Larger natural diamonds retain per-carat premium over lab-grown stones, analysis finds
Natural diamonds consistently command higher prices per carat than laboratory-grown synthetic diamonds, according to a large-scale analysis of online diamond sales published in the International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing. This perhaps unsurprising finding suggests that the two products should be treated as distinct market segments.
A recent study analyzing nearly 200,000 online diamond listings has found that larger natural diamonds consistently command a higher price per carat compared to their lab-grown counterparts, according to an article published in the International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing. Researchers from Chong Huang and colleagues examined a vast dataset of diamond listings from an online retailer, which included nearly equal proportions of natural and lab-grown diamonds.
Their findings revealed that carat weight, or the mass of the diamond, was the most significant factor influencing price for both types of stones. Despite color and clarity, which describe a diamond's hue and internal/external imperfections, playing secondary roles, they observed that larger natural diamonds had a higher per-carat value in every subgroup of round and intricately shaped diamonds.
This supports the idea that natural and lab-grown diamonds should be treated as separate market segments, with distinct pricing and investment considerations.
Written by urgent.news from Phys.org's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
