Editor’s Note
As gold prices soar to unprecedented levels, consumers are increasingly turning to lab-grown diamonds as a cost-effective alternative for jewelry. This shift highlights changing preferences in the luxury market, where affordability and sustainability are gaining prominence.
The price of gold continues to hit record highs, while the popularity of “lab-grown diamonds” is rising as affordable jewelry.
On the 13th, “It!” visited a jewelry store in Ginza, Tokyo. The store was lined with diamond accessories such as rings and necklaces. All of these were “lab-grown diamonds.” Looking at the prices, there were very affordable items in the 40,000 to 50,000 yen range.
“SHINCA Ginza,” which opened seven years ago as a “lab-grown diamond specialty store,” says that sales have been increasing along with rising awareness in recent years.
On the 13th, the price of gold exceeded 25,900 yen per gram, reaching a record high. While it has soared to about three times its price three years ago, price movements at international diamond exchanges have been declining. The spread of lab-grown diamonds in the market is seen as a major factor pushing down prices.
It is said that a necklace costing about 100,000 yen adorned with a 0.2-carat diamond is particularly popular among younger generations.
The popularity of “lab-grown diamonds” is spreading across a wide range of age groups. We visited “EF DIAMOND,” a company that provides the manufacturing technology. When asked about the difference between natural and lab-grown diamonds, Masanori Sunose, CEO of EF DIAMOND, replied:
It is said that natural diamonds take over 100 million years to form, but…
Lab-grown diamonds also have higher purity and shine just as brilliantly as natural ones without any inferiority.
Moreover, the price is surprising. While a high-quality natural diamond of 1 carat costs about 1 million yen, a lab-grown one…