How to Promote Lab-Grown Diamonds as The Mined Stones Alternative
As Valentine's Day approaches, the jewelry stores are stocking up in preparation for the pre-holiday demand. Lab-grown diamonds are expected to be a rather big thing with many customers shopping for the jewelry for their loved ones. A lot of retailers are also expected to sell man-made diamonds for the first time in their career. For the newcomers and our long-time partners, LaBrilliante recalls the best ways to promote lab-created diamond jewelry in your store.
Affordability
This is, perhaps, the most important difference between lab-grown and mined diamonds, and the one that we talked most often about before. The main idea of introducing the man-made gemstones into one’s inventory is to give an option of affordable luxury without it being an imitation. Manufactured diamonds are widely used for engagement rings, but what defines them is that they can be set in low-priced pieces that you’d buy as a gift for a friend, or a family member, or for yourself even without a special occasion.
Lab-created stones usually cost half of what similar mined diamonds do at both wholesale and retail segments, which attracts the customers of all categories, especially younger generations. “We use lab-grown diamonds because it’s the logical choice… they’re cheaper, but have the same characteristics as mined diamonds. We’re a new jewellery brand, and they just feel more modern” says the founder of the Eastern-European company that sells man-made diamond jewelry.
This is the way that many jewelry retailers promote them both online and on-site, and this is’ perhaps, the easiest way to explain lab-grown diamonds to your customers. During Valentine’s day, there are a lot of customers who are looking for nice-looking studs or necklaces that they can present without breaking a bank. Man-made diamonds are just the right option for them.
Sustainable Sourcing
It’s not a secret that diamond mining is carbon intensive. It often relies on diesel-run machinery and energy and also damages the ground and water bodies that are close to the mines. While the big diamond companies are trying to give back to both nature and the communities, smaller miners don’t always have either the means or the desire to do so. The issue of the small percentage of diamonds mined in unregulated conditions making it into the general supply chain still stands. By purchasing such stones, the customer may unconsciously support damaging the environment or human rights violation. And nobody wants that thought to be in any way connected to their jewelry.
While the sustainability rate of lab-grown diamonds is still debated, most of the industry members agree that their production leaves a smaller carbon footprint in comparison to the mining. This alone is what a lot of companies use to promote man-made gemstones. But with the recent introduction of sustainability certificates for lab-grown diamonds and overall traceability concerns, it’s better for a retailer to source from the reliable suppliers and sell with this fact. “I think people will be willing to pay a premium for fully traceable, high-quality, lab-grown diamonds made with renewable energy, compared to the cheapest possible stones grown in factories in China,” - Paul Zimnisky, a famous diamond industry analyst, says.
Quality
Mined diamond with an excellent cut grade is something that retailers specifically search for. This is a lesser case for lab-grown stones. Lower prices for rough allow cutters to sacrifice more of it in the cutting process to get the best quality and sparkle. There are quite a lot of brilliant lab-grown diamonds that have an excellent cut grade on the market. Controlled conditions of growth also allow growers to get rough with fewer inclusions and trace elements which results in the majority of man-made gems to be near colorless and very slightly included. More pure crystal structure can also affect how durable the diamond is going to be. Due to the less imperfections overall, lab diamonds can better resist wear and tear for the years to come.
While customers usually have to opt for natural studs with H SI grades, it’s rather easy to find earrings set with E color and VS1 clarity lab diamonds. And at the same price, which is also a nice advantage that can lean a lot of purchasers towards this option.
One Of A Kind
Whether it’s a holiday or any given day, lab-grown diamonds may be the perfect option for those who truly want to express their feelings towards their loved ones in a unique way. Nature has formed the shiny rocks billions of years ago under the Earth’s crust, but now a customer can get the gem grown specifically for them.
Modern advancements allow to cut a rough lab diamond into a unique shape, or use a graphite sourced from memorabilia during the growth process. According to a recent Vogue article, selling a lab-grown diamond is often about the look and the feeling. The limit for a lot of today’s jewelry consumers is imagination.
A jeweler doesn’t undermine the value and attractiveness of mined stones by promoting lab-created diamonds in their store. However, they can reach out to new customers, and keep their old ones informes about the options they have. LaBrilliante welcomes all new partners who are ready to bring in additional profit and enlarge their customer base during this holidays and later on with our lab-grown diamonds.
