Market transformation of natural diamonds and cultivated diamonds

Natural diamonds rely on scarcity to hold onto the high-end market, while cultivated diamonds expand the mass market with technological and price advantages, and promote the transformation of diamond consumption from "scarcity worship" to "value rationality". In the future, the market will present a "dual track parallel" pattern, and for jewelers, accurately targeting the needs of segmented groups will become the key to competition.

 

 

At present, the competitive relationship between natural diamonds and cultivated diamonds has entered a new stage. Natural diamonds adhere to the high-end collection and investment market with their scarcity narrative, while cultivated diamonds seize the public wedding and daily accessory fields with their "carat freedom". On the other hand, the cultivation of diamonds is currently in a critical period of technological iteration, and the mass production capacity of large carat (3 carats and above) cultivation diamonds will become the focus of competition in the future. With the upgrading of cultivation diamond technology and expansion of production capacity, the price of large carat cultivation diamonds may further decline, which will further dominate the main battlefield of natural diamonds and force natural diamond manufacturers to adopt measures such as strengthening traceability certification and emotional marketing to cope.

 

The Knot report also pointed out that nearly three-quarters of respondents chose one of the four diamond shapes, with about 28% choosing round diamonds, 25% buying oval diamonds, 10% choosing emerald shaped diamonds, and 10% choosing princess square diamonds.

 

In terms of metal materials, over 70% of engagement rings in 2024 will be made of platinum or gold. However, although the popularity of gold increased by 5% year-on-year, the popularity of platinum decreased by 3%.

Claw inlay remains the most popular inlay method, with 35% of respondents purchasing rings with this inlay method. At the same time, the "hidden halo" inlay style (characterized by a circle of diamonds around the base of the main stone) attracted 18% of respondents, while the "halo" inlay style (characterized by a circle of diamonds around the outline of the main stone) was the choice of 13% of respondents.

 

The rise of cultivating diamonds is not a simple replacement, but a catalyst for promoting the transformation of diamond consumption from "scarcity worship" to "value rationality". The future market will present a "dual track parallel" pattern: natural diamonds need to reshape the consensus of high-end value, while cultivating diamonds requires breaking through homogeneous competition and opening up incremental space through technological innovation and scene extension. For jewelers, accurately anchoring the "psychological account" of segmented groups may be the key to winning the next stage of competition