Colored Lab-Grown Diamonds: Opportunity or Hype?

A natural 1ct Fancy Vivid Pink diamond: $200,000-500,000

A lab-grown 1ct Fancy Vivid Pink: $2,000-4,000

That's a 99% price difference.

How Colored Lab-Grown Diamonds Are Made

Color is created by introducing specific elements during growth:

  • Blue: Boron (same as natural blue diamonds)
  • Yellow: Nitrogen (same as natural yellow diamonds)
  • Pink: Post-growth treatment (HPHT annealing)
  • Green: Irradiation + annealing

The Market Opportunity

Colored lab-grown diamonds are growing 40% annually because:

  • Millennials/Gen Z love unique, non-traditional engagement rings
  • Fashion jewelry brands (Pandora, Swarovski) are entering the market
  • Celebrities are wearing them (reducing stigma)

The Quality Issue

Not all colored lab-grown diamonds are created equal:

  • Good: Vivid, saturated color with no secondary hues
  • Bad: Pale, grayish, or brownish tones

IGI grades colored diamonds on a scale: Faint → Light → Fancy → Fancy Intense → Fancy Vivid

Only buy Fancy Intense or Fancy Vivid. Anything less looks cheap.

Kunlun Growth's Colored Diamond Program:
We source Fancy Vivid blues and yellows from specialized HPHT factories. Minimum order: 10 pieces.

Pricing Strategy

Position colored lab-grown as "affordable luxury," not "cheap colored diamonds."

Retail markup: 200-300% (same as white lab-grown)