creating something entirely your own:
Custom Engagement Rings: Design your dream ring from scratch using premium lab-grown diamonds, natural diamonds, or vibrant sapphires and emeralds.
Custom Wedding Bands: Personalized rings featuring unique metal finishes, custom settings, or meaningful engravings.
Bespoke Fine Jewelry: Complete control over necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, tailored to your metal choice and design style.
Family Heirloom Redesigns: We can breathe new life into inherited jewelry, transforming sentimental stones into modern masterpieces.
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Contact us to buy Lab Grown gemstones or custom design your own jewelry.