In 2022, Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer launched a US$300,000 ($411,000) watch. Called the Plasma Diamant d’Avant-Garde, it features a dial made entirely out of diamonds. The kicker, however, is that the diamonds are all lab-grown.
It was a significant step for the brand, as it signalled TAG Heuer’s – and its parent company LVMH’s – endorsement of lab-grown diamonds, which had, till very recently, been factional.
LVMH, which owns brands including Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior and Bvlgari, also revealed in 2022 that it had invested in lab-grown diamond company Lusix. This came hot on the heels of De Beers’ launch of Lightbox in 2020, a company that develops and markets lab-grown diamonds.
For LVMH and De Beers, this allows them to tap into the growing lab-grown diamond market, as well as flex their creative muscles as they can experiment with creative new shapes and cuts.
Despite the initial apprehension, lab-grown diamonds have become mainstream, and are being favoured by younger clients. The numbers don’t lie either: In 2022, the lab-grown
