Natural Diamond, Lab Diamond or Moissanite — An Honest Guide to Choosing Your Stone
“Should I get a natural diamond? What about lab grown? And what exactly is moissanite — is it just a fake diamond?”
These are the questions we hear most often in consultations at Tailored by Heart. This guide is our honest, unbiased answer.
Choosing a stone for an engagement ring is one of the most personal decisions in the whole design process — and one that often gets tangled up in opinions, marketing, and outdated information. The truth is that natural diamonds, lab-grown diamonds and moissanite are all beautiful, all legitimate choices, and all suitable for a ring that will be worn every day for decades.
Here is what we tell every client who sits down with us and asks this question.
Natural Diamonds
A natural diamond is formed over billions of years under extraordinary heat and pressure deep within the earth’s mantle. When you hold one, you are holding something genuinely ancient — something that predates life on our planet. That is not a marketing line. It is the actual story.
Natural diamonds sit at 10 on the Mohs hardness scale — the highest rating of any material on earth — making them extraordinarily resistant to scratching and suitable for daily wear across generations. Each stone is completely unique. No two natural diamonds are identical in their inclusions, growth patterns or character.
Quality natural diamonds are graded and certified by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) — the global gold standard in diamond certification. A GIA certificate confirms a stone’s exact carat weight, colour grade, clarity grade and cut quality, giving you independent assurance of what you are buying.
Choose a natural diamond if:
- The origin and age of the stone carries personal or sentimental significance
- Long-term resale value or insurance replacement cost matters to you
- You want the most established certification and market track record
- Tradition is important to you and your partner
Lab-Grown Diamonds
Lab-grown diamonds are real diamonds. A lab-grown diamond has exactly the same chemical composition, crystal structure, optical properties and physical characteristics as a natural diamond. The only difference is where it was formed — in a controlled laboratory environment over a matter of weeks rather than in the earth over billions of years.
Two methods are used: High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) and Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD). Both produce diamonds that are indistinguishable from natural diamonds without specialist equipment, certified by the International Gemological Institute (IGI) using the same criteria: carat, colour, clarity and cut.
The most significant practical difference is price. In 2026, a lab-grown diamond of equivalent quality typically costs 60 to 80 percent less than a natural diamond. That means you can choose a significantly larger stone, a more complex setting, or a higher colour and clarity grade for the same budget.
Choose a lab-grown diamond if:
- You want a certified diamond but want significantly more stone for your budget
- Reducing the environmental impact of mining matters to you
- You want the same diamond sparkle pattern — bright white light with coloured fire
Moissanite
Moissanite is not a diamond, and we think honesty about that distinction matters. But it is an extraordinary gemstone with its own remarkable story.
Moissanite was first discovered in 1893 by French chemist Henri Moissan in fragments of a meteorite in Arizona. Today, moissanite used in jewellery is laboratory-created, making it one of the most ethical and sustainable stone choices available.
Chemically, moissanite is silicon carbide — a different material to diamond. Its hardness is 9.25 on the Mohs scale, making it the second hardest gemstone in jewellery. Its refractive index of 2.65 to 2.69 is higher than diamond’s 2.42, creating a more intense rainbow-like fire — vivid flashes of spectral colour — compared to diamond’s brighter white brilliance. Many people find this extraordinary. Others prefer the crisper sparkle of a diamond. Neither preference is wrong.
Choose moissanite if:
- Maximum visual impact at the most accessible price point is your priority
- You love vibrant, rainbow sparkle
- Full ethical and sustainable sourcing matters to you
- You understand it is not a diamond and are comfortable with that
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Natural Diamond | Lab Diamond | Moissanite | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Composition | Carbon (earth-mined) | Carbon (lab-created) | Silicon carbide |
| Hardness (Mohs) | 10 | 10 | 9.25 |
| Sparkle type | Bright white brilliance | Bright white brilliance | Intense rainbow fire |
| Certification | GIA | IGI | Varies by supplier |
| Relative price | Highest | 60–80% less than natural | Most affordable |
| Resale value | Established market | Emerging market | Limited |
| Sustainability | Mining required | Low impact | Lowest impact |
What This Means for Your Budget in South Africa
Stone choice dramatically affects what ring is possible at any given budget. Here is a practical sense of starting points from Tailored by Heart:
Natural Diamond
From R18,000
GIA certified · earth-mined · each stone unique
Lab Diamond
From R15,000
IGI certified · real diamond · best value sweet spot
Moissanite
Most accessible
Maximum size for budget · brilliant fire
So — Which Should You Choose?
Our honest answer: come and see them side by side. Reading about refractive indices only takes you so far. When you hold all three stones under the same light at the same time, your instinct is usually immediate and clear.
If budget is your primary driver:
Moissanite gives you the most visual impact per rand. Lab-grown diamonds give you a certified real diamond at a fraction of natural pricing.
If you want a diamond but are budget-conscious:
A lab-grown diamond in a size you couldn’t afford in natural is almost always the sweet spot. With lab prices having dropped significantly in 2026, the value case for lab has grown even stronger.
If tradition and long-term value matter most:
A GIA-certified natural diamond is worth the investment. Its value is established, its story is irreplaceable, and it will be insurable and meaningful for generations.
If sustainability is your highest priority:
Both lab-grown diamonds and moissanite have a significantly smaller environmental footprint than mined diamonds. Either is a responsible choice.
The Tailored by Heart approach
At Tailored by Heart, we do not steer clients toward one stone over another. We have no financial incentive to push you in any direction. What we care about is that you make a decision you feel genuinely good about.
In every consultation, we lay out your options honestly — pricing across all three stone types, differences in appearance under various lighting, and the practical implications for resale and insurance. We let you hold the stones. Then we design around whichever stone you choose with exactly the same care.
Every ring leaves our workshop with a formal valuation certificate, regardless of stone type.
Book a free consultation
See the Stones for Yourself
No commitment, no pressure. We will show you all three options side by side, answer every question, and help you make the decision that feels right for you.
Book a Free ConsultationBy appointment · Pretoria East · Virtual options available