Goldiam's betting big on lab diamonds. But are there buyers?

The chances of a copy-cat being better than the original are low but never zero. Case in point: Diamonds. Naturally-mined diamonds are quickly being outpaced by their low-cost counterparts—lab-grown diamonds (LGDs). These man-made gems, which share nearly identical physical properties with natural diamonds yet cost half as much or even less, have gained remarkable traction in recent years. LGD market share in the US has soared from just 11 per cent in February 2020 to over 50 per cent by February 2024, as per market analytics firm Tenoris.