De Beers Lightbox Artificial Diamonds
De Beers Lightbox Artificial Diamonds
De Beers’ Lightbox artificial diamonds are a direct competitor to mined diamonds. The company’s creation process uses chemical vapour deposition to create diamonds that are atomically identical to natural diamonds. The price of these diamonds is considerably lower than mined ones. They are available for purchase online starting in September.
Man-made diamonds are cheaper than mined ones
De Beers artificial diamonds are cheaper than their mined counterparts, and they are expected to be available at much lower prices. The new synthetic diamonds plant, which will be fully operational by 2020, will produce 500,000 carats of diamond rough per year. In 2018, De Beers is forecast to produce 34 million to 36 million carats of gem-quality mined rough. The production cost for synthetic diamonds is a fraction of that amount, plus a profitable margin. This means that synthetic diamonds will be more affordable and an ethical choice.
In contrast, the natural diamond industry is made up of many independent firms – miners, traders, jewelery makers, retailers, and so on – while the man-made diamond industry is controlled by a single company. Diamonds are popular with consumers worldwide, and the US alone represents almost half of all demand. Last year, the total demand for diamond jewellery was more than $43 billion.
The cost of natural diamonds is expensive – a carat of natural diamonds costs more than $8,000. De Beers has responded by lowering prices for their synthetic diamonds. By the end of November, the cost of a one-carat synthetic diamond was less than half of its natural counterpart. The company is now working on making these diamonds cheaper than mined diamonds, and they hope to create a big gap between the two. This should help them counteract their competitors’ prices.
De Beers’ marketing team is doing its best to sell its synthetic diamonds as real ones. However, consumers may be confused because they are not recognizable as diamonds unless compared by a spectrometer.
They are atomically identical to natural diamonds
While natural diamonds are still favored by jewelers, the demand for synthetic diamonds is growing rapidly. As a result, De Beers has a new line of artificial diamonds known as Lightbox. These diamonds have atomically-identical characteristics and are a cheaper, conflict-free alternative to diamonds.
However, there are a few key differences between natural and synthetic diamonds. For one, artificial diamonds created by De Beers are made from carbon instead of diamonds. As such, the carbon structure of synthetic diamonds is almost identical to that of natural diamonds. As a result, the artificial diamonds produced by the company have the same chemical composition as the diamonds that are mined in the Kimberley region.
Another major difference between natural diamonds and artificial diamonds is how difficult it is to differentiate them. It takes highly sophisticated machines and trained technicians to tell the difference between the two. While artificial diamonds are used in industrial applications, they are becoming increasingly popular for jewelry. It will be interesting to see if De Beers can control the diamond market by entering the jewelry industry. If this is successful, consumers should benefit from the new influx of inexpensive diamonds.
Another significant difference between natural and artificial diamonds is their price. The former is thirty to forty percent cheaper than their natural counterparts. Meanwhile, lab-grown diamonds can range from one carat to eighty carats. However, they are not nearly as cheap as De Beers artificial diamonds.
Synthetic diamonds are more affordable than natural ones, and consumers often favor them over natural stones because they’re a more sustainable choice. In addition to being cheaper, synthetic diamonds sparkle like real diamonds.
They are made by chemical vapour deposition
Lab-grown diamonds have three advantages: they’re cheaper, they have a flawless symmetry, and they’re sourced ethically. These benefits have made synthetic diamonds a popular choice for younger buyers who have a heightened awareness of ethical concerns about diamond mining.
This process has a few drawbacks, though. First, the synthetic diamond filament is placed inside a vacuum chamber. Then, it is heated to a temperature of 2000-2500 degrees Celsius. Experts may use a process gas to heat the diamond filament. Second, synthetic diamonds are cheaper than natural diamonds, but they still won’t be as valuable.
The process is complicated, involving a diamond seed placed inside a special chamber and varying gases. After the seed is placed inside the chamber, it is heated to over 760 degrees Celsius. The gasses are then ionised using a process similar to lasers. This breaks down the molecular bonds, resulting in a diamond with a pure carbon layer. Additional treatments may also be used to alter the diamond’s colour.
The process is not regulated. Hence, scientists are unsure of the exact amount of time it takes to form a diamond. This process can also be interrupted due to a change in temperature or pressure. In the early days of artificial diamonds, scientists would try to create diamonds using carbon dioxide, which was being displaced from the earth’s core to the crust. This process would take between one and three billion years, depending on the pressure and temperature.
Another method is called chemical vapor deposition. This method is used to produce diamonds in a lab. The process has a number of advantages. One of them is that these synthetic diamonds don’t require mining, making them environmentally friendly and ethically-sound.
They are available online in September
A new stand-alone company from De Beers will be selling synthetic diamond necklaces and earrings directly to consumers in September. CEO Bruce Cleaver says the jewelry will fill a market gap and remove consumer confusion about synthetic diamonds. The company’s aim is to create high-quality fashion jewelry at an affordable price.
The artificial diamonds are produced in labs and are far cheaper than the real thing. The company plans to start selling them online in September and expects to have them in stores by the end of the year. While these diamonds are a step in the right direction, consumers may still prefer natural gems.
In the past, diamond dealers have expressed concerns that De Beers’ Lightbox line will kill the market for lower-priced stones. However, the synthetic diamonds are priced at twenty to thirty percent more than similar weight goods, and lower-priced dealers have said De Beers was “throwing its weight around.” Nonetheless, the move may drive some potential customers to the lab-grown diamonds section.
The synthetic diamonds are priced at production costs plus a profit margin. This is similar to how natural diamonds are priced. Until five years ago, man-made diamonds were considered a fringe product. But now, they’re popular among millennials. The De Beers artificial diamonds are available online and in retail stores, and the company plans to open a U.S. factory to produce 500,000 carats a year.
The natural diamond industry consists of miners, traders, retailers, and jewelery manufacturers. On the other hand, the man-made diamond industry contains the miners, traders, and jewelery manufacturers in one firm. As such, De Beers is a defining player in the diamond business. It has made diamonds what they are today and it will do the same for lab-grown diamonds.
They will be available in stores in 2020
The company has been growing diamonds at its Element Six laboratory for 50 years. They’re now ready to sell them to the retail market. De Beers is using the technology to ensure quality. It announced in May that it had digitally tracked its first 100 diamonds.
The company plans to sell artificial diamonds through a fashion jewelry label called Lightbox, aimed at mass-market consumers. These stones will cost $200 per quarter carat, and go up to $850 for a one-carat stone. The jewelry pieces will be sold directly to consumers via e-commerce.
De Beers is not the only jewelry company pursuing the new technology. Other companies, including Pandora, have jumped on the bandwagon. The company plans to release a line of lab-grown diamond jewelry in 2020. These stones will be more affordable than mined diamonds. In addition to Pandora, other retailers have started to promote their jewelry line as ethical and conflict-free.
The mining industry is experiencing challenges. The global economy has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, which caused a 15% drop in diamond retail sales. Meanwhile, the supply chain was slowed by a lockdown in major cities, which affected the entire value chain. Mine closures and restrictions on the movement of goods across borders affected the industry.
The company plans to market artificial diamonds through various channels, including television, print and online advertising. These campaigns are a means to increase the consumer base and increase sales. However, the company’s marketing budget is relatively modest compared to the luxury goods industry, with an average of six to eight percent.
De Beers Lightbox Artificial Diamonds