A new article from CNN looks at the rising popularity of lab-grown diamonds, along with the reasons that people are choosing one type of diamond or the other.
Celebrities who have been spotted wearing lab-grown diamonds in recent years include actor/singer Billy Porter, Lady Gaga and Zoë Kravitz, along with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.
CNN notes that consumers are taking “very firm stances on which type of diamond they prefer” and that “the reasons are often positioned as ethical ones.” While pointing out the controversies of “blood” diamonds, the news outlet notes the natural diamond industry’s efforts to improve sourcing and transparency, starting with the Kimberley Process trade certification scheme.
Environmental considerations are at also play, with diamond companies receiving criticism for their carbon footprints. De Beers and other major companies say they’re working to reduce their environmental impact.
At the same time, the Natural Diamond Council (formerly the Diamond Producers Association) has claimed that producing a polished lab-grown diamond can result in higher emission than producing a polished mined diamond. Some members of the lab-grown diamond industry.
Saleem Ali, professor of energy and environment at the University of Delaware, was quoted saying the research from the DPA “did not consider the full life cycle of diamond mining — exploration operation and closure.”
Ali added that the DPA “did not consider that synthetic-diamond manufacturing can be relocated to more clean-energy areas, which is not possible with mined diamonds.”
But David Kellie, CEO of the Natural Diamond Council, was quoted saying, “I don’t know of any other industry that has attempted to evaluate its sustainability and environmental impact the way the diamond industry has and also managed achieve a consistency of these metrics across our members.”
Read more at CNN