Are lab-grown diamonds more sustainable than natural ones?

As luxury brands are faced with tough questions surrounding environmental and ethical practices now more than ever, we speak to experts to understand the difference between natural and lab-grown diamonds

Diamonds have had an update since Marilyn Monroe declared their status as a “girl’s best friend” in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1952). But consider actor Ranveer Singh’s love for (and knowledge of) diamonds as displayed on the recently released debut episode of Koffee With Karan’s season 7 as well as Kendrick Lamar’s controversial diamond-encrusted crown of thorns (by Tiffany & Co.) on the cover of his fifth studio album, Mr Morale & The Big Steppers, it’s safe to say diamonds have found a gender-neutral ground.

In keeping up with an ever-evolving world, legacy brands like Tiffany & Co. have collaborated with Supreme and have had the Carters head their campaign, whereas Emma Chamberlain, the once YouTube star and now bonafide celebrity (who recently made her late-night debut on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon), is the face of Cartier.

But that’s not the only changes the diamond industry has gone through in the recent years. LVMH has invested $90 million in an Israel-based diamond company called Lusix which creates 100 per cent solar-powered diamonds in their laboratories. Earlier this year, India’s Tata Company, a lifestyle subsidiary of Tata Group, also made a private investment of $20 million in Great Heights, the parent company of US-based lab-grown diamond retailer Clean Origin.

Now, more than ever, luxury brands are faced with tough questions when it comes to environmental and ethical practices. Lab-grown diamonds are finding a larger place in the jewellery sector. Statista predicts that the global market volume of lab-grown diamonds will be close to 19.2 million carats by 2030. We speak to experts to figure the difference between lab-grown and natural diamonds and which one has more of a sustainable future.

The debate of lab-grown versus natural

With the conversations around sustainability growing louder by the day, there has been a considerable pull towards lab-grown diamonds. In 2019, the production of diamonds in India was valued at about ₹540 million. Currently, India contributes around 15 per cent in global production of lab-grown diamonds, as per a recent news report. Compared to last year, exports of lab-grown diamonds from India have increased by 108.27 per cent in 2022.

The diamond trade has also urged the commerce minister to bring lab-grown diamond under PLI (production-linked incentive) scheme as it is predicted to have an export potential of ₹40,000 crore within next five years. Although, interestingly enough, India remains the only Asian country that mines diamonds, with the diamond mining region lying within the state of Madhya Pradesh, according to a study conducted by Statista in 2021.

However, lab-grown diamonds have a bad rep for being fake, which is inaccurate. In order to understand the difference between lab-grown diamonds and natural or mined diamonds, it’s important to first get the basics right. “A natural diamond is made from 100 per cent carbon, formed due to the pressure and temperature of the earth's crust, which are then mined, cut and polished to gain the final result. This makes it the hardest stone because it can literally withstand anything,” says Disha Shah, the founder of DiAi Diamonds. “On the other hand, lab-grown diamonds replicate the exact same conditions in a lab, to make it a quicker and affordable process. They are exactly like a test-tube baby; the 'DNA,' i.e. the carbon, remains the same and only the point of 'birth' changes. The diamond is grown in the lab, then cut and polished exactly the same way as a natural diamond,” explains Shah, whose minimalist designs with eco-friendly lab-grown diamonds have found a contemporary customer base.

While both types of diamonds provide the bling that you need, lab-grown and natural diamonds are completely different products, targeted at completely different audiences, as Richa Singh, managing director of Natural Diamond Council (NDC) in India and Middle East, points out. According to a 2021 Consumer Insight Report on Diamond Desirability conducted by NDC, millennials and Gen-Z both have a strong relationship to diamond jewellery, an inspirational luxury good ranking high on their wish-lists. “Natural diamonds are a symbol of love, and there is no better way to celebrate relationships than with a billion-year-old gift of nature. Its emotional quotient increases the inherent value of the jewel,” says Singh, whose focus at NDC is on building the values of natural diamonds for their audiences. The two categories of diamonds may look and feel similar but the price difference between the two is stark. “If you were to compare a one carat solitaire of E colour VVS1 clarity, then a mined diamond costs about ₹7 lakhs, while a lab-grown diamond is about ₹1.5 lakh,” shares Parag Agrawal, founder and CEO of Fiona Diamonds, India’s first and only brand to sell natural, lab-grown and moissanite diamonds under one roof.

