The future of the diamond: why the laboratory is winning
Volumes, prices, adoption by the great houses: the numbers showing the lab-grown diamond is becoming jewellery's standard.
The numbers have already decided
The 'lab or natural' debate goes on in the salons; in the market, it is being settled. India, where most of the world's diamonds are cut and polished, exported over the 2025-2026 year more carats of polished lab-grown diamonds than natural ones. By volume, the laboratory now outweighs the mine — a historic shift, achieved in barely ten years.
Why the movement will not reverse
Three forces push the same way. Technology: CVD and HPHT reactors produce ever larger, ever purer stones at falling costs. Demand: the generation buying its first fine pieces today grew up with traceability and shrugs at the story of rarity. And supply: global brands — from accessible jewellery to luxury watchmaking — have already moved all or part of their collections to lab-grown.
What will remain for the natural diamond
The mined diamond will not disappear: it will become what great vintages and collector watches are — a connoisseurs' market, driven by provenance and geological history, at assumed prices. But the diamond that is worn, given and lived every day will be lab-grown. It largely already is.
Being ahead, not reacting
Most houses are adapting to this world; MICKAEL STONE was born in it. The first French house entirely dedicated to the lab-grown diamond, we have no natural stock to clear and no double narrative to maintain: one stone, one gold — solid 14-karat —, one line of conduct. The future of the diamond is no threat to us. It is our starting point.
Frequently asked questions
Rough-stone prices fall as the technology matures, like any maturing industry. The finished jewel keeps the value of its creation: design, solid gold, craftsmanship.
Will the great Place Vendôme houses come to it?Several global brands already have. The question is no longer 'if' but 'when' — and at what cost to their story.
© 2026 MICKAEL STONE PARIS · mickaelstone.com · Blog