LAB GROWN DIAMONDS VS EARTH DIAMONDS ... WHAT’S THE REAL DEAL?
Whenever someone asks me whether lab grown or mined diamonds are ‘better,’ I always feel a bit awkward. Except for the origin & the way that they are made, they are the same with the price of mined diamonds often up to five times higher.
My standard answer these days is ‘I make the jewellery & am happy to use either’
Deep down however, lab grown diamonds resonate far more with me. I believe they win on ethics, quality & value for sure.
The narrative is shifting & at MARK GOLD™ we work with pioneers of this space, a forward thinking company www.paragon.diamonds
We refer to these modern marvels from Paragon diamonds as ethically produced diamonds.
Although diamonds have served me well for almost 40 years, I still battle to get my head around paying about 5 times more for an identical product simply because it came out of a hole in the ground which was made by men. If someone could please explain this to me.
The diamond dealers spin the ‘it was created over millions of years’ jargon, but so what ?
It sounds like pure PR garbage to me as they are both diamonds.
Mined diamonds mostly involve large scale land disruption, deforestation, water pollution, whilst ethically produced diamonds avoid that.
WHAT MAKES LAB GROWN DIAMONDS “REAL”
Identical in every way, chemically, physically & visually, including hardness & sparkle, ethically produced diamonds are the same as mined diamonds. They’re grown from an actual earth diamond seed & so are identical in every way except the way they are made.
In most cases, ethically produced diamonds have better colour, clarity & cut compared to mined diamonds. This is because there is more control during the manufacture process.
VALUE & PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Ethically produced diamonds, although identical to mined diamonds, do represent much better value.
One does get a far bigger & better quality diamond for the same amount & as long as I have been in this industry, the desirable metric has always been size & quality.
The lower carbon footprint of ethically produced diamonds is most appreciated by our younger clientele who are more conscious of sustainability & these new technologies really resonate with them.
They can be much greener when produced using renewable energy; still, if the lab uses coal or non renewable power, some of the gains are reduced.
But increasingly, that perception is shifting
MY TAKE
For me, it boils down to this ... if you want something beautiful, symbolic & real without sacrificing ethics or the planets health, then Ethically produced diamonds are for sure the way to go.
The modern world is asking of luxury not just “how it looks,” but “how it’s made.”
& diamonds should always sparkle with integrity.