While it’s possible to procure larger stones at a fraction of the price, what is the cost of sustainability of these lab-grown diamonds against the natural ones?

The dilemma of ethical and environmental sustainability

The diamond industry has been actively working towards making the world a better place with its sustainability initiatives, adhering to consumers’ curiosity about transparency and sustainability. “Over the past few years, we have seen a shift in consumer mindset where they are persistently looking to invest in sustainable practices,” says Singh. “After a lot of introspection, the world is gradually moving towards adopting conscious choices as they rethink and re-evaluate habits and behaviours. The impact is being witnessed in the form of ‘conscious luxury’ which has turned into a movement to create awareness about mindful consumption.”

The numbers from the De Beers Sustainability Study prove Singh’s point. The study noted that 68 per cent of millennials and 65 per cent of Gen-Zers have bought products with stronger ESG credentials compared to 42 per cent of baby boomers. When it came to jewellery, 30 per cent of millennials and 21 per cent of Gen-Zers had bought jewellery with sustainability credentials as part of its branding, compared to only eight per cent of baby boomers.

Shah and Agrawal insist that growing diamonds in a lab is more sustainable. “The biggest process that is eliminated in this method is mining. No mining means saving gallons of water, energy and a reduction in the waste generated. It also eliminates child labour and illegal trade. With lab-grown diamonds, the process is clear and can also be run on solar energy,” says Shah. “While the supply of natural diamonds is limited due to the billions of years it takes for nature to create a diamond, a lab-grown diamond is made in three weeks,” she adds.

Lab-grown diamonds have also come to the rescue of 2.5 lakh workers in Surat recently, who were asked to go on leave for 15 days by the natural diamond cutting and polishing units due to supply shortage of natural diamonds, an Indian news publicationreported. These units have converted 20 per cent of their production to lab-grown diamonds in absence of natural rough diamonds.

Although Agrawal too, like Shah, believes that the unethical practices involved in procuring diamonds is more on the mining side and not on branding and retail side of the business, the image of conflict diamonds depicted in movies like Blood Diamond (2006), are largely a thing of the past. Since then, African rebellions have receded and the industry has put in place strict controls to ensure that no diamonds coming from conflict -zones are traded.

But you would be hard-pressed to find a 100 per cent sustainable solution at the moment. According to a report by NDC, modern diamond miners produce 160 kg of carbon emissions per polished carat produced, which is the equivalent of driving an average passenger vehicle for 390 miles. Lab-grown diamonds, on the other hand, require very large quantities of energy and in reality rely almost exclusively on fossil fuels for their production. “Our members are consistently involved in working towards recycling, waste reduction, water conservation and identifying alternative energy solutions to substantially reduce carbon footprint. ​​NDC members also abide by numerous legal frameworks alongside country-specific regulations to ensure they do business in an ethical and sustainable way,” says Singh.

While both processes have their own pros and cons, there isn’t a clear answer as to which is the better option when it comes to being environmentally and ethically sustainable. Which is why it is your duty as a consumer to do your own research before making that big purchase, questioning what your money is going towards.

Differentiating between the two

While fundamentally lab-grown diamonds and natural diamonds look the same (it’s virtually impossible to differentiate between the two), the best way to tell the difference is to check the diamond’s certification. “For the consumer to make a sound and conscious choice, they should always select brands or companies who are ethical in their sourcing and provide certification and invoicing while selling diamonds,” says Agrawal. Shah agrees with Agarwal when it comes to the certification process. “Any diamond you purchase, no matter the size, should be certified. The certificate includes the cut, carat, colour and clarity of the diamonds to help you resale them in the future,” she says.

If you want to further your education about diamonds before your big purchase, Singh points towards Natural Diamond’s website which provides a ton of information that simplifies the world of natural diamonds and demystifies specific terminologies such as the 4Cs, choosing the right diamond, understanding settings, the journey of natural diamonds from rough to ready, the certification process and organisations that aid this process.

To put it simply, while mined and natural diamonds are rare and precious, if you are looking to save a few bucks, then lab-grown diamonds are your best bet.

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