The diamond industry has long been plagued by environmental concerns and ethical issues, leading many consumers — particularly among Millennial and Gen Z — to feel uncomfortable with mined diamond purchases. Lab-grown diamonds can be an excellent alternative for these buyers, but it's important that you tell the right story and not inflate the sustainability aspect of lab-grown, in order to create and keep trust with these new generations of jewelry buyers.
For consumers who are uncomfortable with mining of any kind, it’s important to have an alternative for them to consider. But what can you say - and what should you avoid - when speaking to the environmental impact of lab-grown diamonds?
It’s safe to say that these diamonds are made in manufacturing facilities similar to the manufacturing environments that produce all types of goods for home, business, and industry. If your customer’s interest is purely that they do not want to buy something that is extracted from the ground, then this may be sufficient information for them — particularly if you are setting their diamond in recycled gold.
If your customer wants to know if lab-grown diamonds in general are more responsible than mined diamonds, that’s more difficult to answer. It’s important to share with them honestly that lab-grown diamonds require a lot of electrical power to grow. Some lab-grown diamond companies are certified as carbon neutral, taking steps to use only clean power for production and offsetting their carbon footprint. So in general, it’s not safe to claim that lab-grown diamonds are universally more responsible than mined diamonds, though on a case-by-case basis they may be.
If your customer is concerned about human rights, lab-grown diamonds have less human and social impact, because they don’t damage water systems, cause deforestation, or commandeer land that belonged to someone else. But presumption of social responsibility is never safe - not just from a lab-grown diamond supplier, but from any manufacturer. It is important to work for greater transparency in all production of consumer goods, and to never make a promise about working conditions that is not backed up by some form of certification or verification.
What if your customer is mostly concerned about price, and is skeptical about what a grower has to “do” to keep prices so low? In this case it’s easy to explain that lab-grown diamonds are less expensive than mined diamonds because they are produced in a manufacturing facility. The cost of setting up diamond production is only a fraction of the cost of finding a new source of diamonds and setting up mining operations, and the quality and size of diamonds produced is also highly controllable. So prices are low because diamonds in the desirable range of size and quality are reproducible.
When we encounter something new and wonderful - like lab-grown diamonds! - we tend to get very enthusiastic about selling them. It’s important to stay grounded in truth when talking to customers, and understand what can and should not be promised. The last thing you want to do is score a big sale, only to have an angry customer come back after doing her research and feel like you deceived her.
