Connect with us

JB Insights

New Plumb Club research shows growing awareness and acceptance of lab-grown diamonds, gems

Published

on

The Plumb Club Industry and Market Insights 2025 reveals that shoppers are increasingly aware of, and more open to, lab-grown gem options. This, despite the industry having many different opinions on the subject. The consumer survey, completed with over 2,000 jewelry buying ,consumers across the county, shows a definite upswing among customers compared to only 2 years prior and provides retailers with insight and direction for business planning.

84% of consumer respondents said they are aware of the choice of lab-grown diamonds in fine jewelry. The 2025 survey noted an increase of 13% from the 2023 survey in customers who feel they know the differences between natural and lab-grown diamonds and a decrease of 15% in customers who feel they do not know the difference. 49% said they are not confident of the differences.

The survey highlights that for lab-grown gems, such as rubies, emeralds and sapphires, 83% of customers say that if they learned the gems were chemically, optically and physically the same as their mined counterparts they would be open to buying them. Regarding the openness to receiving lab-grown diamonds in jewelry, other than engagement and bridal pieces, 83% say that they are. 74% said they would be open to receiving a lab-grown diamond for an engagement ring.

Price consideration is a determining factor for 31% of consumers considering a lab-grown diamond or lab-grown diamond engagement ring, while getting a higher clarity or color of diamond is the determining factor for 30%.

When it comes to preference for a diamond’s origin, 37% of respondents say they do not have enough information to make the decision between natural or lab-grown. 33% said they would prefer a lab-grown and 30% said they would prefer a natural diamond. When comparing two diamonds of the same cut, color, quality and size, 49% of respondents said they would prefer a natural diamond.

The insights shared here are part of a multi-faceted research study initiated by The Plumb Club with the assistance of Paola Deluca, The Futurist, and Qualtrics, a world-renowned survey and analytics firm. The study was conducted with a sampling of over 2,000 men and women from the ages of 25 – 60 with a balanced demographic and psychographic mix across the US with the goal of understanding how individuals engage with jewelry. Respondents had all attended some college or higher and had a combined household income of at least $75K/year. Additional information from this expansive research will be shared over the next several weeks.

The research document will be shared in its entirety during the JCK Las Vegas Show with a presentation on Saturday, June 7 2025.

Continue Reading
Advertisement JewelBuzz Banner
Click to comment
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted

JB Insights

Antistatus and Vandals: Jewellery For The Rebellious and The Defiant

These Brands Are Chasing A Consumer Who Has Grown Allergic To Templates.They Do Not Want Jewellery Merely To Signal Wealth, Marital Status Or Social Approval; They Want It To Signal Taste, Nerve and A Point Of View.

Published

on

Status? Overrated. Rebellion? Wearable

Antistatus and Vandals are turning jewellery from a badge of conformity into a weapon of self-definition. One is a newly launched statement-silver label with a “Defy the Norm” manifesto; the other is a Mumbai-based avant-garde brand that treats every piece like graffiti. Together, they signal a shift: rebellion is no longer just a mood board—it is the product.

Antistatus: Status, Rewritten

Launched by former VIDA executives Manav Sethi and Pallavi Singh, Antistatus is a statement silver jewellery and lifestyle brand built around a deceptively simple idea: status is not assigned by society; it is defined by you.

The collection leans into biker culture, gothic aesthetics, music and street culture—think handcrafted statement rings, pendants, necklaces, bracelets and belt buckles with enough edge to make a boardroom feel like a back alley. The brand begins with men’s-focused, gender-neutral jewellery, then plans to expand into eyewear, bags and accessories.

Its pitch is not “look expensive.” It is “look like yourself.” Antistatus wants to build a community of people whose identity is theirs to define, not something society hands them with a dress code attached.

Vandals: Luxury with Spray Paint on Its Fingers

Vandals, founded by Vandana M. Jagwani, has been operating from a similarly unruly corner of Indian jewellery. The Mumbai label draws from street art, using jewellery as a way to question the status quo and leave a personal mark.

Its manifesto is explicit: artistic rebellion meets craftsmanship, and luxury is reimagined for “daring souls who defy the norm.” The brand blurs art and jewellery, positioning its audacious designs and sustainable practices as an alternative to safe, predictable luxury.

Where conventional fine jewellery often whispers heritage, Vandals prefers to shout individuality. Every piece is framed as a personal story—less “heirloom in a velvet box,” more “artwork that refuses to behave.”

The New Consumer: Anti-Template, Pro-Story

These brands are chasing a consumer who has grown allergic to templates. They do not want jewellery merely to signal wealth, marital status or social approval; they want it to signal taste, nerve and a point of view.

BrandCore attitudeDesign languageConsumer promise
AntistatusDefy the normBiker, gothic, music and street-inspired handcrafted silverDefine your own status
VandalsRebellion against the ordinaryStreet-art-inspired, avant-garde, sustainable luxuryLeave your own mark

Both are selling permission. Permission to wear silver that looks dangerous. Permission to reject the idea that polish equals propriety. Permission to make luxury feel personal rather than prescribed.

Why This Matters for Indian Jewellery

India’s jewellery market has long been dominated by occasion-led buying—weddings, festivals, gifting and investment. Antistatus and Vandals are carving out a different lane: everyday identity jewellery, where the purchase is emotional, stylistic and cultural rather than ceremonial.

Antistatus’s ambition to become an India-origin premium lifestyle brand with global reach suggests that rebellion is being treated as an exportable design language, not a passing trend. Vandals already demonstrates that Indian consumers will respond when jewellery carries ideology as well as sparkle.

The Verdict

Antistatus and Vandals are proof that the most compelling jewellery today is not necessarily the quietest. It is the kind that starts a conversation, breaks a rule and makes conformity look like the boring option.

In their hands, a ring is not just an accessory. It is a small, shining refusal.From statement silver with a streetwise edge to avant-garde pieces with graffiti in their soul, this is jewellery for the beautifully defiant.

Antistatus and Vandals are proving that the boldest jewellery isn’t made to blend in—it’s made to break rules, start conversations and define you on your own terms.

Continue Reading

Trending

JewelBuzz is Asia’s First Digital Jewellery Media & India’s No.1 B2B Jewellery Magazine, published by AM Media House. Since 2016, we’ve been the trusted source for jewellery news, market trends, trade insights, exhibitions, podcasts, and brand stories, connecting jewellers, retailers, and industry professionals worldwide.

We would like to hear from you...

GET WHATSAPP NEWS ALERTS

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x