Lab & Natural Diamonds
Our jewellery is made exclusively with the finest quality, ethically sourced, natural diamonds. We do not offer lab grown diamonds to our clientele. We would like to share with our valued clientele why we have made this decision.
Only a Natural Diamond is Natural
We celebrate the exceptional rarity and natural beauty of real diamonds. A genuine diamond stands apart, exuding luxury and beauty. Among all gemstones, natural diamonds have emerged as the definitive symbol of love, embodying pure, everlasting, and timeless devotion.
Unlike a natural diamond which is formed by chance in the earth under ancient layers of stone and rock and acted upon by natural forces of volcanoes and erosion, man-made diamonds are mass produced in an industrial environment, made at will and are neither rare nor precious. As the manufacturing methods are made more efficient and the capability to produce large quantities of man-made diamonds is harnessed, the cost of production will fall posing serious questions of future value for man-made stones.
The Environmental Cost
Inaccurately, synthetic stones have been marketed as a ‘green’ alternative to natural diamonds with false claims regarding the lower environmental impact of synthetic diamond production. It is important to clarify that synthetic diamond production consumes massive amounts of electricity to create the required manufacturing conditions. Synthetic diamond production generates three times the environmental impact of the process of recovering natural diamonds from their source.
Natural diamonds are recovered from their birthplace in the natural environment in a small number of minute areas globally. In recent years, these sites have included Australia and Canada. The number of natural diamonds bought to market depends entirely on the discovery of a natural source that can be efficiently recovered. Once a new source of natural diamonds is identified it can take approximately 20 years to bring a new deposit online.
The Ethical Position
Traditional recovery of natural diamonds from their source has often been in remote areas inhabited by indigenous communities. In response to historic issues which caused concern for the sourcing practices of traditional players in the industry, the international diamond industry has sought to ensure that mining activities are strictly governed by responsible and sensitive best practice minimising the impact on the natural environment and the local communities living in the mining zones. We adhere to the industry’s Best Practice Principle to ensure adherence to these principals.
Modern diamond mining mandates a social responsibility to remediate the natural environment and to invest in the local communities it touches by developing infrastructure such as hospitals, transport and housing. Many communities in areas of diamond mining have been significantly enriched through the investment of the diamond industry.
In contrast, the synthetic diamond industry makes no restitution for the impact of the resource intensive manufacturing process. There is no investment made in the social or environmental wellbeing of manufacturing locations. Synthetic diamonds are produced by industry for profit maximisation and commercial benefit.
The Rapidly Declining Value
Synthetic diamonds have been misleadingly promoted as an affordable alternative to natural diamonds. Initially, synthetic diamonds have been offered at roughly 70% of the value of the natural diamond equivalent.
It is important to understand that this is a price commanded by the company producing the stone and in no way reflects its actual worth. Market forces have seen a significant downward correction of initial price offerings – as more producers enter the market.
Larger players have attempted to set industry standard pricing of roughly USD $800 per carat for all synthetic diamonds. As a result, many synthetic diamonds purchased as little as two years ago are now worth significantly less than the price they were bought for. This downward trend is likely to continue as the amount of material produced increases in the marketplace. For these reasons, synthetic diamonds are problematic as investments, their value will vary as future manufacturing increases.
Synthetic Diamonds are Almost, But Not Quite, a Diamond
Synthetic diamonds may have the same chemical structure as their natural counterpart and to the eye may appear as a natural diamond offering the same physically attractive play of light. However, it is important to remember that only a diamond of natural origin is real, rare and sought after. Like a reproduction of a rare artwork, replica watch or handbag, the mass-produced copy may look the same but will never hold the same value or luxury as the real authentic item.
Information in this section was sourced from the Diamond Guild of Australia.