Our Position on Lab-Grown Synthetic Diamonds

GIA Certified Diamond in Gemstone Tweezers

For nearly half a century, The Village Goldsmith clients have trusted our extraordinary team of designers and expert jewellers to capture their stories and memories with handcrafted fine jewellery of exceptional beauty, quality, and value. We are committed to creating stunning jewellery that will be treasured for generations.

While lab-grown synthetic diamonds are becoming increasingly popular and widely available, natural diamonds are becoming more rare. Our clients rely on us to create pieces of enduring quality and value that will stand the test of time. Simply put, lab-grown synthetic diamonds have tumbled in value in recent years and we have chosen not to use them in our jewellery for that and other environmental reasons.

The Village Goldsmith does not undertake any repairs, remodelling or set any pieces with synthetic lab grown diamonds or gemstones.

Some considerations when comparing lab-grown synthetic diamonds to natural diamonds.

Benefits of Lab-Grown Synthetic Diamonds

  • Mining not required. While this is true, the production of lab-grown synthetic diamonds can be very energy intensive. If you choose a lab grown diamond, it’s a good idea to understand where and how it’s produced as many labs are located in coal-dependent countries so their carbon emissions can be significant.
  • Conflict diamonds aren’t an issue. This is an important consideration to almost everyone looking to invest in a diamond. While conflict diamonds still exist, 2003 saw the establishment of The Kimberley Process - a system which aims to prevent conflict, or ‘blood’, diamonds from entering the diamond trading industry. Now, with the help of the Kimberley Process, 99.8% of mined diamonds are certified conflict-free. The Village Goldsmith only partners with diamond suppliers who guarantee their supply of diamonds are conflict-free and have been sourced through the Kimberley Process and from non-sanctioned countries.
  • More affordable. Whilst lab-grown synthetic diamonds are less expensive, keep in mind that as the supply and number of suppliers of lab-grown synthetic diamonds continues to grow, the price will continue to rapidly decline. In fact, lab-grown synthetic diamond’s values have declined by over 75% in the last 5 years - so much so that some jewellers are now even giving them away in promotions.


Benefits of Natural Diamonds

  • A natural diamond is a miracle of nature. Each natural, earth-mined diamond is a unique creation from nature that took from 900 million to 3.3 billion years to produce. We think that’s so cool! In contrast, lab-grown synthetic diamonds are mass-produced in factories in weeks.  
  • A better investment. Natural diamonds have appreciated over time while our belief is that factory-made synthetic diamonds will continue to depreciate.
  • Natural diamonds and mining can support development of local communities in emerging economies. Our trusted diamond suppliers invest heavily to improve the wellbeing of their local communities. Read about some of their efforts in our ethical diamond sourcing page. Learn about diamond mining and the impact on local communities in Botswana. where the vast majority of our diamonds are sourced in the Fashionscapes documentary below.

The Village Goldsmith is committed to providing natural diamonds of the highest quality that have a guaranteed chain of provenance and are sourced and processed from trusted and reputable suppliers. We deal directly with diamond manufacturing companies around the world and audit their operations to ensure they meet our stringent sourcing standards and practices. We have visited their factories and seen the state of the art cutting facilities that meet modern standards for working conditions.
If you are looking to design and craft a piece of jewellery and have any questions regarding our stance on lab-grown synthetic diamonds vs natural diamonds, please feel free to get in touch and we will gladly discuss this with you.