Agape Diamonds vs Lab-Grown Diamonds
Agape sells two different stones under one brand. Their own FAQ explains which is which, and that is the fairest place to start.
Agape sells both. Its own FAQ states that Agape Simulated Diamonds are lab-created stones of pure silicon carbide, which is the material class moissanite belongs to, and it separately sells real lab-grown diamonds. Only the lab-grown line carries a GIA, IGI or EGL grading report.
Quotations taken from Agape’s own FAQ and policy pages on .
Two Products, One Brand Name
| Question | Agape Simulated Diamond | Agape lab-grown diamond | Beyond Carat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Is it a diamond? | No — their FAQ says pure silicon carbide | Yes | Yes — 100% lab-grown diamond |
| Independent grading report | No — in-house Certificate of Authenticity | Yes, above 0.5ct: GIA, IGI or EGL | Yes, IGI at every carat size, in the box |
| Published quality floor | Not applicable — not a graded diamond | Not published as a floor | D, E or F colour; VVS or VS clarity; Excellent cut |
| Passes a thermal tester | Yes, by their own description | Yes | Yes |
| Return window starts | On the date you place the order | On the date your order ships | |
| Returns fine print | Tags removed means no refund; custom and altered centre stones are final sale; a return authorization is required | Free prepaid insured UPS label on US orders; see our returns page for conditions | |
| Warranty | Lifetime warranty on manufacturing defects; non-transferable; voided by outside alteration | Lifetime manufacturing warranty covering materials and workmanship | |
| Shipping | USPS Priority with signature confirmation, insurance included at no charge; card orders ship to the billing address only | Free worldwide; US orders UPS 2nd Day Air, insured, signature required | |
Every Agape row is quoted or paraphrased from shop.agapediamonds.com on 19 August 2026. Beyond Carat is not affiliated with Agape Diamonds and this page makes no claim about how the company advertises today. The comparison above carries no competitor price. Where one of our pages does quote a figure, it is a number the company publishes about itself. The underlying stone science lives on our moissanite versus lab-grown diamonds page.
The Honest Scorecard
Where Agape wins
- GIA. Their lab-grown diamonds above half a carat can ship with a GIA report — we are IGI-only and cannot match that at any price
- Centre stones from 1 through 5 carats as standard product options, plus 16 ring sizes
- Seven metals including a 10K tier, which opens their own range below their 14K, 18K and platinum settings
- Insurance included at no charge on every shipment, domestic and international, with signature confirmation — international postage itself is quoted at checkout
- Trading since 2011, BBB-accredited with an A+ rating
Where Beyond Carat wins
- One product. Everything we sell is a lab-grown diamond, so there is no simulated line to mistake it for
- An independent report on every stone at every size, not only above half a carat
- A published quality floor rather than a certificate of authenticity
- Our 30 days start when the ring ships, not when you place the order
- A free prepaid insured return label on US orders, with no security-tag clause voiding the refund
The GIA line is the honest headline of this page. For a buyer who specifically wants GIA on a lab-grown stone, Agape can supply it and we cannot. If you want the substance rather than the branding, our IGI versus GIA page lays out how the two laboratories actually differ.
What Agape Publishes About Its Own Stones
The composition is disclosed, and that deserves credit
Agape’s current FAQ answers the material question directly: “Agape Simulated Diamonds™ are lab-created stones of pure silicon carbide. They are indistinguishable from a real diamond on a standard thermal diamond tester and are renowned for cut, clarity, color, and carat value.” Elsewhere on the same page: “Lab-grown diamonds match natural diamond chemistry (pure carbon), while the Agape Simulated Diamond™ is not pure carbon.”
Pure silicon carbide is, chemically, moissanite. So the simulated line sits in the same material family as any moissanite ring, and that is a useful thing to know when you are comparing prices across brands. Plenty of sellers in this corner of the market do not state a composition at all, so publishing one is a point in Agape’s favour and we are saying so.
Bottom line: the material question is answered plainly, though in the FAQ rather than on the listing.
The certification split is the practical difference
Their FAQ states it cleanly: all Agape jewelry includes a Certificate of Authenticity matching the purchased product, and lab-grown diamonds over 0.5 ct include a grading report from GIA, IGI or EGL, with the diamonds laser-inscribed on the girdle. Read that carefully and the split appears. A real lab-grown diamond above half a carat gets an independent laboratory report. The simulated stone gets a document Agape issues about its own product.
That distinction is worth understanding rather than resenting. A certificate of authenticity confirms what the seller says the item is. A grading report is an assessment made by a laboratory with no stake in the sale. The FAQ also notes that the simulant carries laser inscriptions and certifications — an inscription on a simulant is not the same thing as a grading report, and knowing the difference is most of the battle.
Bottom line: check the issuer of the document, not the presence of a document.
Why a diamond tester will not settle this
The most common way a buyer discovers what they own is a thermal tester at a jewelry counter, and it is the least reliable step in the process. A basic thermal tester measures how a stone conducts heat. Silicon carbide conducts closely enough to diamond to register as a pass, which is exactly what Agape describes when it says the stone is indistinguishable from a real diamond on a standard thermal diamond tester. It also means a pass proves nothing either way.
If you want certainty, do three things. Read the product name on your invoice, because the simulated line carries the word simulated in the product title. Look for an independent laboratory report rather than a certificate of authenticity. Then take the piece to an independent appraiser with no interest in selling you a replacement. Multi-testers that separate moissanite from diamond exist and most appraisers have one.
