Sustainability & Ethical Diamonds

Traditional diamond mining is one of the most environmentally intensive extractive industries on Earth. The process involves removing enormous quantities of rock and soil to reach diamond-bearing deposits, fundamentally altering landscapes and ecosystems in ways that can take centuries to recover -- if they ever do.

Open-pit diamond mines are among the largest human-made excavations on the planet. The Mir mine in Siberia, for example, is 525 metres deep and 1,200 metres across. The Jwaneng mine in Botswana processes over 9 million tonnes of ore annually to extract diamonds. For every single carat of mined diamond recovered, an average of 250 tonnes of earth must be moved, processed, and displaced. This massive displacement destroys habitats, disrupts watersheds, and leaves behind toxic tailings ponds that can contaminate groundwater for decades.

Marine diamond mining, practised along the coasts of Namibia and South Africa, dredges the ocean floor, destroying marine habitats and disrupting fish populations. Alluvial mining in river systems causes riverbank erosion, silt contamination, and the diversion of waterways. The environmental toll extends far beyond the mine site itself, affecting surrounding communities, agriculture, and wildlife for many kilometres.

These environmental costs are not theoretical -- they are documented and ongoing. While some mining companies have made strides in environmental management and reclamation, the fundamental reality is that extracting diamonds from the Earth is an inherently destructive process. Lab-grown diamonds offer a fundamentally different approach.

Lab-grown diamonds are created using two primary technologies: HPHT (High Pressure, High Temperature) and CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition). Both processes produce diamonds that are chemically, optically, and physically identical to mined diamonds. The difference is that what takes the Earth billions of years and catastrophic geological forces is accomplished in a laboratory in a matter of weeks.

The HPHT method places a diamond seed in a chamber with a carbon source and subjects it to pressures exceeding 5 gigapascals and temperatures above 1,400 degrees Celsius -- conditions that mirror those found 150 kilometres below the Earth’s surface. The CVD method grows diamonds in a vacuum chamber filled with a carbon-rich gas (typically methane), which is broken down by microwave energy to deposit carbon atoms onto a diamond seed, building the crystal layer by layer.

The environmental advantages of laboratory production are profound. No land is excavated. No ecosystems are destroyed. No toxic tailings ponds are created. No river systems are diverted. The entire production footprint is contained within a factory building. While energy is required to power the growth chambers, this energy use is orders of magnitude less impactful than the full lifecycle environmental cost of mining operations. For a detailed comparison of the two types, read our Lab-Grown vs. Natural Diamonds guide.

Carbon emissions are one of the most significant environmental metrics when comparing mined and lab-grown diamonds. The full lifecycle carbon footprint of a mined diamond includes extraction, processing, transportation across multiple continents for cutting and polishing, and the energy consumed by mining operations themselves, including heavy machinery, explosives, and site management.

According to independent environmental assessments, a mined diamond produces approximately 57 kg of carbon dioxide per carat. The majority of this comes from diesel-powered mining equipment, transportation of ore to processing facilities, and the energy-intensive processes of crushing and separating diamond-bearing rock.

A lab-grown diamond produced using current technology generates approximately 5-20 kg of CO2 per carat, depending on the production method and the energy source powering the laboratory. HPHT production tends to be slightly more energy-intensive than CVD, but both are dramatically lower-emission processes than mining. Critically, as laboratories increasingly transition to renewable energy sources -- solar, wind, and hydroelectric -- the carbon footprint of lab-grown diamonds continues to decline.

Some mining industry representatives argue that certain operations achieve carbon neutrality through offset programs. While offsets can play a role, they do not eliminate the fundamental environmental disruption of land excavation, water contamination, and habitat destruction. Lab-grown diamonds avoid these impacts entirely, making their environmental advantage structural rather than compensatory.

The phrase “blood diamond” or “conflict diamond” refers to diamonds mined in war zones and sold to finance armed conflict against governments. While the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), established in 2003, was designed to prevent the trade in conflict diamonds, it has faced significant criticism for its narrow definition of “conflict” and its inability to address broader human rights concerns in the diamond supply chain.

Beyond the specific issue of conflict diamonds, the mined diamond industry faces ongoing challenges with labour practices. In some producing countries, miners work in dangerous conditions for minimal wages. Child labour, while officially prohibited, persists in artisanal mining operations in parts of Central and West Africa. The complex, multi-stage supply chain for mined diamonds -- from mine to rough dealer to cutter to polisher to broker to retailer -- makes full traceability extremely difficult, creating gaps where unethical practices can be concealed.

Lab-grown diamonds eliminate these ethical concerns entirely. They are created in controlled, regulated laboratory environments by trained technicians in countries with robust labour laws. The supply chain is short and fully transparent: from laboratory to jeweller to you. There is zero risk of funding conflict, zero risk of exploitative labour practices, and complete traceability from creation to purchase.

For many of our customers, the ethical dimension is as important as the environmental one. Choosing a lab-grown diamond means wearing a stone that is not only beautiful but represents a clear, positive choice -- a symbol of love that does not come at someone else’s expense.

At Aurela Diamonds, sustainability is not a marketing angle -- it is a founding principle. We believe that luxury and responsibility are not in conflict; they are complementary. A beautiful engagement ring should make you feel proud, not just of its appearance but of what it represents and how it came to be.

We invite you to hold us accountable. Ask us questions about our sourcing, our suppliers, and our practices. Transparency is not just something we offer -- it is something we welcome. Learn more about our diamonds on our Education page, or read about the independent grading process on our Certification page.