While diamonds continue to be the most popular engagement stones, nearly a quarter of engagement rings in 2021 have a man-made center stone, not necessarily always a diamond, up 11% over the past two years. , according to a report from wedding website The Knot. “
The report is based on a survey conducted in November of 5,000 US couples who were engaged between January and November 2021.
Another factor driving the preference for synthetic diamonds: They are cheaper than mined diamonds. Shelley Brown, The Knot’s senior beauty and fashion editor. Diamonds and other lab-made gems have gone mainstream over the past four to five years, she notes.
Leading jewelry retailers are also pushing that effort.
Instead, the Copenhagen-based company is turning to lab-grown diamonds, which it says share the “optical, chemical, thermal and physical characteristics” of a diamond. mined and graded according to the same standard known as the 4Cs: cut, color. , clear and carat.
Pandora says it’s making the change as part of its own efforts to sell sustainable jewelry and also because consumers are demanding it.
Jamie Singleton, president of Signet Jewelers, which owns Zales, said: “This is the peak season for bridal jewelry. Kay Jareders and Jared.
Singleton said three big trends are dominating engagement ring preference including larger stones between 1 and 3 carats, yellow gold, and fancy center-shaped stones such as ovals, pears, and ovals. Emerald.
She also noticed an increase in demand for lab-created diamonds.
“This is very Millennial-based, and honestly, they are the most representative demographic of people shopping in the bridal category,” Singleton said. “The lower cost of a lab-generated diamond allows couples to purchase a larger stone.”
Currently, 4.7% of the specialty diamond jewelry market in the United States is represented by lab-grown diamonds. Edahn Golan, an industry analyst and founder of Edahn Golan Diamond Research & Data, says this is up 34% from 2020.
“In terms of cost differentials, a 1-carat engagement ring with a lab-grown diamond can cost 60% less than a 1-carat natural diamond ring,” says Golan. .
Although the majority of shoppers in its stores still buy natural diamonds, Singleton said Signet has expanded its selection of man-made bridal jewelry this year. This includes the “Exact Diamonds Made in the Lab by Vera Wang LOVE” collection for Zales, which includes 16 engagement ring styles featuring 101 lab-grown diamond centers, as well as a collection The new “lab-created diamond LEO Legacy” volume features 21 engagement rings and bracelets at Kay Jewelers.
But there’s one important consideration for anyone buying lab-generated diamonds: their resale value.
“A lab-made diamond really isn’t as big of an investment as a natural diamond,” says Brown. “Consumers may not be educated on this.”
Martin Rapaport, founder of the Rapaport Diamond Report and president of the Rapaport Group, agrees.
“Synthetic diamonds are not a naturally scarce object like minded diamonds,” says Rapaport. “They can be produced in unlimited quantities by machines.” “So they don’t really hold the same resale value as natural diamonds.”
“I think it would be a mistake to sell synthetic diamonds without this important disclosure even if some consumers may not care about resale value,” he said.
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