Analyst: Fashion Jewelry, Industrial Uses Will Drive Lab-Grown Diamond Demand
Paul Zimnisky shared his short- and long-term outlook for the market in an updated forecast released last week.

New York-based diamond industry analyst Paul Zimnisky predicted lab-grown diamonds will constitute 12 percent of the diamond jewelry market by 2025, up from 8 percent in 2021 and 3 percent in 2018, when De Beers shook up the market with the introduction of Lightbox.
(These percentages represent lab-grown diamond value at retail as a percentage of the total polished diamond value at retail, i.e., lab-grown and natural.)
As the market for man-made diamonds grows, however, it appears to be “stratifying,” Zimnisky said, with producers adopting more specific business strategies rather than focusing on “disrupting” the natural diamond industry.
Some producers are intent on creating branded diamonds grown using more sustainable methods to differentiate their product.
Others are making diamonds for low-cost fashion jewelry, while some producers have turned their attention to growing diamonds for industrial purposes.
In the long term, the growth of the market is likely to come from this lower-cost fashion diamond jewelry—not from bridal—as well as from diamonds grown for industrial purposes, such as medical equipment, energy storage, or semiconductors.
Zimnisky points to Pandora’s “Brilliance” line, which starts at $350 and was introduced to “democratize” diamonds, and Swarovski’s proprietary colored lab-grown diamonds as examples of two major brands going the fashion route.
On the industrial side, he noted the new 10-million-carats-per-year factory the Diamond Foundry—which emerged onto the scene as a major “disruptor” of the natural diamond market—is building in Spain will focus on growing diamonds for the tech market.
Overall, the market for industrial diamonds is just a lot bigger than the market for man-made diamond jewelry, Zimnisky said, and the industrial end user cares far less whether the diamond they have is lab-grown or natural.
“With industrial applications for diamond, the lower-price option will theoretically win out as long as performance is comparable.
“With diamond jewelry, as is the case with luxury more generally, the consumer rational for purchase is not nearly as practical and is often influenced by more intuitive factors, like emotion or an affinity for rarity,” he concluded.
For the full report, visit Zimnisky’s website.
The Latest

Plus, parent company Saks Global announces plans to cut ties with up to 600 vendors.

Peter Smith joined Michelle Graff to chat about the state of brick-and-mortar stores and share a few book and podcast recommendations.

The necklace features a candy-colored Australian white opal in 18-karat Fairmined gold, as the brand was named a Fairmined ambassador.

Gain access to the most exclusive and coveted antique pieces from trusted dealers during Las Vegas Jewelry Week.

Sponsored by the Las Vegas Antique Jewelry and Watch Show


A private American collector purchased the 10-carat fancy vivid blue diamond.

The designer has taken the appeal of freshly picked fruit and channeled it into a capsule collection of earrings, necklaces, and pendants.

Supplier Spotlight Sponsored by GIA

The country’s gem and jewelry exports fell 5 percent year-over-year last month, while imports declined 18 percent.

Around 54 million Americans and counting live with a disability. Here’s how to make your jewelry store and website more accessible.

The event is also accepting poster submissions now through June 16.

Before Pope Leo XIV was elected, a centuries-old procedure regarding the late pontiff’s ring was followed.

The one-of-a-kind platinum Rolex Cosmograph Daytona was estimated to fetch up to $1.7 million.

The police are trying to identify the man suspected of robbing two Tiffany & Co. locations in the area.

The well-known Maine jeweler takes over for Brian Fleming and will serve a one-year term.

The donation was the result of the brand’s annual Earth Day Ingot event.

Located in NorthPark Center, the revamped store is nearly 2,000 square feet larger and includes the first Tudor boutique in Dallas.

The nonprofit has made updates to the content in its beginner and advanced jewelry sales courses.

BIJC President Malyia McNaughton will shift roles to lead the new foundation, and Elyssa Jenkins-Pérez will succeed her as president.

As a nod to the theme of JCK Las Vegas 2025, “Decades,” National Jeweler took a look back at the top 10 jewelry trends of the past 10 years.

Following weekend negotiations, the tax on Chinese goods imported into the United States will drop by 115 percent for the next 90 days.

“Artists’ Jewelry: From Cubism to Pop, the Diane Venet Collection” is on view at the Norton Museum of Art through October.

The deadline to submit is June 16.

Moti Ferder stepped down Wednesday and will not receive any severance pay, parent company Compass Diversified said.

Lichtenberg partnered with luxury platform Mytheresa on two designs honoring the connection between mothers and daughters.

The miner announced plans to recommence open-pit mining at Kagem.

Michel Desalles allegedly murdered Omid Gholian inside World of Gold N Diamond using zip ties and then fled the country.