Highlights
- De Beers Group has announced the closure of its lab-grown diamond jewellery brand, Lightbox, to reinforce its focus on natural diamonds in the jewellery sector.
- The prices of lab-grown diamonds have fallen 90% at wholesale since the establishment of Lightbox in 2018, leading to the decision to discontinue the brand as part of De Beers Group’s strategic shift.
- Element Six, a subsidiary of De Beers Group, will continue to focus on industrial applications of synthetic diamonds, while the company reallocates investments to promote natural diamonds through marketing initiatives.
Diamond mining major De Beers Group today announced its intention to close its lab-grown diamond (LGD) jewellery brand, Lightbox, reinforcing De Beers Group’s commitment to natural diamonds in the jewellery sector.
As part of the closure process, De Beers Group is discussing the sale of certain assets, including inventory, with potential buyers.
Lightbox, which was established in 2018, has highlighted that LGDs are a distinct product from natural diamonds, with different attributes and different value. The business was launched with transparent linear pricing of USD 800 per carat. Since then, LGD prices in the jewellery sector have fallen 90% at wholesale, tracking closer to a cost-plus model as they have diverged from natural diamond prices. Reflecting this sharp price decline, De Beers Group intends to discontinue the Lightbox business. The evolution of LGD values in the jewellery sector underpins De Beers Group’s core belief in rare, high-value, natural diamond jewellery as a separate category from low-cost, mass-produced LGD jewellery.
The proposed closure of the Lightbox business reflects a key executional milestone in De Beers Group’s Origins Strategy, as set out in May 2024, to focus on high-return activities and streamline the business. The closure will enable De Beers Group to reallocate investment to initiatives focused on reinvigorating the desire for natural diamonds through category marketing.
De Beers Group will work closely with employees, retail partners, suppliers, and other stakeholders to ensure a smooth process over the coming months. Customers will continue to receive support for existing purchases, including warranties and after-sales services, during the closure process.
Element Six, De Beers Group’s subsidiary that previously produced lab-grown stones for Lightbox, maintains its exclusive focus on industrial solutions using synthetic diamonds. Building on its world-leading status developed over more than seven decades, Element Six is well-positioned to seize the rapidly growing potential for synthetic diamond applications across a range of future-facing technologies and applications.
By centralising CVD (chemical vapour deposition) synthetic diamond production at its state-of-the-art facility in Oregon, US, Element Six will work with its growing global network of partners to accelerate cutting-edge technologies for high-growth industries, such as semiconductors and quantum technologies. With a track record of growth and profitability, Element Six is favourably positioned to drive the future of synthetic diamond solutions in industrial and high-tech applications.
Al Cook, Chief Executive Officer of De Beers Group, said: “As we move towards becoming a standalone company, we continue to optimise our business, reduce costs and build a focused De Beers that is positioned for profitable growth.
“The persistently declining value of lab-grown diamonds in jewellery underscores the growing differentiation between these factory-made products and natural diamonds. Lightbox has helped to highlight the fundamental differences in value between these two categories. Global competition continues to intensify with more low-cost lab-grown diamond production from China. In the US, supermarkets are driving down lab-grown diamond jewellery prices. Overall, we expect both the cost and price of lab-grown diamonds to fall further in the jewellery sector.”
“The planned closure of Lightbox reflects our commitment to natural diamonds. We are also excited about the growing commercial potential for synthetic diamonds in the technology and industrial space,” he added.
