Synthetic diamonds have been under fire, both in French politics, but also in gem laboratories such as HRD Antwerp and GIA, the Gemological Institute of America. In France, politician Olivia Grégoire had called for synthetic diamonds to maintain their label as lab grown. This was denied by the Ministry of Economics, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty. The denial was supported by almost all members of the Ministry.
“As it stands, the content of this text [the 2002 decree] reconciles the general interest, which lies in particular in communicating useful, transparent and relevant information to the consumer on products, so that they can make their purchasing decision in full knowledge of the facts, eliminating the risks of confusion and deception,” the ministry stated.
Just as synthetic lab grown coloured stones such as synthetic rubies, emeralds or sapphires can be misleading when selling a piece of jewellery, the Ministry is committed to protecting consumers and their misinterpretation of what a lab grown diamond might be.
Lab grown diamonds share identical properties to natural diamonds. They are simply created in a laboratory within days or weeks, rather than over the course of billions of years.
It is not the morality of whether diamonds should be created in a laboratory which is questioned, but rather taking extra precaution to protect consumers and shielding them from less transparent traders and dealers. With diamond prices unstable in the last few years, due to, in part, the rise of lab grown diamonds, the industry of natural diamonds has come together to create a real push to promote natural diamonds. High end luxury brands have taken a step away from synthetic diamonds. De Beers, parent of the LightBox lab-grown diamond company, has ceased all its trading of synthetic diamonds in favour of marketing natural rare diamonds. The French government does not deny that “synthetic diamonds have a place on the market alongside natural diamonds”. But these should be dealt in the same manner as synthetic precious and semi-precious gems.
In a similar move from gem laboratory GIA, explained it would cease to grade synthetic diamonds with the same 4Cs as it does for natural diamonds. The 4Cs represent carat colour, clarity and cut. Instead, as of 1st October 2025, it would value the synthetic diamonds as “premium” or “standard”. This, in their opinion, will offer greater transparency and understanding of what a synthetic, or lab grown, diamond is.
“The GIA diamond-grading system was created to recognize the continuum of rarity of natural diamonds from the most rare to the least rare; that does not apply to laboratory-grown diamonds,” the GIA told Rapaport News. “We recognize that the use of [it] for laboratory-grown diamonds may have been misunderstood by retailers and consumers, leading to confusion.”
To avoid any confusion and raise public awareness, HRD, the Belgian lab has also decided to stop grading synthetic diamonds using the 4CS. The Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC), of which HRD is a subsidiary, has launched its new campaign: ‘We Protect A Legacy. 578 years of natural diamonds in Antwerp’. This aims to help consumers understand that “two products that may look alike on the outside […] are fundamentally different in nature.” “With this campaign, we draw a clear line and inform the public in a transparent and accurate way,” Isidore Mörsel, President of AWDC, explains. “Only a well-informed consumer can make conscious choices and avoid being misled.”
The AWDC confirmed that synthetic diamonds had lost up to 95% of their value in the last seven years. To illustrate the worthlessness of these stones, the AWDC had organized a gumball machine which passers-by could insert Euro 5 in exchange for a synthetic diamond.
As natural diamonds become more scarce and trade wars roar, prices of these diamonds will inevitably continue to climb, whether or not synthetic diamonds continue to make up a share of the market.
Aurélia has over twenty years’ experience in the auction industry. She started her career in Business Development and Client Services at Christie’s and Sotheby’s Paris.