May 2021 | Lab Grown Magazine

May 2021 | The Lab Grown Diamond Resource Book 20 To advertise call (888) 832-1109 | May 2021 21 O nce a one-road thoroughfare, the current road to all things diamond is seemingly split. Whatever road you take, beware of mine fields, now as common as a mined white diamond. Yet, you need not take either turn. Pave a new path and sail down a centralized superhighway together and avoid diamond danger. Driving Season No one likes driving in heavy rain. While rubberized tires provide a safe and grounded form of transport, those same tires can skid on wet roads, sliding some people to their demise. Can diamonds be hitting the skids? “Diamonds are forever” apparently no longer applies, ac- cording to leading natural diamond groups who force a message of rarity, touting the vast reduction of diamonds available to be mined. In this case, the word “rarity” should be replaced with the phrase “growing scarcity.” Diamond mines are indeed closing and those that remain open are yielding far fewer quality stones than in past years.That doesn’t defend the use of the term “rare”or “extremely rare,”nor does it address the billions upon billions of carats that have made their way into nearly every person’s life. Just as it’s been for eons. The truth is, we’re “over-diamonded.”That isn’t stopping, however, the truckloads of merchandise awaiting online and in-case sales presentations. And with those stones come a kettle of confusion. While natural diamond prices are climbing, lab-grown diamond (LGD) prices are falling. Retailers are finding themselves over-assorted and over-dosing on diamonds as market saturation dominates in bucket loads of white rounds. Still, CVD and the unexpected resurgence of HTHP stones are making their way to market along with a rainbow of pinks, blues, yellows, and even red diamonds—most at jaw-dropping prices. Just five years ago, if anyone tried to sell a genuine red cut and polished diamond for $249.99, “scam”might as well have been tattooed onto their forehead.Today, you can have a real red diamond as large as 8.5mm for under $250 with a few keystrokes on ebay—man-made, of course. The Jewelry Industry Sans Diamonds Viewing the jewelry industrywithout diamonds may seem silly or downright unbelievable. Just as unbelievable as the DVD market safeguarded against online video. Ask Blockbuster how that went. The same goes for the fashion industry. Less than ten years ago, fashion icons paraded in animal furs with pride.Now,renownedworldwide designers face fur returns, and retailers such as Saks Fifth Avenue refuse to sell natural furs. But wait, there’s more.Recent fashion headlines disgraced global giants such as Chanel, Dior, and Gucci who thought they were standing strong behind faux fur. That lasted for a few profitable years. Now, fashion headlines declare that syn- thetic fur is as anti-biodegradable as plastic. The fur is indeed flying as Fashion Week’s war of words meets a dualling decline in global fur sales, both natural and faux. Natural leathers are next, and will affect billions of belts, shoes, handbags, and more, as reality sets in that people are placing dead rodent skin next to their own. Even upmarket automobile brands are offering vegan leather seats to their sustainable- conscious and cruelty-abhorring customers. These moves are seen not only seen as removing cruelty from fashion, but they are also lauded for helping move towards a more sustainable lifestyle on Planet Earth. Buckle up if you are on this fashionable road trip. Anything animal-related, natural, or man- made has hit the brakes and hard. Full stop. Jogging up the catwalk is sustainable in 600 thread count cotton, cashing out over cashmere. Are these examples not damning enough to take yourself out of auto-drive? In GoogleWeTrust To some, change is good, but cloudy communication is not. Foggy facts from mined and man-made diamond professionals alike are revealing deceit. That news is aimed squarely at young online consumers—the same hard- core believers who subscribe to “In Google We Trust.” And what do their diamond searches reveal? What you’re about to read should shock you. Moreover, it should prompt you to action. Please know, that the intent of this piece is not to sensationalize, rather to inform and ignite. Think of this a wake-up call for the “woke.” Grab a cup of coffee.Make it an espresso. You’re going to need it. Wide Awoke An eye-opening “fact” only recently subdued by the Natural Diamond Council (NDC) were words that started to appear more like a tagline than a substantiated fact: “Diamonds are extremely rare.” Unless we’re defining fancy, natural stones, white diamonds are many wonderful things, but rare isn’t among them. Yet, the NDC retains this message to consumers and retail counters. This is simply an untruth. But the man-made side is also anything but innocent. Confused and openly admitting such, you can hear me discuss my side of the story in the recent webinar, The Future of Natural and Lab Grown Diamonds , organized by Branko Gems. JCK’s Rob Bates moderated a panel of diamond dig- nitaries, on which I was honored to be included. Spoiler alert:The future of diamonds isn’t bleak, it can be robust and unified, or better stated, it must be. To replay the future, visit the following: https://www.tinyurl.com/TheFutureofDiamonds. Look Away, Look Away Hush little baby, don’t you cry... you know your daddy may just die. These haunting lyrics from the historic American trilogy, Look Away, Dixie Land, remind us that longing for the past can have you living in the same by-gone era. It’s easy to turn the other cheek, but it’s typically when you’re not looking that bad things happen. Avoidable bad things. Rob Bates summarized this best in What History Says About the Current Dia- mond Battle: https://www.jckonline.com/editorial- article/dangers-current-diamond-battle/ .... Readers are welcome, but action-doers are needed. Say “NoWay” to OneWay The road ahead splits into two. Turn a blind eye towards the danger signs and risk a turn for the worst. Together, growers and miners have the opportunity to forge a new path and drive dual success. Travel separately and both sides will be racing against each other, speeding to a potential crash.The mental mandate of being forced to turn left or right is a personal choice. Keep straight and travel center on a new road, rocky as it may be at first.Traveling together is destined for big rewards. Reads well, doesn’t it? Yet, that’s all it is right now—mere words, no action. While stories like this may grab your attention, below is what has been happening when both hands weren’t on the steering wheel. She Said “Yes” to No Diamonds “Popping the question” means you better have a white diamond engagement ring included in the ask.That’s the way it is…Or that’s the way it was. The Audemars Piguet Diamond Outrage watch, unveiled at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) exhibition in Geneva in January, marked the end of an outrageous diamond era for the brand. The diamond-set spiked cuff watch ($1.25 million) was the last in a trilogy of exceptional secret watches unveiled over the last three years. (Photo: Audemars Piguet) Walking a tightrope in today’s market requires more than great balance, as this rope has seemingly split into two. The curious will ask where the safety net is, while the most enlightened of diamond professionals will ask why anyone is placing themselves in this great danger in the first place. (Image: Luxe Licensing) >>