Bottom line: paperwork and an independent appraiser, in that order. Never a counter tester alone.
The Two Documented Actions, Stated Precisely
The 2019 FTC warning letter
The Federal Trade Commission announced on 2 April 2019 that it had written to eight jewellery marketers. Five of the recipients sold diamond simulants, Agape among them, alongside Diamond Nexus, MiaDonna, Stauer and Timepieces International. At issue was wording capable of leaving a shopper with the impression that a simulated stone was a mined or laboratory-grown gem; in Agape’s case the letter singled out a web address the company was then using.
Three qualifications belong with that. Letters of this kind are advisory guidance rather than enforcement: no case was brought, no order was entered, and nobody was found to have broken any law. We also located no FTC proceeding, consent order, class action or state attorney general action naming this company. Read the announcement yourself at ftc.gov.
Bottom line: dated, advisory, and seven years old.
The 2023 NAD decision — and the response
In September 2023 the National Advertising Division of BBB National Programs decided a challenge brought by the Natural Diamond Council. NAD found that Agape’s promotional material, including how products were presented for sale on its website, did not clearly and conspicuously disclose the origins of its stones — some advertisements and website thumbnails showed jewellery with prices but no disclosure of what the stone was. NAD recommended that Agape disclose clearly that it sells both lab-grown diamonds and diamond simulants, with a descriptor such as simulated or lab-grown immediately preceding the word diamond, at equal prominence, across all platforms.
Two things must be said alongside that. NAD is industry self-regulation; it has no power to fine anyone and issues recommendations rather than orders. And in its advertiser statement, Agape said it would comply with the decision. Reporting the finding without the response would be materially incomplete. Coverage: JCK and Rapaport.
Bottom line: a 2023 disclosure recommendation, accepted by the advertiser. Nothing we found establishes the state of their disclosures today.
What consumers have filed, and what the policies say
Agape’s BBB profile carries an A+ rating and accreditation since 2019, alongside 29 complaints in the last three years with 7 closed in the last twelve months. Complaint text on the BBB is written by consumers and is not verified by the BBB, so the following are themes rather than findings: buyers who believed they had purchased a lab-grown diamond and later learned the stone was simulated; refunds declined where a security tag had been detached; and reports of stones coming loose or prongs failing.
The second theme is consistent with a clause Agape publishes rather than hides: their return policy states that if the Agape Diamonds tags have been removed, no refund will be issued. Their window also runs 30 days from the date you place the order rather than from the date it arrives, which is stricter than the category norm, and special orders or any centre-stone shape or size other than the one pictured are final sale.
Bottom line: keep the tags on, keep the box, and check the window against your order date rather than your delivery date.
Which One You Actually Want
Agape may suit you if…
- You want a GIA report on a lab-grown stone above half a carat
- You want a 3, 4 or 5 carat centre as a standard option rather than a special order
- A 10K gold setting is the cheapest way into their own range
- You want a simulated stone knowingly, at a simulated stone price
A lab-grown specialist suits you if…
- You never want to have to check which product line you are in
- You want an independent report at every carat size, not only above half a carat
- You want the grade band fixed before you arrive rather than chosen stone by stone
- You want the return clock to start when the ring ships
Our read: the honest problem here has never been the simulated stone itself. Silicon carbide is durable, bright and considerably cheaper, and a buyer who chooses it deliberately gets good value. The problem is only ever finding out afterwards. Agape now publishes the composition in its own FAQ, which is more than many competitors do — so read the FAQ, read the product title, and buy whichever of the two you actually meant to.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, and Agape says so in its own FAQ: Agape Simulated Diamonds are lab-created stones of pure silicon carbide. That is the material moissanite is made of, not diamond. Agape also sells a genuine lab-grown diamond line, which is a different product on the same site.
Only the lab-grown diamonds, and only above half a carat. Their FAQ states that lab-grown diamonds over 0.5 ct include a grading report from GIA, IGI or EGL. Everything else, including the simulated line, ships with an in-house Certificate of Authenticity rather than an independent laboratory report.
Because a basic thermal tester measures heat conductivity, and silicon carbide behaves similarly enough to register. Agape states this openly, describing the stone as indistinguishable from a real diamond on a standard thermal diamond tester. A pass on a counter tester is not proof of anything. Ask for a report or an independent appraisal.
The FTC sent an advisory warning letter on 2 April 2019 about simulant advertising, citing a web address the company used. In September 2023 the National Advertising Division, on a challenge by the Natural Diamond Council, recommended clearer upfront disclosure of stone origins. Agape said it would comply. Neither body made a finding that any law was broken, and NAD cannot fine anyone.
Grading choice. Their lab-grown diamonds above half a carat can come with a GIA report, and Beyond Carat is IGI-only and cannot offer GIA at any price. They also run centre stones from 1 to 5 carats as standard options, offer a 10K gold tier we do not, and have traded since 2011.
Three steps. Read the product name on your invoice, because the simulated line carries the word simulated. Look for an independent laboratory report rather than a certificate of authenticity. Then take it to an independent appraiser who is not selling you anything, because a home tester alone will not settle it.
One Line, One Answer
Worth reading: moissanite versus lab-grown diamonds, IGI versus GIA, and the 4Cs explained.
Bring Us Your Paperwork
Thirty free minutes on video or the phone. Send over what came in the box and we will tell you what it does and does not prove.
Nearby pages: Diamond Nexus vs Lab-Grown Diamonds · Moissanite vs Lab-Grown · Beyond Carat Reviews