Sriram “Ram” Natarajan is now GIA’s senior vice president of laboratory operations and is based out of the lab’s headquarters in Carlsbad.
Helzberg selling lab-grown diamonds in select stores
The test program includes white, pink and yellow stones, which are being sold in Helzberg stores in Virginia, Florida, Arizona and Illinois, among others.

New York--Helzberg Diamonds is selling pink, yellow and white lab-grown diamonds from Scio and Renaissance Diamonds in select stores across the country, making it the latest retailer to test the market for man-made diamonds.
When asked for comment and information on the program, Helzberg Diamonds Chairman and CEO Beryl Raff said “This year, Helzberg Diamonds is celebrating 100 years of love. Embracing innovation and change is a part of our rich heritage. Testing lab-grown diamonds, with full consumer disclosure, is only one of many initiatives to give customers choices and seek new ways to best serve them for the next 100 years.”
The lab-grown pinks are all loose, round brilliant diamonds that are either fancy vivid or fancy intense vivid and are 1/2, 3/4, or 1 carat in size.
Renaissance Diamonds Corp. President and CEO Neil Koppel said price points range from $5,000 to $11,000, making the lab-grown stones significantly less expensive than mined pink diamonds of the same size and quality.
Greenville, S.C.-based Scio Diamond Technology Corp. produced the pink diamonds in a joint venture with Renaissance, called Renaissance Created Diamonds. They are being sold to consumers under, and are inscribed with, the Renaissance brand name.
The diamonds are grown using the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, and are high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) treated to improve their color. Renaissance cuts and polishes the stones and they are graded by the International Gemological Institute (IGI) in New York.
The test program started in March and is in in-store only; the stones are not being sold online by Helzberg, which has more than 200 stores.
According to Scio, the Helzberg stores carrying the lab-grown diamonds include the locations in the Pentagon Mall in Arlington, Va.; Wellington Green in Wellington, Fla.; Chandler Fashion Center in Chandler, Ariz.; and White Oaks Mall in Springfield, Ill.
Scio CEO Gerald (Jerry) McGuire and Koppel said that Helzberg is selling some lab-grown white and yellow diamonds as well. The whites are a mix of Scio- and Renaissance-grown stones, while the yellow diamonds were all grown by Renaissance.
Lab-grown diamonds are becoming more common as the technology involved in growing them improves.
In addition to Helzberg Diamonds, which is one of the largest remaining specialty jewelry chains in the country and is a member of the American Gem Society, reports have noted that 73-store chain Rogers & Hollands carries lab-grown diamonds.
At the trade
While the “conflict free” aspect of lab-grown diamonds has been pushed in the past, both McGuire and Koppel said the lower price of man-made stones is what they believe will appeal most to consumers, particularly with colored diamonds, which are rarer and more expensive.
As Koppel put it, “It makes the unaffordable affordable.”
McGuire concurred.
“Consumers might not ever see (pink and yellow diamonds) in their lifetime,” he said, and even if they get the chance to see them, they likely wouldn’t be able to buy them.
“We don’t think we are going to replace mined diamonds. It would be silly to think that. But we do want to give the consumer an alternative.”
The Latest

The one-of-a-kind collar represents the beauty of imperfection and the strength to rebuild.

Target CEO Brian Cornell will step down in February and be replaced by the company’s chief operating officer, Michael Fiddelke.

Jewelers of America is leading the charge to protect the industry amidst rising economic threats.

The group met with the president's senior trade advisor earlier this week to express the industry’s concerns about the effects of tariffs.


The pop-up will display this year's Tiffany & Co. Singles Championship trophies along with a diamond-encrusted tennis racket and ball.

The New Hampshire-based store has expanded to Boston, propelled by the success of Alex Bellman’s TikTok page, “The Truthful Jeweler.”

As a leading global jewelry supplier, Rio Grande is rapidly expanding and developing new solutions to meet the needs of jewelers worldwide.

The latest incident happened Monday at a store in Oakland, California, continuing a pattern JSA first warned about last month.

The new aqua green New York Harbor Limited Edition II is the watchmaker’s second collaboration with the Billion Oyster Project.

Participants who attend any three Rings of Strength events will be awarded a special medal.

The investment company, founded by Dev Shetty, has acquired the struggling miner and its assets, including the Lulo mine in Angola.

Smith shares wisdom he gleaned from a podcast he was listening to one morning while being walked by his dog, a Malshi named Sophie.

The counterfeit Van Cleef & Arpels jewels would have been worth more than $30 million if genuine.

The MJSA Mentor & Apprenticeship Program received the Registered Apprenticeship Program designation by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Casio executive and watch enthusiast Masaki Obu is the new general manager of its U.S. timepiece division.

Barabash, Verragio’s client relations representative, was a vital member of the team and is remembered as being warm and full of life.

Originally introduced in 1992, the “Dot” collection is back with a capsule featuring five archival designs and three new creations.

Allison-Kaufman has received the honor for the fourth year in a row.

The company had a solid second quarter, with sales of non-charm jewelry outpacing sales of pieces in its core collections.

Taylor Swift dons the vibrant pair in new promotional imagery for her upcoming album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” set to release in October.

Its investment in micromechanics expert Inhotec will preserve skills essential to the watchmaking industry as a whole, said the company.

Nicolette Bianchi joins the wholesale provider with more than 15 years of cross-industry experience in marketing and product development.

Her new “Ocean” collection was inspired by Myanmar’s traditional articulated fish jewelry, with depictions of flounder, catfish, and more.

Longtime Casio executive Yusuke Suzuki is the new president and CEO of Casio’s U.S. subsidiary.

The full-day sourcing and networking event, slated for Aug. 18, will be followed by the fifth annual Mega Mixer Summer Soirée.

Model Georgina Rodríguez received a rock of an engagement ring, with her diamond estimated to be 35 carats, experts say.