Article by Better Diamond Initiative:
The Future
of the Diamond Industry
Innovative disruption is one of the most influential
business ideas. Netflix disrupted the cable and movie-rental industry by
web-streaming movies and TV shows. Uber and Lyft revolutionized the traditional
cab industry. The combination of innovative technology with an emphasis on
consumer experience, improved entire industries. Within the diamond industry,
it is the consumer who is driving disruption. To understand this disruption and its potential, we’ll break
down how LGDs (Lab-Grown Diamonds) offer value, and how this will help them
improve the outlook of the entire diamond industry.
Breaking the
Myth of ‘Value in Origin’
The first area of disruption is in the consumer’s perception
of diamonds. Successful marketing campaigns have sold the myth that a diamond’s
value is linked to its rarity. Its origin. However, 150 million carats of
diamonds enter the system each year—every other woman owns a diamond, and can
easily buy one at the nearest mall or online.
In the last 25 years, lifestyles have evolved, and buying
patterns have shifted. The diamond buyer is much more educated about the
product. Many buyers are realizing that ‘rarity’ is little more than a
well-marketed myth.
We have observed hundreds of stores over the last 3 years;
it is clear that value is rarely associated with origin. If ‘rarity’ actually
dictated decided value, diamond prices would have increased unwaveringly, year
after year. Value is more about the emotional weight behind the gifting of a
diamond—whether it is a gift from a father to a daughter, or someone’s promise
of eternal love. This is the intrinsic value of a diamond, whether earth-created
or lab-created.
The Value of
Lab-Grown Diamonds to Retailers
Lab-grown diamonds are revitalizing the industry with fresh
energy. A quiet revolution is taking place within retail, as sellers observe
and respond to more consumers considering lab-grown diamonds every day. Margins
are quite impressive even at the mid-stream level, which makes the LGD category
quite lucrative and attractive for retailers.
Now, it is upon us, as captains of this industry, to ensure
that we respond to this overwhelming consumer mandate. We need to build on the
desire for diamonds, and not commoditize them—this will help us create
sustainable value.
A Roadmap to
the Future of the Diamond Industry
With new energy infused into the appeal of diamonds, LGDs
are turning a once-aspirational product into attainable luxury. Technology has
the power to create big disruptions and a far superior consumer experience.
Right now, created diamonds are maybe 1% of the industry,
but growing at a rate where 99% of the industry seems to be talking about them.
A forecast by Paul Ziminisky, a diamond industry analyst, shows that the $1.9
billion lab-grown diamond industry will grow to $14.9 billion by 2035. Our
rapid growth shows that created diamonds have opened up new opportunities for
the larger diamond industry, disrupting it with an innovative edge and
revitalizing it to address the needs of the modern diamond consumer.
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