April / May 2020 - Lab Grown Magazine

April / May 2020 | LG | The Lab Grown Diamond Resource Book 24 To advertise call (888) 832-1109 | April / May 2020 25 www.labgrownsource.com The image of explosions to create vast enor- mous pits in the ground that are near hundreds, if not thousands of people—with many in low- economic and depressed regions—quickly up- sets the peaceful “Kumbayah” mindset. Can you erase that image from your mind when hearing the latest DPA message? By the Numbers In the DPA/Trucost report mentioned earlier, its analysis included the impact of energy, explo- sives and other sources of greenhouse gas emis- sions at mine sites as well as the operation of functions such as finance and human resources that are essential to running a pit. But “the analysis does not include impacts and benefits associated with exploration, mine clo- sure, diamond cutting and polishing, retail and post-consumer phases of the diamond lifecycle,” says Rick Lord, analyst at Trucost and one of the report’s lead authors. Exploration, for example, can be carbon intensive, since roads are built to reach difficult-to-access areas, as can be mine closures and all the heavy equipment that re- quires. Perhaps the report left out more informa- tion on these issues since they only increase the mined-diamond carbon footprint. Data from the International Energy Agency estimated the share of renewable energy in global power generation at 22% in 2013, with an estimated increase to 26% by the end of 2020 as a result of supportive policies by a large number of governments. (Graph: The International Energy Agency) It is unclear how this tug-of-war between mined and lab-grown diamonds will end, although it seems probable that the winners might be those holding the largest umbrellas. “To the person who cares about economic development, buy from the large-scale mine. To the person who cares about poverty, buy from a small-scale mine. To the person who loves technology, innovation and potentially helping your homeland, buy lab- grown,” says responsible mining expert Estelle Levin-Nally of Levin Sources. ■ Dan Scott is Founder/Brand Architect with New York Metro’s Luxe Licensing. Past and current clients include Harry Winston, Chanel, Gucci and several up-and-coming high jewelry and demi-fine brands. He welcomes conversation and can be reached at 201.294.3697 or at dans@luxelicensing.com . Lab-grown operations don’t scar the planet with miles and miles of dead land and dead trees, so their “green” marketing message makes sense.