Why Lab-Grown Diamond Statistics?

Lab-grown diamond statistics are part of the broader diamond market. Often it is the same companies that polish and trade lab grown and natural diamonds. The basis for understanding the dynamics of this market starts with knowing the trends that emerge from lab-grown diamond statistics.

We collect, analyze, and make sense of diamond market data, such as wholesale lab grown diamond prices, look at lab-grown vs natural diamonds, diamond producing country exports, diamond centers’ international trade, and diamond mining companies’ annual production.

Diamond Industry Statistics: The Rise of Lab-Grown Diamonds

In recent years, the market for lab-grown diamonds has grown steadily. These diamonds are a cheaper option for people who want natural diamonds, but don’t want to spend a lot of money on them. The industry is seeing substantial changes in sales and prices as technology gets better and tastes change, especially among younger buyers. This article takes a look at the effects of this product on the jewelry industry as a whole, as well as market trends and price changes.

Market Overview: A Transformative Shift

The diamond industry is experiencing unprecedented change as lab-grown diamonds rapidly gain market share. As these diamonds become more popular, the diamond industry will need to adapt and diversify their offerings to stay ahead. De Beers itself responded by launching Lightbox Jewelry in 2018, pricing lab-grown jewelry well below competitors.

What Percentage of People Buy Lab Diamonds?

Consumer adoption of lab diamonds has accelerated dramatically, driven particularly by younger demographics. In the United States, 42 percent of Gen Zers’ purchases were made online, indicating strong digital adoption among younger consumers, who are more likely to purchase these stones. The market has witnessed significant consumer acceptance of these gems, especially among young adults in the US.

In 2025, jewelry set with lab diamonds made up 8% of all jewelry purchases, both diamond and non-diamond. This compares to 1% in 2020. Based on this change, we can estimate that at least 5% of people who purchased jewelry bought jewelry set with lab diamonds.

When considering just diamond jewelry, 16% of all purchases were set with lab diamonds. This compared to less than 3% in 2020.

Prices: Significant Cost Appeal

Lab-grown diamond prices have become increasingly attractive to price-sensitive consumers and Americans in general. By offering substantial savings compared to natural diamonds, those that desire the diamond allure, but can’t afford it or don’t want to spend on a natural diamond, can now buy a lower-cost option.

The market has seen consistent price reductions over recent years, making lab-grown diamonds more accessible to a broader consumer base. The retail price of a popular one-carat stone declined more than 76% between early 2020 and mid-2025, and a two-carat stone declined 80%.

LGD Prices by Category

Most loose lab-grown diamonds sold today tend to have high color and clarity characteristics. They typically range from $800–$900 per carat, depending on size. Larger ones carry a premium.

Lower-grade stones can be purchased for as low as $200–$250 per carat.

Their lower price compared to natural diamonds continues to drive market adoption. In 2025, a typical round, one-carat, lab-grown diamond sold on average for 82% less than a typical natural diamond of the same size and shape. A two-carat stone sold for 89% less than a comparable natural option.

Other price variations can be found between shapes or by having a gemological lab report authenticating a stone’s characteristics. Identical lab diamonds with reports from different gemological labs may also have different prices, as some labs are stricter in their approach.

The Retail Price & COGS of 2-Ct Lab Diamonds

Average retail price and cost of goods sold p/c of 2-carat, round lab diamonds

Wholesale Lab-Grown Diamond Prices

Over the years, wholesale prices have decreased dramatically. Through a combination of initial price tagging to natural diamonds, oversupply, technical innovation, and marketing that emphasizes lower retail prices, wholesale pricing has been reduced over the years from its previous small discount to natural diamonds.

In mid-2018, the average wholesale trading price of lab diamonds weighing one carat was $1,800 per carat and for a two-carat stone, more than $3,000 per carat.

By mid-2026, these same stones traded for about $80 and $85 per carat, respectively, falling more than 97% during the seven-year period.

Wholesale pricing has exhibited two trends since mid-2024: compression and deceleration. Price differentiation by size is down to tens of dollars, and as the differences are small, the rate of price declines is decelerating.

Another trend witnessed in wholesale trading prices is that they are far lower than retail prices. The typical retail markup on a loose lab-grown diamond can be 250%–300%, or an average gross margin of about 73%.

Retail prices are declining more slowly than wholesale prices because, as wholesale prices declined, retailers increased markups and gross margins over time. Retailers’ justification for this is often an attempt to protect their income. These are the central lab-grown diamond price trends.

Lab Diamond Average Retail Price Trend

LGD average retail price per carat

Market Size and Growth Projections

The lab-grown diamond market has experienced rapid growth and continued expansion:

2024 Market Value: Global lab-grown diamond jewelry sales surpassed $8 billion in 2024; of that figure, nearly $5.5 billion was sold in the US.

