From TikTok’s love affair with “dupe” designer bags to supermarket scents that mimic luxury perfumes, our culture has become fixated on cheaper lookalikes.
That same mentality has now spilled into the world of jewellery. The newest trend? Lab-grown diamonds.
Branded as “ethical,” “eco-friendly,” and “smart,” these stones are everywhere.
Celebrities like Meghan Markle, Lady Gaga, and Emma Watson have worn them, while adverts promise guilt-free glamour at a fraction of the price. But dig deeper, and the sparkle starts to dull.
The Harsh Reality of How They’re Made
Forget the sleek ads showing white-coated scientists in high-tech labs. Growing a diamond is far from clean or simple.
Whether it’s done through High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) or Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD), the process requires extreme heat, crushing pressure, and enormous amounts of energy.
And here’s the kicker: most of that electricity comes from coal-fueled grids in India and China, where production is highest.
That so-called “green” diamond might actually leave a heavier carbon footprint than a responsibly mined one.
Some companies boast of being “carbon neutral,” but planting trees or buying offset credits barely makes a dent against the emissions from round-the-clock coal-powered factories.
The Human Cost Nobody Mentions
The glossy marketing campaigns don’t show the workers.
Many of these diamonds come from industrial estates where wages are low, hours are long, and protections are minimal.
It’s not always the futuristic, sterile environment the adverts suggest.
In comparison, regulated natural diamond mining has been forced to change.
Frameworks like the Kimberley Process have brought oversight, with countries such as Botswana and Canada using mining revenues to build schools, hospitals, and clean water systems.
Take that industry away, and you risk collapsing whole communities that depend on it.
Why Value Still Matters
Then there’s the financial side. The resale market for lab-grown diamonds is practically non-existent.
Buy one today and the value plummets the moment you step out of the shop—just like driving a brand-new car off the lot.
Jewellers rarely buy them back, and if they do, the return is pennies compared to what you paid.
A 2-carat lab-grown ring bought for £5,000 might fetch £500—if you can sell it at all.
Natural diamonds tell a different story. While the market fluctuates, prices have steadily risen over decades, especially for rare stones like pink Argyles.
Scarcity drives value, and mined diamonds are, by definition, limited.
Lab-grown diamonds, meanwhile, can be made endlessly. Unlimited supply means falling prices.
A Tale of Two Rings
To put it simply: if you had bought a natural 2-carat diamond for £15,000 ten years ago, today it could easily be worth £20,000 to £25,000. The same-size lab-grown diamond bought for £5,000 would now be worth next to nothing.
One is a growing investment. The other is expensive costume jewellery.
The Fast-Fashion Problem
Lab-grown diamonds have become another symbol of fast fashion—cheap, accessible, and disposable.
They’re marketed as “forever,” but in reality, they’re just another product designed to satisfy quick consumer cravings before losing relevance.
Doing Your Homework
That doesn’t mean all lab-grown diamonds are bad. Some companies genuinely strive for renewable energy use and ethical practices.
And the same applies to mined stones—not all are responsibly sourced.
The key is asking questions. Who made your diamond? Where was it grown or mined? What conditions were workers under? Responsible buyers demand certification and transparency, rather than vague promises of sustainability.
When Lab-Grown Makes Sense
If you simply want the biggest sparkle for the smallest budget, and resale or legacy value doesn’t matter to you, lab-grown diamonds can be the perfect fit. For many couples, that’s enough.
But if you care about long-term value, provenance, and legacy, then responsibly mined natural diamonds remain the stronger choice.
The Timeless Allure of the Real Thing
At the end of the day, natural diamonds carry a story billions of years in the making. They’re rare, unrepeatable, and enduring.
Lab-grown diamonds may mimic the sparkle, but they can never replicate the history, scarcity, or romance of the real thing.
The next time an advert promises that synthetic stones are the “responsible” option, remember this: dupes might dazzle in the moment, but the treasures that endure are the ones rooted in rarity and legacy.