Editor’s Note
This article presents a perspective from Valérie Messika, founder of a luxury jewellery brand, on lab-grown diamonds. Her view centres on the traditional link between luxury and rarity, offering a counterpoint to the growing market for synthetic stones.
YES BUT…: “Luxury is intimately linked to rarity”
Valérie Messika, President and Founder of Messika.
“For me, lab-grown diamonds do indeed represent an innovation, but the question remains whether it’s a good innovation. Every innovation has its place in a sector, but personally, I am not a fervent supporter of synthetic diamonds. In my mind, luxury is intimately linked to rarity. A natural diamond is a product that the earth took millions of years to shape, which gives it a unique and irreplaceable value. A lab-grown one, on the other hand, is reproduced like a sort of photocopy, in furnaces, under very energy-intensive conditions. Contrary to initial promises, it is not as ecological as claimed. Furthermore, for several years, we have observed a collapse in the price of synthetic diamonds, which further strips them of that elitist and luxurious dimension. Luxury is based on exceptional character, and for me, that character is not artificially replicable.”
NO BUT…: “Real stones and lab-grown ones can coexist”
Roberto Coin, Founder of the eponymous brand and member of the board of the World Diamond Council.
“For ten years, I have been trying to convey the right message to the jewelry industry, but above all to consumers. I have nothing against lab-grown diamonds, they can perfectly coexist with real gemstones, let each find its place, on the sole condition that consumers are protected by correct notification about the stones they are buying. Lab-grown ones have a much lower price and it may be difficult to resell them in the future. At Roberto Coin, we only use natural diamonds and if we ever were to consider using lab-grown stones one day, it would necessarily be under the name of a new brand, not that of Roberto Coin.”
NO: “Diamonds are one of nature’s most beautiful gifts”
Céline Assimon, CEO of De Beers Jewellers.
“For us, innovation comes through craftsmanship, the transformability of creations, and of course the rigor in selecting the most beautiful diamonds from nature, untreated and sometimes in their rough form. We know where each one comes from, the positive impact they have on their places of origin and the unique characteristics that make each stone extraordinary. Diamonds are one of nature’s most beautiful gifts. They also possess a power that allows them to create a better future.”
YES: “Lab-grown diamonds are a major innovation”
Philippe Nobile, President of Unsaid.
“First, it is a scientific innovation that allows access to a high-quality diamond. Then, it is a sustainable innovation because this creation process can be carried out without a carbon footprint, without damaging nature, without wasting and polluting water. Finally, it is an innovation that galvanizes craftsmanship and creativity by enabling unique diamond cuts. This marks a decisive step in jewelry which can finally free itself from many constraints and don the clothes of a responsible, creative, innovative luxury with even more refined craftsmanship.”
NO: “Their popularity is already declining”
Masanobu Ebisutani, Diamond Expert at Tasaki and sightholder for the De Beers group.
“From a gemological point of view, a precious stone must meet three requirements: it must be beautiful, it must be rare and finally it must be durable. Lab-grown diamonds have been mass-produced over the last ten years and are becoming less and less rare. Their recognition has increased rapidly, but as they are industrial products, the more they are mass-produced, the more production costs will fall.”
