Irish diamond jewelry manufacturer Diamonds Factory has “switched 70% of its online sales to lab-grown diamonds”, according to a report in Professional Jeweler Magazine quoted by Rough & Polished.
While the company has acknowledged that natural diamonds are still more popular, it also says that diamond prices have risen 30% over the past three months, and that the move to LGDs can save shoppers up to 40%. In addition, Diamonds Factory’s lab-grown diamond sales accounted for 10-15% of its total sales in 2021, but have risen to currently account for about 30%.
Ben Stinson, head of e-commerce at Diamonds Factory, said: “Shoppers are becoming more eco-conscious. We’ve had that verbally, we’ve seen it in demand on our website, search trends on Google and in the increasing demand for knowledge and education. You can also see it in terms of the cost of living at the moment as people want something that’s more price competitive, and lab-grown diamonds are a great example of that as they are chemically identical, meaning you’re not losing anything from the naked eye.”
