Held under the theme “Building Lab-Grown Diamonds’ Own Bright Future”, the Symposium welcomed over 230 stakeholders and industry experts including growers, manufacturers, retailers and financial institutions. Designed as a collaborative and interactive platform enabling constructive discussions, three panel discussions dived into the issues around the value chain economics, branding and marketing, and reputation and sustainability. 

Delegates were welcomed by Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and CEO, DMCC, who said: “The LGD Symposium is a first-of-its-kind and timely gathering looking critically at the issues facing this nascent, technology-driven industry. With over $1.5 billion of lab-grown diamonds traded through Dubai last year – a year-on-year increase of 126% – we are witnessing first-hand the rapid rise of LGDs and their applications, from fine jewellery to semiconductors and heat sinks. This Symposium is a pivotal moment in the growth trajectory of LGD, firmly establishing a platform for dialogue among the global industry movers in order to secure the longevity and prosperity of this unique technology in the coming years.”

Topics addressed included the role of marketing and branding to ensure sustained demand for lab-grown diamonds; the ways in which sustainability and reputation contribute to the long-term reputational strength of lab-grown diamonds; and industry economics to improve the long-term fundamentals and profitability of the industry and meet supply chain funding requirements.

The technology session discussed how innovations such as more efficient reactors are making production more cost- and energy-efficient, as well as how the tech sector is more bankable than jewellery, giving rise to a broader range of opportunities for tech applications of LGDs. Additionally, another session concluded that the price accessibility of LGDs means that they are not constrained to traditional jewellery designs, meaning that LGDs should be marketed with wider applications such as in the design of sunglasses, handbags and other similar products.

Keynote speakers at the inaugural event included Diamond Foundry’s Toby Cruse, who stated that the volume of natural and lab-grown products sold in the United States is nearly equal; Dr. Ramachandra Rao from Indian Institute of Technology; and industry veteran Tom Chatham, who shared some key learnings from across his family’s 85 years in the lab-grown industry.