• Luxury Loses Its Shine: Middle East War Deepens Crisis in Global Luxury Market

  Behind the spectacular shows of the world’s biggest fashion houses in Milan and Paris lies a troubling picture: the global luxury market continues to slow, while the war in the Middle East appears to be making matters even worse, Reuters reports...

• Labubu Meets LVMH: Pop Mart Opens Flagship Store in Paris

  Chinese collectible designer-toy maker Pop Mart International is continuing its aggressive global expansion despite some cooling in overseas sales. The company has announced the opening of its first European flagship store in Paris, on the prestigious Boulevard Haussmann, next door to the iconic department stores Galeries Lafayette and Printemps, according to the South China Morning Post...

• Buying century-old trees is the new status symbol among billionaires

  Today’s super-rich don’t want to spend years waiting for saplings to grow. The luxury landscaping industry is booming with a new obsession: transplanting enormous mature trees — from oaks and palms to baobabs and magnolias — directly into the estates of the wealthy, The New York Times reports...

• “Wealth Has Turned Into a Zoo”: Why Luxury Travel Is Starting to Rebel Against The White Lotus

  Few television shows have had as profound an impact on the luxury travel industry as The White Lotus. Each new season sends viewers rushing to book the real-life hotels featured on screen, turning secluded resorts into must-visit destinations almost overnight...

• Matthieu Blazy Helped Make Chanel the Most Popular Brand on The RealReal

  According to The RealReal’s 2026 Luxury Resale Report, Chanel topped the list of the platform’s most in-demand brands. A major driving force behind the breakthrough was Matthieu Blazy: his highly sought-after collections for the fashion house, which he joined in late 2024, have made a major impact both online and offline. Searches for the creative director’s name on the site surged by a staggering 10,967 percent over the past year, Robb Report reports...

• Why Millennials and Gen Z Fell in Love with 1-Carat Diamond Rings

  Demand for classic diamond solitaires is experiencing a massive boom — and it's about far more than just marriage proposals...

• From Miu Miu to Dior: Why Luxury Brands Are Betting on "Intellectual Influencers"

  As the younger generation grows increasingly disillusioned with traditional influencers and AI-generated content, fashion houses are turning to writers, thinkers, and literary culture in search of a new level of authority, reports the FT...

• BORN FROM CULTURE | ARMENIA: How Armenia Joined the Global Instagram Trend and Captured the Attention of Viewers

  Armenia has joined the global visual trend Born From Culture, bringing together a traditional dance, authentic national costumes and some of the country’s most iconic locations with contemporary pop culture and Future’s “Mask Off”...

Lab-grown diamonds are rapidly gaining market share, putting pressure on traditional suppliers of natural stones. Brides are increasingly opting for larger, brighter, and more affordable synthetic diamonds, and the classic diamond market is feeling the strain, reports the New York Post.

Even De Beers, long the guardian of prestige in engagement rings, has quietly lowered prices on natural diamonds as demand slows and lab-grown gems capture the wedding jewelry segment.

A striking example is Lisa Materna, 34, a PR manager from Phoenix, Arizona. Her fiancé, Jacob Materna, proposed in May 2023 with a nearly 2-carat emerald-cut lab-grown diamond set in white gold worth $8,000—an eye-catching ring that frequently draws attention from passersby. By comparison, a similar natural diamond would have cost $17,000–$18,000.

Lisa proudly embraces the origin of her ring: “I don’t feel any stigma. People don’t even notice the difference.” Her wedding band also features lab-grown diamonds in white gold with horizontal marquise stones. She says the money saved went toward the wedding and their future home.

For many couples, switching to lab-grown diamonds isn’t about abandoning tradition—it’s about getting more sparkle for their money.

Today, major U.S. jewelers, including Brilliant Earth, Blue Nile, and James Allen, offer lab-grown diamonds often priced 30–70% below their natural counterparts. The global lab-grown diamond market was valued at over $22 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach nearly $57 billion by 2032.

Meanwhile, the natural diamond market faces slowing demand and pricing pressure, with prices declining since 2022 and lab-grown competition intensifying. Experts note that lab-grown diamonds are visually indistinguishable from mined stones but can cost 70–90% less.

For luxury jewelers, natural diamonds retain prestige, rarity, and historical value—appealing to buyers seeking a long-term investment or the romance of a gem formed billions of years ago.

However, for younger buyers, raised on documentaries about “blood diamonds” and environmental concerns, lab-grown stones are often seen as a more ethical and rational choice.

Follow NEWS.am STYLE on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram