Lab-grown and natural diamonds. What does the choice come down to?

A lab-grown diamond and a natural diamond share an identical chemical composition. From a gemological standpoint, both are diamonds. What distinguishes them is their origin: one forms over billions of years within the Earth's mantle, the other within a matter of weeks inside an industrial reactor.


This difference carries weight beyond the symbolic. A natural diamond carries with it a rarity, an individuality, and a record of geological time that cannot be produced to order. Its availability remains limited by nature itself, and the market is built upon a long-standing history of valuation, auction, and collecting. Its value is legible and grounded in a long perspective.


Lab-grown diamonds have existed on the market for a relatively short time and operate according to a different logic. With advances in technology and growing production scale, their prices have fallen steadily in recent years, a natural consequence of a product whose supply can be increased alongside production capacity. It is a choice that answers a different set of client needs.

The choice between a natural and a lab-grown diamond comes down to the significance one assigns to the stone itself: its origin, its rarity, and its relationship with time.


For those who regard jewellery as an object meant to accompany them for decades, what matters extends beyond the parameters of the stone to its origin, rarity, and history. "Natural diamonds have belonged to the culture of jewellery, to collecting, and to the practice of the craft for generations. Their value remains grounded in a long perspective, and the stone itself is the product of geological processes spanning millions, often billions, of years.


A lab-grown diamond answers different needs.
For many, what matters most is the ability to obtain a larger stone or higher quality parameters within a given budget. In such cases, the stone's origin and rarity need not play a decisive role. It is a choice consistent with a particular approach to jewellery and its function.

The environmental impact of lab-grown and natural diamonds remains one of the most frequently cited arguments in this discussion. It is worth remembering, however, that reality is considerably more complex than the marketing claims made on either side of the market.


Producing a lab-grown diamond requires sustaining very high temperatures and pressures over an extended period, which entails substantial energy consumption. Researchers note that the environmental footprint of such a stone depends above all on the source of the energy used in the production process. According to the International Gem Society, citing the Trucost report, lab-grown diamond production can be associated with up to three times the greenhouse gas emissions of mined diamonds per polished carat.


A significant share of global lab-grown diamond production currently takes place in countries whose energy systems still rely predominantly on coal-fired power. At the same time, many producers do not disclose detailed data regarding the energy sources used in production, nor the true environmental footprint of their stones. This makes it difficult to independently assess marketing claims.


The impact of natural mining is likewise not uniform. It depends on the location of the mine, the technologies employed, and the environmental standards upheld by a given producer. A growing number of experts emphasise that there is, at present, no clear-cut answer as to which model is more environmentally sound. A final assessment requires a perspective that reaches beyond simple claims.

Assessing the impact of diamonds is not confined to the natural environment alone. In the case of natural stones, the social dimension also remains significant. Contemporary mines operating within international standards are responsible not only for extracting raw material, but also for creating employment and developing local infrastructure.


The Trucost report shows that the diamond mining sector remains a vital part of local economies in countries such as Botswana, Namibia, and Canada. Beyond employment, it also generates tax revenue and investment that support the development of infrastructure, education, and healthcare.


Botswana remains one of the most striking examples of a country whose economic development has, for decades, been bound up with the diamond sector. Revenue from mining has helped fund the development of infrastructure, education, and healthcare, making the diamond sector one of the pillars of the country's economy.


This is not to suggest that contemporary mining is free of challenges. It does show, however, that assessing the impact of diamonds requires consideration of both environmental and social dimensions.

At La Marqueuse, we work exclusively with natural gemstones. This choice is consistent with what jewellery means to us: an object made from a material of documented origin, selected with durability and time in mind.


In our work, the natural stone remains the starting point, with its value inherently rooted in its nature and in a responsible choice.




Sources:

• Robin George Andrews, "Are synthetic diamonds really better for the planet? The answer isn't clear-cut", National Geographic, 2024.

• Gbemi Oluleye, "Environmental Impacts of Mined Diamonds", Imperial College London, 2021.

• Richard Lord et al., "The Socioeconomic and Environmental Impact of Large-Scale Diamond Mining", Trucost / S&P Global for the Diamond Producers Association, 2019.

• Alexander S. George, "Sustainable Sparkle: The Emergence and Impact of Lab-Grown Diamonds in India's Diamond Capital", Partners Universal Innovative Research Publication, 2024.