Most people who buy lab grown diamond jewellery do not start out looking for it. They start out looking for a diamond - and somewhere in the research, they discover that the category they had been ignoring is actually the more considered choice. That counterintuitive shift, from sceptic to deliberate buyer, is happening across India right now at a remarkable pace.
The India lab grown diamond jewellery market was valued at $453.7 million in 2026 and is projected to reach $1.8 billion by 2036. That trajectory is not driven by price. It is driven by buyers who have looked closely and made a deliberate call. Here is what they found - and what you should know before you do the same.
The Science Is No Longer the Question
A lab grown diamond and a mined diamond are, by every physical measure, the same material. The crystal structure is identical - pure carbon arranged in a cubic formation. The hardness is identical - a 10 on the Mohs scale, the hardest known natural substance. The optical properties are identical. The IGI (International Gemological Institute), the world's largest independent gemological body, grades lab grown diamond jewellery by exactly the same 4C criteria it applies to mined stones: Cut, Colour, Clarity, Carat.
The question that used to stop buyers - "but is it a real diamond?" - has been settled. The more interesting questions are now about design, certification, and who you are buying from.
How a Lab Grown Diamond Is Actually Made
This is where most explainers stop being useful - but stay with it, because the process has a direct bearing on quality. There are two methods: CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) and HPHT (High Pressure High Temperature). In CVD - the method preferred for gem-quality lab grown diamond jewellery - a diamond seed crystal is placed in a chamber filled with carbon-rich gas. Microwaves ionise the gas into plasma, carbon atoms bond to the seed, and a diamond grows atom by atom over several weeks. The result is a stone with fewer internal irregularities and more consistent optical performance than many HPHT-grown alternatives.
Your IGI grading report states the growth method explicitly. It is not a minor footnote - it tells you how your stone was made, and it is verifiable. That level of traceability does not exist for mined stones.
The Question Most Buyers Never Think to Ask
When evaluating lab grown diamond jewellery, most buyers focus on the stone. The right question to also ask is: who made the setting, and how? A lab grown diamond placed in a poorly constructed mount - weak prongs, thin gold, inconsistent finishing - will not wear the same as one set by a skilled craftsperson in BIS Hallmarked 14K or 18K gold. The hallmark is not decorative. It is the Bureau of Indian Standards' independent confirmation of the metal's declared purity.
India is the global leader in diamond cutting and polishing, with Surat processing over a third of the world's rough stones. That craftsmanship heritage matters when the setting holding your stone is made here. Look for lab grown diamond jewellery that names both its diamond certification and its gold standard - IGI and BIS - not just one.
Why the Brand Behind the Jewellery Matters More Than You Think
Lab grown diamond jewellery is a considered purchase. The brand you buy from is not incidental to the product - it is part of it. Post-purchase accountability, exchange terms, and the accessibility of the people who stand behind the piece all shape what you actually own. A brand that keeps its terms vague in the small print is telling you something. So is one that puts its founders' names on every piece and answers when you write to them.
GJEPC-affiliated brands operating within India's established diamond trade networks carry an additional layer of industry accountability. Look for it alongside IGI certification, BIS Hallmarking, and a clear, specific buyback and exchange policy - not a headline percentage, but the actual terms.
Apekani Diamonds: Lab Grown Diamond Jewellery with a Name Behind It
Apekani Diamonds was started by Apeksha and Animesh - a Mumbai couple with deep roots across finance, operations, and the diamond trade. The name is not a studio name. It is theirs: Apek(sha) + Ani(mesh). Our name is on every piece. That is the whole standard.
Every piece of our lab grown diamond jewellery is drawn in-house in Mumbai - original designs, deliberate forms, made to be worn on a milestone or an ordinary Tuesday. Every diamond is IGI-certified. Every setting is BIS Hallmarked in 14K or 18K gold. The price you see is the real one - no inflated markup built in to be negotiated away later. 30-day returns, 80 percent buyback, lifetime exchange.
Reach us on WhatsApp and you reach the founders - not a script. If you are in Mumbai, arrange a home viewing and see the pieces on before you decide. Lab grown diamond jewellery this deliberate deserves a purchase experience that matches.