'It is by the grace of God that you find a diamond'
The rapid rise of lab-grown diamonds is reshaping the global gem market, driving down the value of natural stones and impacting mining communities from West Africa to retail stores.
The retail price of polished natural diamonds has fallen by 40% in the past four years, according to market reports [1][2]. This decline is largely attributed to the growth of the synthetic diamond industry. The global lab-grown diamond market was valued at $29.5bn in 2022 and is expected to reach $91.9bn by 2034 [1][2]. In the United States, engagement rings with lab-grown stones now account for 61% of all sales [1][2]. The market shift has had severe consequences for traditional mining. In Sierra Leone, the closure of the country's biggest diamond mine, Koidu Holdings, led to the loss of 1,000 jobs [1][2]. The company cited costs from an industrial dispute and security concerns, with insiders acknowledging global market weakness as a factor [1][2]. In the Kono region, miners are now finding fewer diamonds and making less money [1][2]. Local governor Augustine Shekho said lower diamond values have reduced earnings for miners and weakened the local economy [1][2]. The industry has been central to Sierra Leone since the 1930s and was a focal point of the country's brutal civil war [1][2].
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Diamond ↗
Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 56.5 million records in the US alone, making him one of the best-selling musicians in history. Diamond has written and recorded ten singles that reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboar…
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en.wikipedia.org —
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Grace ↗
Nancy Ann Grace (born October 23, 1959) is an American legal commentator and television journalist. She hosted Nancy Grace, a nightly celebrity news and current affairs show on HLN, from 2005 to 2016, and Court TV's Closing Arguments from 1996 to 2007. She also co-wrote the book …
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en.wikipedia.org —
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_II ↗
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during her lifetime and was the monarch of 15 realms …
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