Growth Rate: Global sales are projected to grow by an estimated 10–12% annually.

Geographic Distribution

The United States dominates the global lab-grown diamond market and is by far the largest consumer market for them. The US accounted for an estimated 73% of global sales of lab-grown diamond jewelry in 2021–2024.

India and China are the largest sources. China is a somewhat larger producer than India, with India being the largest polisher.

Lab-Grown Diamond Rings: Bridal Market Impact

Lab-grown diamond rings have gained significant traction in the bridal market, driven by several factors:

Affordability: Young couples can access diamonds with similar characteristics to natural at a fraction of the price.

Size: In the US, where size is valued, couples can afford larger, higher-quality stones within the same or somewhat reduced budget.

Modern: Often younger consumers want something different, while still keeping with tradition, which lab-grown diamonds offer.

Ethics: Environmentally conscious consumers prefer the promise of reduced environmental impact, although there is some question of LGD being less impactful due to the high amount of energy expended in their production.

Lab-Grown Diamonds: Industrial Applications

In addition to serving the jewelry market, the segment serves several additional markets:

Industrial Applications: The combination of low cost and hardness makes diamonds ideal for usage in dental tools, mining drills, and other mechanical tools.

Precision Technology Market: Their low conductivity, strength, and high clarity make high-quality lab-grown diamonds ideal for high-precision technology applications such as thermal, electrochemical, optical use, and even radiation detection.

Market Outlook

The diamond industry continues to evolve rapidly, with lab-grown diamonds positioned for sustained growth. We project that they will capture an even larger market share in the coming years, driven by technological improvements, cost reductions, and changing consumer preferences.
As the market matures, we expect to see continued innovation in production methods, quality improvements, and expanded applications across both the jewelry and industrial sectors. The growing acceptance of lab-grown diamonds represents a fundamental shift in how consumers view diamond value and authenticity.

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Market data compiled from industry reports and research as of 2024–2025. Prices and statistics may vary by region and market conditions.

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Additional Data

Lab Grown Diamond Prices

We collect transaction pricing for lab-grown diamonds, both retail and wholesale.

The wholesale prices are for loose, round-shaped, certified lab diamonds sold at diamond trading centers in Mumbai and Surat, India. We also release a quarterly lab-grown wholesale price list, which is available as a price chart.

The retail prices are collected weekly from a panel of jewelry stores in the United States, the primary consumer market for lab-grown diamonds. The size of the panel, 10% of the US market, creates a very accurate diamond statistics data set. The retail data also includes retailers’ purchase costs, which are higher than wholesale trading prices. Our sister company, Tenoris, collects the retail data.

The Wholesale Lab-Grown Diamond Price List

The wholesale lab-grown price list is based on transaction prices as traded by lab-grown diamond polishers, primarily in India, the main lab diamond trading center. The values are average transaction prices per carat of round, VS-VVS clarity, D-H color, IGI-certified loose lab-grown diamonds.

Prices are published on a quarterly basis and available at no charge. 

© All rights reserved to Edahn Golan, republishing permission and past price lists available upon request.

Wholesale Lab-Grown Diamond Price Trend

The wholesale lab grown price trend data is collected in India, the main lab diamond trading center. The values are average transaction prices per carat of round, VS-VVS clarity, D-H color, IGI certified loose diamonds.

Lab Diamond Wholesale Price Trend

Notes on the wholesale LGD price list:
Until Q2 2024, we reported transaction prices for round-shaped LGD in sizes ranging from 0.23 to 2 carats. These transaction prices were for fresh goods sold by manufacturers in parcels, and they represented lab diamonds’ lowest wholesale trading price.
Since then, and as the market has changed, we stopped publishing prices of lab-grown diamonds smaller than 1 carat and added 3 carats to the published size ranges. We also modified our methodology and began reporting wholesale prices for certified lab diamonds purchased in small transactions, which more accurately reflected changing market trends. Since Q1 2026, the clarity range is VS-VVS.
Historical prices are available upon request.

Retail Lab-Grown Diamond Price Trend

The retail lab-grown price trend data are actual consumer purchases collected from US jewelry retailers. The values are consumers purchase prices per carat of round-shaped, SI-VVS clarity, D-M color, loose lab-grown diamonds. For more on this data and subscribing to Tenoris’ US retail data, contact us.

Average Lab Diamond Retail Price Trend

Notes on the retail price data:
Data is collected on a per-transaction basis since January 2020.
The large retailer panel, representing 5.5% of US jewelry demand and 10% of US specialty jewelers, offers very accurate diamond statistics basis.
Historical prices are available upon request.

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