Lab-Grown Diamonds and the Diamond Supply Chain: A Guide for Australian Buyers
If you're considering a lab-grown diamond engagement ring, you probably want to know where the stone came from and what that supply chain involves. Here's what's documented.
What the Kimberley Process does and doesn't cover
The term "blood diamond", or conflict diamond, refers to diamonds mined in war zones and sold to finance armed conflict against governments. The Kimberley Process, an international certification scheme introduced in 2003, was built to address that specific problem. Its scope is narrow. It was designed to stop diamonds funding rebel movements, and it doesn't cover labour conditions, environmental practices or community displacement.
Where lab-grown stones come from
A lab-grown diamond's origin is documented. It's produced in a named facility by a known process, either CVD or HPHT, rather than recovered from the ground and aggregated through a chain of sorting, cutting and wholesale. For buyers who want to know where a stone came from, that's the practical difference.
Energy and land use
Lab-grown diamond production uses significant energy, HPHT more than CVD, and how much that matters depends on the facility's energy source, which varies by producer. Mining involves physical excavation. Open-pit operations move hundreds of tonnes of earth per carat and change the land permanently.
Those are different kinds of impact. Which one weighs more is a judgement, not a measurement.
Certification
Centre stones of one carat and up are IGI certified. IGI sets that threshold, not us.
How our rings are made
Each ring is handcrafted to order in solid 18K gold or platinum. Nothing is mass produced and nothing sits as stock.
Browse our lab-grown diamond rings and find the one that's right for you.
Further reading
- Lab-grown vs mined: comparing the supply chains
- What each production process actually involves
- Cost comparison: lab-grown vs mined
Lab-Grown Diamonds at Una Diamond
Every stone is lab-grown and set in solid 18K gold or platinum, handcrafted to order, not mass produced:
- Lab-grown solitaire engagement rings
- Oval cut rings
- 18K yellow gold rings
- Browse all rings
- The Georgina, an oval-cut solitaire