What Do Consumers Think of Lab Grown Diamonds? (Survey Findings)

In the fine jewelry world, lab grown diamonds are a piping-hot topic right now — and they likely will be for years to come, thanks to modern technologies that are always improving and perspectives that are always evolving.

Yet, despite the fact that both fine jewelers and consumers are embracing the concept of lab-created diamonds more and more, there is still uncertainty on how open shoppers really are when it comes to purchasing jewelry or an engagement ring with a lab grown diamond.

At Jean Dousset, we were particularly curious about what preconceived notions or information shapes the way consumers think about lab diamonds. Do lab diamonds align with their personal values? Do customers prefer natural diamonds because they lack knowledge about lab-created ones? Are they well-informed and still prefer natural diamonds? What do consumers think about owning a lab grown diamond engagement ring?

Eager to answer these questions and plenty of others, our team set out to pick the brains of 400 Jean Dousset email subscribers who had never purchased our jewelry before. With their voluntary participation, we gained valuable insight into how today’s shoppers think about lab grown diamonds when it comes to their engagement rings in jewelry, in relation to their personal values, budgets, and style preferences and what they shared with us might surprise you.

How many carats is considered “normal” for an engagement ring?

One of the most common questions engagement ring shoppers quietly ask themselves when hunting for their sparkler is, how many carats is considered “normal”? Somehow, everyone — a random salesperson, a great auntie, a mother, a recently married girlfriend — has a different response to this age-old Q. According to Brides, “In the United States, for example, the national average for an engagement ring is around one carat.”

What do consumers say their ideal carat weight is when it comes to their own engagement ring?

That said, our survey tells a different story of what consumers hope for when it comes to the size of their diamond engagement ring, compared to the carat size their budget would afford on average. 65% percent of our survey participants said their “ideal carat weight” for an engagement ring falls between 1 and 3 carats, while 49% of respondents said their ring budget caps at $10,000.

How popular are lab grown diamonds?

If you’ve stumbled on this article and still feel you have a lot to learn about lab diamonds, we recommend reading our What To Know About Lab Grown Diamonds story for the basics. Don’t worry though, you’re not alone: 33% of our survey respondents said they only were somewhat familiar with lab diamonds, and 23% said they were not familiar with lab diamonds at all.

But, if you’re like the 17% of survey participants who said they are “very familiar” with lab diamonds, then let’s mine right into these numbers.

At Jean Dousset, we handcraft jewelry with both natural and lab-created diamonds. Our bespoke collection exclusively features natural, mined diamonds, while our curated Oui by Jean Dousset collection of accessible luxury diamond jewelry features lab grown diamond center stones on all engagement rings and jewelry designs.

What do consumers say the most compelling aspect is of a lab grown diamond?

Here, one of the key phrases is “accessible” — in fact, our survey revealed that 46% percent of respondents said the lower price point of lab grown as compared to natural diamonds was the most alluring aspect of a lab diamond engagement ring. This makes sense, considering lab grown diamonds average 30% less than a comparable natural, mined diamond.

However, beyond affordability, our survey participants cited other reasons to purchase a lab diamond ring, including sustainability and ethical practices.

Oh, and lab grown lovers, rejoice! Your team is about to get bigger, because over half of our survey’s respondents said they would consider purchasing a lab grown ring. There were some natural diamond sticklers, though — 17% of participants would not consider lab diamonds at all.

When attempting to answer the question, what do consumers think of lab grown diamonds, Jean Dousset discovered the majority of consumers are open to lab created diamond engagement rings, or are looking for more information on the stones in order to make a decision. Education, transparency, and trust in quality will be paramount for the lab diamond space. Founder and designer of his namesake jewelry lines, Jean Dousset says: “A lab diamond offers the same visual experience with none of the compromise.” Dousset goes on to say when it comes to making the choice between lab diamonds or natural, “Our goal is to empower our clients by encouraging them to look into all the different choices that are available today.”