Two of the biggest selling points that lab grown diamond advocates constantly promote are that lab grown diamonds are both “eco-friendly” and are ethical. However, despite these claims being repeated ad nauseum by those spruiking lab grown diamonds over their natural counterparts, these claims remain somewhat dubious – to the point where I really think the industry should do away with them all together and focus on the true benefits of lab grown diamonds.
The “Eco-Friendly” Choice
A few years back, when their popularity exploded, lab grown diamonds were promoted as “mining free”. However, last year, this was debunked, as growing diamonds requires graphite, methane and hydrogen, not to mention fuel for the electricity used – all of which need to be mined. That said, figures showing the carbon footprint of natural and lab grown diamonds are constantly being thrown around. Some recent ones include:
- 108.5 kilograms of CO2 per carat of natural diamonds from a 2021 report from Imperial College London.
- 160 kilograms of CO2 per carat of natural diamonds from an S&P Global report sponsored by The Diamond Producers Association.
- Anywhere between 17 and 612 kilograms of CO2 per carat of lab grown diamonds from environmental consulting firm Sphera.
As you can see, there is still quite a bit of conjecture regarding the carbon footprint of both natural and lab grown diamonds. Given that the vast majority of lab grown diamonds are produced in either India or China, and the carbon footprint of producing one carat of polished diamond in these countries is 612kg and 523kg of C02 respectively, it may well be safe to say that natural diamonds are better for the environment – something that flies in the face of most lab grown diamond advocates!
Above: A coal powered power plant in China, no doubt powering diamond growing factories.
However, one thing that cannot be denied is the impact that mining has on the natural environment. According to a Diamond Council of America report, 250 tonnes of dirt is dug up for each carat of natural diamond. Furthermore, Anay Mridul writes on green queen:
“Diamond mining harms local ecosystems via soil erosion and water pollution. Further, shifting thousands of tonnes of rock and earth can reroute rivers and dams, leaving disastrous impacts on fish and wildlife; in some cases, it can even cause natural ecosystems to collapse entirely.”
Unsurprisingly, The Natural Diamond Council (NDC) has responded by touting their green credentials, stating:
“Members of the NDC are always working, often in partnership with governments and local communities, to reduce the impact that natural diamond mining can have on the environment. The natural diamond world protects the biodiversity of an area equivalent to the size of New York City and Los Angeles combined. NDC members protect around four times the land they use. As much as 99% of the waste from diamond recovery is rock and 84% of the water used in diamond recovery is recycled. The focus on stewardship of diamond mines by NDC members begins from the exploration phase through to the closure phase and is regulated by global environmental laws as well as national and industry regulations.”
Whilst this may be true, diamonds, just like precious metals are difficult to extract out of the earth and hence come at a cost to the surrounding natural environment. Whilst I am sure that on the whole, miners around the world are doing a better job at protecting this environment than say 50 years ago, it should be noted that diamonds, much like gold are used as a store of wealth. Hence, as consumer demand isn’t the sole driver of demand, the question then becomes just how much of this environmental degradation is attributable to consumers?
The “Ethical” Choice
The other angle of attack on natural diamonds that lab grown advocates use is that of ethics, and specifically supply chain ethics. Put simply, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the diamond industry was thrown into the spotlight over human rights abuses and diamond mining being used to finance conflicts – culminating in the movie Blood Diamond which thrust the issue into the mainstream. Whilst the Kimberley Process was established in 2003 to weed out these issues and the NDC touting their ethical practices, it seems the natural diamond industry drifts from controversy to controversy – whether it be in Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe or more recently Russia. As I have said before, I think the industry has really missed a trick in regard to country of origin certification.
Above: Everyone’s favourite dictators – Putin and Mugabe
That said, there is no doubt that diamond mining has created a positive socio-economic impact. One only has to look at Botswana, where diamonds have contributed to 33% of their GDP, and incomes have grown from roughly $80 in 1967 to $6000 in 2008.
In addition to this, once mined or grown, both natural and lab grown diamonds are cut and polished through the same channels, mostly in India, known for its high child labour rates.
Time to Change Tack and Stop Attacking Natural Diamonds
Given that both the environmental and ethical claims of lab grown diamonds are highly dubious, I believe it is time the whole industry drops these claims and start focusing on the real benefits of lab grown diamonds.
The first and most obvious benefit of lab grown diamonds is that of price. At the time of writing, a lab grown 1ct E/VVS2 ideal cut round brilliant diamond costs less than 5% of its natural counterpart ($580 vs $12,800). The main argument made in favour of natural diamonds is that they are a store of value. However, when compared to other investments or commodities, they certainly are not for the faint hearted! In today’s society, more and more couples are deciding to purchase an engagement ring with lab grown diamonds due to price alone, knowing full well that the diamond will decline in value. Anecdotally, I would say this is because traditional gender roles aren’t as rigid anymore, hence men may not be as inclined to spend thousands of dollars on a diamond engagement ring. In addition to this, there’s a lot of sentiment, especially on social media, that diamonds are a “rip-off” and money would be better spent on say, a house deposit.
Above: Think of all the money saved with lab grown diamonds…
Secondly, due to their cost and supply advantage, lab grown diamonds will always look better than their natural counterparts. As I wrote previously, GIA is notorious for give their top cut grade – excellent – to diamonds that are poorly cut and should be graded as “very good” or even “good” cut. This is in no small part due to the fact that cutters can achieve greater yields by producing poorly cut diamonds that are on the lower boundaries of the GIA cut grade. However, with lab grown diamonds, the yield from the rough isn’t as much of a concern due to the cost, hence the vast majority are cut within, or very close to ideal parameters.
At the moment, many lab grown advocates cling on to the dubious idea that lab grown are simply more “eco-friendly” and ethical than their natural counterparts. I think this is in order to avoid telling the truth to their customers that lab grown diamonds simply are cheaper, less rare and more likely to decline in value than their natural counterparts. Perhaps this allows some retailers to charge more, but in the long run, the industry needs to stop with their greenwashing and start promoting the real benefits of lab grown diamonds.
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