Diamonds aren’t just a girl’s best friend; they’re also a fantastic investment in the right circumstances. As one of the purest, most highly sought-after gemstones in the world, diamonds have an inherent value in any marketplace, which make them a great alternative source of value for people who want to spread their wealth across a diverse portfolio.

Of course, buying diamonds hasn’t always been easy. First of all, simply being able to find a high-quality diamond for a price that you can afford can be complicated at the best of times. As diamonds grow more popular, prices have skyrocketed, particularly for diamonds with fancy cuts and colors.

On the other hand, there have been some ethical dilemmas in the world of diamond investment to consider too. It’s always hard to know for certain where your diamonds come from, and whether they have any links to global conflicts.

The Rise of Lab Grown Diamonds

Until recently, it was practically impossible to create gem-stone quality diamonds in scientific settings. Researchers have been struggling to find a way to adjust and alter carbon since the 1950s, with a very limited degree of success. For the most part, until a few years ago, the only diamonds we could create in labs were the industrial-standard gems intended for cutting tools and manufacturing.

Of course, today, the machines and processes available for making human-made diamonds have become more refined. We’ve finally reached a point where we can stimulate the extreme temperatures and circumstances in the earth core that create organic diamonds, within a laboratory. Today’s lab-grown diamonds, sold by retailers like Clean Origin, are just as good, if not better than the real thing.

Not only do lab diamonds have the same chemical composition as a mined diamond, but they also come with a 100% conflict free origin. You know exactly where your diamonds are coming from, which means that you can avoid the risk of ethical issues in your investments caused by blood diamonds. Let’s look at three other reasons, besides origin, that lab-grown diamonds are better than their mined counterparts.

1. Superior Quality

Objectively, the diamonds that are created in lab conditions are naturally cleaner, and higher in quality than the diamonds taken from the earth. Ultimately, grown diamonds can be retrieved with less damage to the raw diamond form, which means that you get fewer defects in the gem itself.

From an aesthetic perspective, a higher quality diamond means that you get a brighter and cleaner shine. From an investment perspective, high-quality diamonds will be the ones that fetch the highest price during market downturns. The key to any great diamond investment will always be to get the highest quality of gem, for the least money possible.

2. Larger Diamonds for Less

Not only are lab-grown diamonds a better quality than their mined counterparts, but it’s also possible to create larger gems for a lower price too. Many experts predict that synthetically-grown diamonds are anywhere up to 40% less expensive than mined diamonds. The reason for this isn’t that you’re getting a less authentic diamond. The structure of the gem is still the same.

Instead, you can get a bigger diamond without spending as much money because the supply chain of a lab-grown diamond is more efficient. There are fewer people to pay along the chain, and the company needs to invest less time and money into the mining process. This means that you get larger, better quality gems, without having to blow the bank. For roughly the same cost of a 1.5-carat engagement ring from a retailer, for instance, you might be able to get a 2.5-carat diamond with fewer structural flaws from Cleanorigin.com.

3. Better for the Environment

We’ve already noted that lab-grown diamonds are better for the world in the fact that you know where they come from. Lab-grown diamonds help to fight back against the issue of blood diamonds and conflict-rich diamond trades. However, they also help the earth in another way too. Diamond mines create some of the largest and most dangerous holes in the earth, which are dug using huge amounts of fossil fuels.

As the world becomes a less sustainable place due to excessive diamond mining, lab-grown gems could help to protect the environment we live in and make the world a healthier place. When you invest in a lab-grown diamond, you get both a brighter, clearer diamond and a brighter future for generations to come.