The world's largest diamond miner is doing the unthinkable: Selling stones produced in a laboratory.

 

世界最大钻石开采商正在做一件难以想象的事情：出售实验室环境中制造出来的钻石。

 

De Beers launched a new jewelry¹ brand last Tuesday that features synthetic² diamonds, a major reversal for a company that had implored³ consumers to stick with "real" stones.

 

The brand, called Lightbox, will offer synthetic diamonds at a fraction of the price it charges for stones pulled out of the earth. De Beers framed the move as a response to consumer demands.

 

"Lightbox will transform the lab-grown diamond sector⁴ by offering consumers a lab-grown product they have told us they want but aren't getting: affordable⁵ fashion jewelry that may not be forever, but is perfect for right now," said De Beers CEO Bruce Cleaver⁶.

 

Jewelry from the brand will go on sale in September. De Beers said prices will start at $200 for a quarter carat, and increase to $800 for a full carat stone. The company's natural stones start at roughly 10 times that amount, depending on their clarity and other attributes.

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