December 2021 | Lab Grown Magazine

December 2021 | The Lab Grown Diamond Resource Book 12 To advertise call (888) 832-1109 | December 2021 13 DISCLAIMER: Lab Grown Magazine assumes no responsibility for content, articles, or advertisement in publication. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form without prior written permission of the publisher is prohibited. The publisher reserves the right to edit all articles for clarity space and editorial sensitivities. Publisher Zev Oster Manager David Oster Editor Cynthia Unninayar Features Writer Dan Scott Graphics / Production Kim Kennelly LabGrownAds@gmail.com Advertising & Sales LabGrownMagazine@gmail.com Circulation 25,000 Magazines Printed &Mailed Monthly Distributed at Show Bins PO Box 683 Pomona, NY 10970 T: 888-832-1109 F: 212-257-7056 www.LabGrownMagazine.com A division of www.tbdstock.com | 213-988-7075 Available on: OUR LAB GROWN DIAMONDS & RINGS ARE FEAST TO THE EYE AND WILL LIFT YOUR BOTTOM LINE TO THE SKY Just Scan And try What a Year! What a year 2021 has been... Following on the heels of the tumultuous 2020, this year has also not been without its challenges. Covid-19 and its variants are still on everyone's mind, as is the state of the jewelry industry in general and, for our readers, diamonds in particular. We have seen many changes in the lab-grown diamond sector over 2021, and there can be no doubt that LGDs have moved into the mainstream. Webinars have been devoted to them; books have been written about them; new factories are being built to create them; more and more consumers around the world are beginning to see them as a "sustainable and eco- alternative" to mined diamonds; seminars and conferences are including representatives of LGDs to speak about them; and increased marketing budgets are being designed to promote them. Over the year, each issue of Lab-Grown Magazine has fea- tured one or more articles that have provided insight into the LGD sector, offering opinions and statistics on the ongoing dual diamond duel between mined and lab-grown, as well as the need for both sides to make an effort to amically co-exist for the betterment of the industry as a whole. And the news about LGDs continues. The International Grown Diamond Association (IGDA) has re-organized, with the goal of attracting the growing numbers of companies that continue to enter the LGD industry. Launched in 2016, we have not heard much about it or from it, but that may change with its proposed changes going forward. De Beers' Lightbox has announced that it is now disclosing the treatments used to make its premium Finest collection of D to F-color and VVS-clarity gems,which it creates using a CVD process, but then improves the color using a High Pressure- High Temperature (HPHT) annealing process. This higher end product sells for $1500 per carat, while the brand's other LGDs are sold at $800 per carat. And speaking of De Beers, its recent report entitled, Sustainability: shaping the future of the diamond sector, shows that younger consumers now rank sustainability on par with price and design when purchasing diamonds.The report stated, "The top five sustainability considerations for diamond consumers in the study were protection of the environment, fair worker treatment, conflict-free sourcing, supporting local communities and diamond origin." Of course, the report focused on the mined diamond industry, but those factors also apply to the LGD sector. According to a survey of 600 independent retailers conducted by InStore , two-thirds of jewelers sell lab-grown diamonds, with 56% saying the best LGDs were technically as good as the best mined diamonds.On the other hand, only 31% indicated that LGDs were the equal of mined diamonds. The main selling points were concern for the environment and that LGDs offered more stone for the price. Happy Holidays to you all... Zev