We offer fast and free delivery on every order in the UK. Find out more information on delivery below.

Processing times may vary. Estimated delivery dates can be found on each product but for most stones, we aim to dispatch within 6 business days.

Delivery times once dispatched are approximate and subject to unforeseen circumstances, such as custom delays.

Orders within the UK are sent via Royal Mail Special Delivery which is guaranteed by 1pm the next day. Items shipped on a Friday are guaranteed for delivery by 1pm on the following Monday - in some areas Royal Mail may deliver on a Saturday, but this is not guaranteed.

Speak to one our consultants about international orders and they will be able to advise you on delivery times.

A signature is always required on all Stonesmith orderssent within the UK via Royal Mail. Please make sure someone is available to sign for your delivery, or arrange for alternative delivery options. If you miss the delivery, a card will be left to let you know a delivery has been attempted. You will then be able to collect the parcel from a collection point, or follow the instructions to arrange redelivery.

If your purchase is a surprise, or you are unable to be home for delivery, you may arrange for your package to be collected from our York showroom. Other delivery location options include a trusted friend or family member or your work address. Contact one of our consultants for help.

Our products are sent discreetly and fully insured in packaging that won't give away what's inside.

Your Stonesmith purchase is insured from leaving us until the moment you receive your item. Speak to one of our consultants to learn more about continuing insurance.

We are able to delivery internationally, however, at launch you will only be able to choose to ship to the UK through our website. If you are not based in the UK, contact one of our consultants and they'll be able to look at the options we have available for shipping to you.

We are constantly evaluating our shipping costs to keep them as competitive as possible. seeking out additional freight partners who can help us serve customers around the world and keep our shipping costs as competitive as possible.

We are based in York, UK so all VAT is included in the price of our products. If you are based in the EU, contact one of our consultants for help with shipping. No duty will be charged when shipping within the EU but this isn't available through our website at the moment.

In the unlikely event of your parcel not being delivered by the guaranteed time, please contact us as soon as possible so we can investigate this for you by tracking your parcel. Once we have found the reason behind the problem with your delivery we will advise accordingly.

We offer discounts to trade customers. If you are interested in offering lab-grown diamonds to your customers, enquire about a Stonesmith trade account here.

We're constantly sourcing lab-grown diamonds to allow us to offer the largest selection possible to our customers.

There are two reasons why nearly identical lab-grown diamonds differ in price:

In the industry, prices are based on buying power and market conditions at the time of sourcing. We price our lab-grown diamonds based on our cost, not the current market or solely by its quality and size. Lab grown diamonds are made by either CVD or HPHT. The CVD process produces higher quality diamonds and this is reflected in the price.

Where lab-grown diamonds are nearly identical but have different prices, the one with the lower price tends to get snapped up faster. If you come across one on our website but need more time to decide, we recommend speaking to one of our consultants and asking us to place a no-obligation 24 or 48-hour hold on the lab-grown diamond in question for you.

Lab grown diamonds start off in the lab as carbon seeds. Extremely advanced technology known as a Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) chamber then uses ultra-pure carbon-rich gasses such as methane to apply extreme heat and pressure. This causes the carbon atoms in the gas to separate and fall onto a diamond substrate, building up layers that ultimately result in a rough diamond crystal. This level of heat and pressure replicates the natural processes of a mined diamond. This procedure is known as the diamond formation.

Sometimes during this process, a coloured diamond will be formed. This happens when small amounts of trace elements are present in the growth phase of the diamond and happens in the natural growth of a diamond in nature too.

After this replication of the natural growing process, crystallisation occurs and the lab grown diamonds mature in six to ten weeks.

Just like with any other earth mined diamond, it will then be cut, polished and graded within a lab by gemologists.

A lab grown diamond put simply, is a man made diamond. They are also sometimes known as engineered diamonds or cultured diamonds.

The diamonds are grown in a lab setting using highly advanced technological processes that allow us to produce the identical conditions under which diamonds are found to naturally develop in the mantle. This process of mirroring the natural conditions that diamonds thrive in, provides us with the ability to ensure that the carbon atoms are arranged in a diamond crystal structure found in mined diamonds.

Lab grown diamonds contain the identical material of a mined diamond and so therefore exhibit the same physical, optical and chemical properties.

The process of growing diamonds in the lab allows us to have the beauty of a natural diamonds, combined with a more affordable price tag and the reassurance that they have been created ethically and are ‘conflict free’. The earth’s natural process is being replicated within a lab, the only difference being the advantages lab grown diamonds provide.

Yes.

One of our most frequently asked questions centres around whether lab grown diamonds are ‘real’ and the answer is yes.

Given that lab grown diamonds are identical to mined diamonds, they are very much the real deal. The difference with a lab grown diamond which makes people question their validity is their origin, with lab grown diamonds beginning in the lab and mined diamonds beginning in the earth’s mantle.

However, the origin and the use of technology does not change the fact that both types of diamond of physically, chemically and optically identical.

Lab grown diamonds are very different from other items that attempt to mimic the optical characteristics of a diamond such as diamond simulants, they are just as real as a mined diamond.

The notion that these diamonds are fakes or synthetic, is simply incorrect and lab grown diamonds are often misunderstood due to these labels people give them.

CVD lab grown diamonds are diamonds.

They have the same atomic structure and the same physical, chemical and optical properties as mined diamonds. The lab grown diamonds that we retail are all certificated by the IGI. To enable the stones to be easily identifiable they have a laser mark on the girdle with the certificate number and “Laboratory Grown in the USA” which is only clear under extreme magnification.

A certified jeweller or gemologist will not be able to tell the difference between a CVD lab grown diamond and a mined diamond without this identification. Testing equipment is needed to be able to tell the difference but this is only available at testing laboratories such as the IGI and GIA.

Lab created diamonds are graded and certified using the same process as mined diamonds.

All diamonds go to a specialized gem lab to be graded by the four C’s: cut, clarity, colour and carat.

The diamonds are graded by multiple gemologists before the results are compiled and a final grade is determined making the process as unbiased as possible.

Lab grown diamonds are cut in a variety of weights. The diamond cutter will look at the rough crystal and cut the best quality stone that he can achieve from the rough diamond. This is exactly the same process for mined diamonds.

Lab diamonds come in the same cuts that are available for mined diamonds.

Lab diamonds have a much smaller carbon footprint than mined diamond. Mining diamonds is an intense and destructive process. Mines can often be more than 3 miles in diameter and on average over 5 tonnes of earth must be removed for every 1 carat of diamond that is extracted from our planet. This is a similar story for precious metals such as gold. Every year, millions of tons of greenhouse gasses are emitted in the mining process, partially by the heavy diesel machinery used.