As Pandora moves away from mined diamonds, here’s why the conversation needs to shift from personal preference to consumer education.
As a newcomer to the jewelry industry, clocking in about two years and change, I’ve found it helpful to sit back and listen to the experts rather than jumping in blindly with an uninformed opinion.
But some things just need to be said, like this: I do not want to hear another word about lab-grown versus natural diamonds.
Not another panel, webinar, think piece, or article. Minus this one, of course.
“That’s a strong take,” you might say. “It’s an important topic that needs to be talked about.”
I offer you a counterpoint. No, it does not. At least, not in the way we’ve been talking about it.
The “which is better” discourse has been run straight into the ground.
Consumers are going to like what they like and jewelers, as retailers, should act accordingly or risk losing customers.
The narrative needs to shift away from preference and a sentimentality for natural gemstones to transparency and consumer education.
If a consumer is presented with all of the facts and chooses a lab-grown diamond, then that’s that.
But if the waters are muddied and consumers are ill-informed about the differences between the two, that’s a problem for the whole industry.
I bring this topic up in the wake of Pandora’s recent announcement it was moving away from natural diamonds to lab-grown diamonds, a move it framed as part of its push for sustainability.
The news, particularly the sustainability angle, ruffled some feathers and had several notable names in the industry talking.
A letter from the Responsible Jewellery Council, the World Diamond Council, CIBJO (the World Jewellery Confederation), the Natural Diamond Council, and the International Diamond Manufacturers Association went so far as to ask Pandora for a retraction.
The groups accused Pandora of pushing “potentially false and misleading assertions” that could diminish consumer confidence in natural diamonds.
Photos © Home : DR. Jewels : Pandora.
