Lab-Grown Diamonds Are “Mainstream.” Now What?

By Rob Bates | December 05, 2025

Now that lab-grown diamonds (LGDs) have entered the jewelry industry’s “mainstream,” the sector’s marketing must evolve so they’re seen less as a natural diamond substitute and more as a distinct product, according to a new report on the lab-grown industry issued by the Dubai Multi-Commodities Centre (DMCC).

DMCC’s “The Future of Trade: Special Lab-Grown Diamond Edition” said the market for created diamond jewelry, estimated at $25 billion–$35 billion in 2025, could double by 2030.

While the U.S. remains the core lab-grown diamond jewelry market, there’s increased interest and activity in Europe, India, China, and the Middle East, the report said.

However, it noted, the industry’s success will depend on better storytelling.

“LGDs must continue evolving from a narrative of affordability and verifiable sustainability into one anchored in aspiration, individuality, and cultural relevance,” read the report. “Success will depend on branded storytelling that positions LGDs as desirable in their own right.”

It recommended that lab-grown retailers institute “clear value tiering and disciplined pricing strategies” to prevent commoditization.

Sustainability has become a big issue in the lab-grown market, and the paper warned that companies must pivot from making indistinct, unproven sustainability claims to providing third-party verification of any assertions, as well as transparent disclosure of their energy footprint.

In addition, the way grading labs look at created gems is “undergoing rapid change,” according to the report: Some labs, such as IGI, continue to offer full 4Cs grading, but GIA has switched to more general descriptors.

DMCC said these different scales could create consumer confusion.

“Harmonized standards will be essential to sustain trust and premium positioning,” it advised. “The LGD community should lead this.”

The report also noted that lab-grown manufacturers are thinking “beyond jewelry,” toward uses in other lifestyle sectors, such as watches and wellness. But the real buzz is over possible technological applications, including helping to power semiconductors, photonics, and quantum computing.

If a portion of the LGD supply is carved out for tech applications, it could lead to the long-sought lab-grown diamond price stability, the report said.

DMCC’s white paper grew out of the organization’s second Lab-Grown Diamond Symposium, which was held Sept. 30.

Neil Ventura, the former De Beers executive who is now a DMCC special adviser, tells JCK that the conference showed the lab-grown industry is taking the tech market seriously.

“Some players are already trying to reallocate or repurpose some of their existing capabilities to tech,” he says. “It will be an interesting challenge. It’s one thing trying to master the processes to produce LGDs for jewelry. It’s another to master the process for tech applications.

“Using LGDs for thermal management and semiconductors is already starting to happen,” Ventura says. “Is it at scale? Not yet. But it’s starting to happen.”

He says that in contrast to past lab-grown meetings, the DMCC conference didn’t talk much about natural diamonds.

“They were probably focused on them maybe five or six times the whole day,” he says. “They barely came up. The focus was on the future of LGDs.”

(Photo: Getty Images)