Editor’s Note
This article examines the growing market for lab-grown diamonds on Chinese e-commerce platforms, where prices can fall below 100 yuan. It clarifies the scientific definition and production process of these synthetic gems, highlighting their identical chemical makeup to natural diamonds while noting the crucial difference in their origin. The piece also incorporates expert commentary on industry standards and consumer guidance.
Lab-grown diamonds refer to diamonds synthesized in laboratories through artificial methods. Compared to natural diamonds, lab-grown diamonds have similar chemical and physical properties, but their formation process occurs in a controlled environment. Wang Jiaming, General Manager of China Testing & Certification Group (CTC) Henan Company, explained:
Unlike the long formation cycle of natural diamonds, lab-grown diamonds can be artificially synthesized in large quantities in laboratories by simulating the Earth’s internal environmental conditions, taking only a few weeks to a few months, with relatively lower prices. The cost for one carat of lab-grown diamond is only 2,000 to 3,000 yuan.
On August 19, Dawang Finance searched for the terms “diamond” and “lab-grown diamond” on the e-commerce platform Pinduoduo, finding a large number of sales links labeled as “lab-grown diamonds.” The lowest price was 42.3 yuan (for a pair of two carats + certificate included), and the highest price was 93.39 yuan (one carat + gift box packaging + dual certificates), all far below the normal price range for lab-grown diamonds. The sales volume of these merchants selling “lab-grown diamonds” is astonishing, with many stores having total sales reaching tens of thousands of orders. The highest sales volume was from the store “Lebian Lab-Grown Diamonds,” with total store sales of 175,000 items, the highest single-item sales totaling 32,000 items, and 1,499 product reviews.
Zhu Yongchao, head of the Zhecheng County Lab-Grown Diamond Cultural and Creative Center in Henan Province, told Xinhua News Agency that currently, the industry cost for one carat of lab-grown diamond ranges from 2,000 to 3,000 yuan, while the cost for a two-carat lab-grown diamond is generally around 4,500 yuan. The cost for natural diamonds of equivalent quality is more than ten times higher.
Those “diamonds” priced at less than 100 yuan per carat, significantly deviating from the cost price, are referred to by industry insiders as “obviously fake at first glance.”
In response, Dawang Finance, posing as a consumer, asked the store “Lebian Lab-Grown Diamonds” if purchasing a diamond included a certificate. The customer service responded that buying a diamond would include certificates, such as IGI or GIA certificates and the national inspection certificate NGTC, ensuring quality assurance. However, when asked if pictures of the certificates could be viewed, the customer service briefly replied, “Not taken.”
According to a Xinhua News Agency report on August 15, Mr. Zheng, a resident of Zhengzhou, Henan, purchased a 5-carat lab-grown diamond ring on an e-commerce platform for use at his wedding. However, testing revealed that the so-called lab-grown diamond was actually synthetic cubic zirconia. Similarly, the Jingjiu Evening News reported on January 25 that Zhejiang Yiwu Nifei Trading Co., Ltd. publicly released videos on platforms like Tencent Video under the name “Zhecheng Origin Lab-Grown Diamonds” to sell counterfeit products.
On August 19, Dawang Finance logged into the National 12315 Consumer Complaint Information Publicity Platform and entered the product keyword “diamond.” There were 4,415 related consumer complaints, with issues like “passing off fake as genuine” and “passing off inferior as superior” being prominent. Searching for “lab-grown diamond” on the Black Cat Complaint platform yielded 119 complaints containing the search term, with most complaints concentrated on e-commerce platforms. The complaints mainly focused on “selling counterfeit goods” and “false advertising.”
The harm caused by a large number of counterfeit lab-grown diamond products extends far beyond consumers’ wallets. According to the “Lab-Grown Diamond Industry Development White Paper (2024),” China is the world’s largest producer of lab-grown diamond rough, with HTHP lab-grown diamond rough production capacity mainly distributed in Henan Province. However, the largest processing of lab-grown diamond polished stones globally is completed in India, accounting for about 80%, and the largest consumer market for lab-grown diamonds is in the United States, with a penetration rate of about 55%.
Currently, Chinese consumers generally have limited understanding of lab-grown diamonds, and there are even many misconceptions. According to research by the China Gems & Jewelry Trade Association,
The large number of zirconia imitations labeled as “lab-grown diamonds” on e-commerce platforms like Pinduoduo may further deepen consumers’ misconceptions about lab-grown diamonds, affecting the healthy development of the lab-grown diamond industry.
Currently, relatively reliable third-party appraisal institutions in the market include the National Gemstone Testing Center (NGTC), the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the Swiss Gemmological Institute (SSEF), the Gübelin Gem Lab, and the American Gemological Laboratories (AGL), among others.
Wang Jiaming, General Manager of CTC Henan Company, told Xinhua News Agency:
Imitating certificates from these institutions is called “certificate copying” or “clone certificates.” There are also so-called “foreign institutions” that are actually fake appraisal agencies registered with foreign fake addresses but operating secretly domestically. Some merchants fabricate certificates from non-existent inspection agencies, and some even claim “you can get whatever appraisal result you want.”
Dawang Finance entered the term “jewelry appraisal certificate” on the Pinduoduo platform, and the page displayed numerous jewelry appraisal certificates priced as low as a few yuan each. These certificates not only bore special seals for inspection and appraisal but also featured phrases like “National Laboratory Accreditation” and “National Metrology Certification.”
Subsequently, Dawang Finance randomly contacted an online store, asking if they could provide a diamond appraisal certificate for zirconia.
Jewelry appraisal certificates serve as an important basis for consumers to judge the authenticity and value of jewelry, making their authenticity and accuracy crucial. However, some appraisal units, which should be the most committed to “seeking truth,” actually facilitate fraudsters. The low cost of illegal activities further exacerbates the chaos in the jewelry consumer market and seriously infringes on consumers’ legitimate rights and interests.
For consumers, jewelry appraisal certificates that are difficult to distinguish between genuine and fake also bring difficulties in rights protection. Black Cat Complaint records show that when consumers discover that the “lab-grown diamonds” purchased on Pinduoduo are actually zirconia, the platform uniformly requires them to pay for a re-inspection of the purchased product themselves. Even if consumers present legally valid counterfeit reports, returns are still rejected by the merchants, and contacting Pinduoduo’s official customer service has failed to resolve consumer issues.
Chen Yinjiang, Deputy Secretary-General of the Consumer Rights Protection Law Research Society of the China Law Society, believes that if e-commerce platforms fail to fulfill their regulatory obligations towards merchants, they should also bear joint liability. Furthermore, according to the E-commerce Law, platforms should not only review the qualifications of settled merchants and accounts but also strengthen daily supervision.
In response, Dawang Finance inquired with Pinduoduo’s official customer service. Regarding the issue of counterfeit lab-grown diamonds, Pinduoduo’s official customer service responded:
Regarding the handling of merchants dealing in jewelry appraisal certificates, Pinduoduo responded:
The “lab-grown diamonds” priced under 100 yuan on the Pinduoduo platform present a scene of false prosperity, continuously distorting consumer perceptions and squeezing the living space of legitimate diamond manufacturers. Under the pressure of low prices and a trust crisis, the development path for the lab-grown diamond industry is becoming increasingly difficult. As each forged certificate depletes industry credit, whether lab-grown diamonds can shed the stigmatizing label of “cheap imitations” remains an urgent problem to be solved.