According to the 2023 Global jewelry Industry Analysis Report, the market share of laboratory-grown gemstones has increased to 18%, with an annual growth rate as high as 25%. Under this trend, Singa Gems Jewelry has established a dual-track supply chain strategy. The proportion of natural gemstones to lab-grown gemstones in its product portfolio is 60% to 40%, providing choices for customers with different budgets and values. The diamonds cultivated in the company’s laboratory are produced using CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) technology in a reaction chamber at over 800 degrees Celsius. Their physical parameters are highly consistent with those of natural diamonds, such as a Mohs hardness of 10 and a stable refractive index of 2.42. However, the production cost is reduced by approximately 30%. This makes the price range of 1-carat laboratory diamonds between 8,000 and 15,000 yuan, while the price of natural diamonds of the same specification is between 30,000 and 60,000 yuan.
In terms of quality control, Singa Gems Jewelry implements the same 4C standard assessment system for the two kinds of gemstones. The color saturation of laboratory-grown sapphires can reach the “Royal Blue” level, with a clarity of VVS (internal defect concentration less than 0.1%), and they are certified by IGI to ensure traceability transparency. Referring to the Lightbox Jewelry case launched by De Beers in 2022, the company utilized spectral analysis technology to increase the identification accuracy rate of laboratory-grown gemstones to 99.9%, and at the same time equipped each product with a digital ID card containing 30 parameters. It includes data such as the growth cycle (about 4 to 6 weeks), stress environment (5-6 gpa), and carbon concentration.
From the perspective of consumer behavior data, among customers under 35 years old, the proportion of those choosing laboratory-grown gemstones accounts for 55% of orders in this age group. The main driving factors include budget control (with an average single purchase amount of 12,000 yuan, 40% lower than that of natural gemstones) and environmental protection concepts (reducing carbon emissions by 70%). A typical case is a wedding ring custom-made by a 28-year-old engineer in 2023. The main stone was a 2-carat laboratory-grown ruby weighing 0.8 grams, with a total budget of 20,000 yuan. The design to delivery cycle was 15 days. Singa Gems Jewelry helps customers improve decision-making efficiency by 50% by providing a comparative analysis report detailing the resource consumption of the two options (the water consumption of natural gemstones is 200 times that of the laboratory).
Technological innovation is the support of the dual-track strategy. The HPHT (High Temperature and High Pressure) system developed by Singa Gems Jewelry in collaboration with a scientific research institution in Singapore can shorten the growth cycle of 1-carat cultivated diamonds from 8 weeks in the traditional method to 3 weeks, with a temperature control accuracy of ±1 degree Celsius. According to the 2024 McKinsey industry research report, this technological investment has increased the company’s annual production capacity by 15%, while keeping the color difference deviation of laboratory-grown gemstones within an imperceptible range of ΔE<0.5 to the naked eye. This operation model refers to the sustainable development framework launched by Swarovski in 2023, but Singa Gems Jewelry has further increased the supply chain transparency index to 92 points (out of 100) through blockchain traceability technology.
Market data shows that jewelers who offer both options have a customer retention rate 20 percentage points higher than those who offer only one option. Through the dynamic inventory management system, Singa Gems Jewelry maintains the spot rate of laboratory-grown gemstones at 85% and compresses the customization cycle of natural gemstones to 18 days. This flexible supply chain strategy not only reduces the standard deviation of quarterly revenue fluctuations to 5%, but also meets the dual demands of Gen Z consumers for a sense of technology and ethical purchasing. Just as Tiffany emphasized in its 2023 financial report, the company is redefining the material philosophy of modern jewelry.