When it comes to shopping for diamond jewelry, there are some common misconceptions and frequently asked questions. From how to tell real diamonds from laboratory-grown diamonds, to the history and values behind natural diamonds, it’s important to understand the facts about what you’re buying. To help you navigate the retail counter and prepare the right questions for your jeweler, here are a few key differences to remember about natural diamonds and their lab-grown diamond counterparts.

Unlike natural diamonds, lab grown diamonds are produced with microwave reactors in a matter of only a few weeks.

Laboratory-grown diamonds can be manufactured much more quickly than the natural process that took millions of years to form natural diamonds. Through rapid technological developments, a one carat lab-grown diamond can be produced in three to five days or up to two weeks.

Researchers are using the rocks in which diamonds are found called kimberlite to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, in a ground-breaking research program with the aim to reach carbon neutrality.

The environmental impact of a one carat polished natural diamond is less than 37% of one seat on a one-way flight between New York City and Los Angeles.

Just like everything in nature, no two natural diamonds are identical, unlike mass-produced lab-created diamonds or synthetic diamonds.

Together, the world’s leading diamond producers create $16 billion net positive socioeconomic and environmental benefits annually in countries where they operate–80% of which stays within local communities.*

*Analysis conducted by Trucost, part of S&P Global, based on 2016/2017 data.