You’ve probably heard “diamonds are forever,” but advancements in science are showing that lab-grown diamonds may actually be the gems to last a lifetime. Diamonds have long been a symbol of love and appreciation in our culture, but in the past decade or so people have been turning to synthetic diamond producers to make chemically identical jewelry. Lab created diamonds, such as those from Agape Diamonds, are becoming a means for every individual to enjoy the beauty of natural diamonds without the high costs or sacrificing quality.
With the emergence of companies primarily making and selling synthetic diamonds, more and more people are turning to lab-grown gemstones over those mined in nature. According to Forbes, mined diamond sales have declined in recent years. The 2019 Global Diamond Report noted that the sales of natural diamonds are declining worldwide, with “rough diamond sales expected to decline by 25% and polished diamond sales to be off 10% by the end of the year,” Pamela Danzinger of Forbes wrote. Why might these sales be down, you might ask? Well, there are a couple of reasons.
Firstly, natural diamonds are an expensive product. They are often mined in inaccessible corners of the globe and take a lot of resources to collect, clean and shape to fit the consumer’s view of a diamond engagement ring. Secondly, lab-grown diamonds are not like the cubic zirconia every little girl wears on her costume jewelry. Synthetic diamonds sparkle and can have the same cut and clarity of a real diamond.
With advancements in these lab diamonds, they can be just as strong and contain the same chemical structures that make up your mom’s antique diamond ring. So, the millennials and GenZ-ers looking to find an affordable yet beautiful engagement ring can turn to these lower-cost products without losing quality.
As a result, the Forbes article notes that lab-grown diamonds have had a market growth of 15 to 20% in 2019. And since traditional jewelers have only begun to dabble in diversifying their product (i.e., real and synthetic gems), lab-grown gemstone businesses like are cornering the lab diamond market and locking down sales.
So, are they really as high-quality as the real deal? The answer to that question is a resounding “yes!” Like real diamonds, lab diamonds are made out of carbon, a nonmetallic chemical element that exists deep within the Earth. In nature, diamonds are made deep in the Earth’s mantle from intense heat and pressure. The process is similar for a lab diamond, only it’s simulated. Instead of carbon experiencing intense heat and pressure within the Earth, this process is simulated in a lab facility; the only difference between the two gems are their origins. You don’t have to worry about synthetic diamonds having more impurities; they are just like real diamonds.
And because you’re guaranteed the same quality of a real diamond, consumers can get cuts and carats that they wouldn’t be able to afford beforehand. For example, emerald-cut diamonds are often more expensive due to their needing to have a higher clarity than your typical cut; this can be avoided when purchasing a lab diamond. And where diamonds can come in all different colors in nature, relying on lab-grown gems means that you can have more say over what you want your diamond to look like.
So where diamond prices used to make the allure of owning one impossible for some, labs are making the moniker “diamonds are forever” accessible to all. The diamond industry is now available to all buyers, offering the same brilliance regardless of the type of diamond.