Cheaper reads as lesser. If a lab-grown diamond costs less, people assume it's worth less.
Price is supply and demand, not quality. Production capacity grew faster than demand did, and that's what moved the number.
De Beers' own lab-grown line, Lightbox, launched in 2018 at $800 a carat. By 2024 that was $500. The brand closed in May 2025.
The price fell. The stone didn't.