NATIONAL JEWELER 73 R odnae Tucker-Natoli is something of an outlier among her peers. The 26-year-old speech pathologist gave her then boy- friend, now husband, clear instructions when they went ring shopping in 2023. “I wanted a mined diamond,” she says, glancing at her left hand. “My mom has a real diamond, my mother-in-law has a real diamond, my grandma has a real diamond, so I wanted to keep the tradition going.” Many of her friends who recently got en- gaged chose lab-grown stones, the New Jersey resident notes. “They wanted a bigger ring but couldn’t afford what a larger natural diamond would have cost, whereas I opted for a smaller stone that was a real diamond.” At the jewelry chain where her husband ul- timately made the purchase, larger lab-grown diamonds were priced similarly to smaller natural ones, Tucker-Natoli recalls. The less expensive option was moissanite, and she says the sales associate encouraged them to consider a larger lab-grown stone or moissanite instead of a natural diamond. “I know a lot of people are choosing mois- sanite,” she says, “but for me, and for what it symbolizes, I wanted a real diamond.” FALLING MARKET SHARE The positioning of lab-grown against natural diamonds remains a challenge the diamond industry continues to grapple with. The two are often presented side by side, and the industry is still working through what that means for pricing, messaging, and long-term value. “Natural diamonds remain incredibly important, and that will continue, but we’re still figuring out this lab-grown disruptor, which is not brand new but is still in its infancy,” Sherry Smith, principal partner at The Retail Smiths, said on the first episode of Jewelers of America and National Jeweler’s “My Next Question” podcast. “There’s a new willingness, especially among Gen Z, who are OK with the lab-grown engagement ring, and that is a disruptor to our industry.” Lab-grown center stones accounted for 61 percent of all engagement ring purchases in 2025, a 239 percent increase since 2020, accord- ing to The Knot Real Weddings Study 2026. The increase has been driven by econom- ic pragmatism and evolving values, with 40 percent of couples stating specifically that it is important that their engagement ring center stone be lab grown, the survey noted. In general, the diamond category has lost ground, with its share of annual jewelry sales slipping from around 50 percent to about 41 percent last year, Smith said. What’s more, lab-grown diamonds outper- formed natural diamonds in 2025, according to data from The Edge that Smith shared during the podcast. She said sales of finished natural diamond en- gagement rings dropped 4 percent in 2025. The number of units sold, as well as the average retail sale, slipped 2 percent. Sales of lab-grown diamond engagement rings, meanwhile, rose 31 percent. The number of units sold was up 30 percent and the average retail sale was flat. Industry analyst Edahn Golan, who guested alongside Smith on the podcast, shared similar data from the company he co-founded, Tenoris. FORNATURAL DIAMONDS A closeup of Rodnae Tucker-Natoli’s engagement ring and wedding band. She chose a natural diamond for its heirloom quality and symbolism.
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