We have come a long way from blood diamonds, aka conflict diamonds.

For those who aren’t aware of the background, conflict diamonds are defined as diamonds which have been mined in war zones and sold to finance armed conflicts against legitimate governments. These diamonds are also mined using forced labour and are traded illegally.

Over the last decade laboratory grown diamond have become more sought after as part of a newly surfaced jewellery trend. Lab grown diamonds are often labelled as ‘sustainable and ethical’, but with the demand being high in recent years, as with all fast fashion, they are now being made bigger, en-mass and not always in an ethical environment.

That being said, you can of course still buy traceable and ethical lab-grown and natural diamonds, you just need to know the right designer or retailer that is completely transparent about where they are sourcing their stones. All diamonds should be Kimberley certified and the supplier should be able to assist you in where they have sourced your diamond.

Larger diamonds, both natural and lab grown can come with a certificate from industry bodies, such as the GIA or IGI (although this is not always the case). These certificates lay out the 4Cs (cut, colour, clarity, carat) and the dimensions. Smaller diamonds under 0.30ct (0.30pt is a fraction of 1ct), do not tend to come with a cert, so it’s important that you use a trusted designer/retailer to ensure you are buying exactly what you have asked for.

You can find out more about the diamonds we use, here.

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Now back to the debate, which inevitably comes down to ethics and value.

These questions and comments are often asked/mentioned by my clients when we start the design journey:

1. Does lab grown or natural keep its value?
2. Lab grown diamonds are more ethical and sustainable.
3. Should I buy lab grown or natural for my engagement ring?
4. And lastly, Naturals are better diamonds.

Let’s break this down…

1. Does lab grown or natural keep its value?

The main issue I have with lab grown diamonds is, due their mass production, the prices keep plummeting, so I can’t promise that what I sell you now will be worth the same in a years’ time. Conversely, natural diamonds are a finite resource and therefore the value of those stones are likely to continually increase.

From a bespoke design point of view, I want your special piece of jewellery to not only hold it’s value but to increase over time. Therefore, if I were to direct you in your purchase, I would say natural all the way!

However, I do get challenged on this point; a fair few people will say - the resale value of jewellery is never worth what you paid for it, therefore, buying a natural stone isn’t necessary.

I’ll do another blog on bespoke jewellery and it’s worth, but briefly, if you were to have your jewellery stolen, the insurance company will pay out to the value of your piece, not only that, when you make a bespoke item of jewellery you pay for expertise, the experience and of course for the finest item your budget can buy you. These pieces are always sentimental, so the value for resale to me is irrelevant but if the material value of the piece is a consideration then my advice remains to go with natural stones.

2. Lab grown diamonds are more ethical and sustainable

Now, this is a subject that I will talk very briefly on as I am not an expert in the field, but as explained previously in this blog, due to mass production, this isn’t true for all lab grown diamonds. So, if you are looking for an ethical diamond, I would make sure the designer/retailer you are purchasing your diamond with can tell you ALL details of its origin, from which mine all the way down to who cut it.

3. Should I buy lab grown or natural for my engagement ring?

When purchasing an engagement ring, you need to be truthful about what it is your partner would like and consider what’s feasible for your budget. A 1ct natural diamond alone can set you back around £5k + depending on the quality, yet with a lab grown, you would probably be looking to spend around the £1k mark.

So, ask yourself, do they prefer the larger glamorous style or are they happy with a more understated ring? If your budget can’t reach the 1ct diamond price point, but your partner has fallen in love with that size, then lab grown is your answer.

4. Naturals are better diamonds

Diamonds whether they are a natural, or lab grown have EXACTLY the same genetic makeup. This is more to do with opinion and preference, are YOU bothered about your diamond being grown in weeks or do you prefer the idea that you have a stone which has formed naturally over many, many years.

What do I think???

If you are looking for a diamond with the biggest carat weight, but don’t have the budget, lab grown is for you. If you aren’t so worried about the carat weight/size of your diamond, then I would 100% suggest a natural. I adore the idea of a diamond being formed naturally from the earth and would personally want to own a stone that keeps its value.

If you’re looking for ethical, I am the biggest believer in using stones that are already circulating and personally I think the most ‘ethical’ way to source a diamond is to upcycle and/or repurpose vintage diamonds.

Yes, in doing this, it may mean that said diamond can’t be traced right back to source, which in turn may mean it could be an original conflict diamond (and to be clear I do not agree with how these diamonds come about). I’m just of the opinion that we’re in a world where we are constantly taking, so if its mined already, why not use it?

If you want to discuss any more questions or queries regarding diamonds or any gemstones, please do get in touch or visit our dedicated pages to find out more information.