As-grown

"As-grown" describes a lab-grown diamond that has not received any post-growth treatment — no HPHT annealing to remove brown tint, no irradiation for color, no laser drilling or fracture filling for clarity. The stone's color and clarity are what came out of the CVD or HPHT growth run directly.

The distinction matters because most colorless CVD lab-grown on the market has received post-growth HPHT treatment to remove the brown carbon-vacancy tint that forms during CVD growth. As-grown D-color CVD without HPHT treatment is rare and commands a small premium — typically 5% to 10% over post-growth-HPHT colorless CVD at the same finished grade. The premium exists because the as-grown stone is technically less processed and some buyers prefer the minimally-treated product.

As-grown coloreds are different. CVD lab-grown fancy yellows, fancy pinks, and fancy blues are typically produced through deliberate dopant incorporation during growth (nitrogen for yellow, boron for blue, NV-center engineering for pink) and are sold as as-grown because the color came from the synthesis itself rather than a post-treatment. The "as-grown" label here is just disclosure — the alternative would be irradiation + annealing for color, which is a different process.

HPHT-grown colorless stones are typically as-grown too. The HPHT process produces D-F color directly when the reaction cell is properly nitrogen-suppressed; no post-growth treatment is needed. As-grown HPHT colorless trades at the same price as as-grown CVD colorless — the market does not distinguish on growth method alone.

The disclosure appears on IGI and GIA Laboratory-Grown Diamond Reports under "Treatment" or "Post-growth treatment." A stone disclosed as "Post-growth treatment: None" is as-grown; a stone disclosed as "Post-growth treatment: HPHT" has received the brown-removal anneal. The distinction is technical disclosure rather than market signal — most buyers do not distinguish.

For buyers prioritising the "minimally treated" claim — analogous to buyers of unheated sapphire or minor-oil emerald — as-grown lab-grown is the equivalent claim. The trade premium is small (5% to 10%) and the supply is limited, so the as-grown segment of the lab-grown market is niche rather than mainstream. Most retail lab-grown buyers do not ask whether the stone is as-grown; the question is more common in wholesale and trade-desk contexts.

The "as-grown" terminology is unique to lab-grown — natural diamonds do not use it.