SELLO MOTSETA and FARAI MUTSAKA
Fri, November 28, 2025
AP
A raw diamond is displayed during a media tour of the Diamond Trading Company in Gaborone, Botswana, Sept. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Sello Motseta)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
A truck carries rough stones from the Orapa open cast mine in Lethakane, Botswana, Sept. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Sello Motseta)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Dust rises from the processing plant at the Orapa open cast mine in Lethakane, Botswana, Sept. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Sello Motseta)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Ian Furman, a jewellery consultant, points out the difference between real, at right, and synthetic diamond used on engagement and wedding rings, in Johannesburg, South Africa, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
GABORONE, Botswana (AP) — In a village outside Botswana ’s capital, Keorapetse Koko sat on an aging couch in her sparsely furnished home, stunned that a career — and an entire nation’s economy — built on diamonds had fallen so far, so fast.
For 17 years, she had earned a living cutting and polishing the gems that helped transform Botswana from one of the world’s poorest nations into one of Africa’s success stories. Diamonds were discovered in 1967, a year after independence, an abrupt change of fortune for the landlocked country.
Botswana became the world’s top diamond producer by value, and second-largest by volume after Russia. Diamonds are woven into the national identity, with local Olympic champion runner Letsile Tebogo heading a De Beers campaign celebrating how the industry funds schools and stadiums.
The stones that Koko and thousands of others dug and polished over the decades have funded Botswana’s health, education, infrastructure and more. The country risked the “resource curse” of building its economy on a single natural asset — and unlike many African nations, it was a success.
But Koko lost her job a year ago, joining many others left adrift as Africa’s trade in natural diamonds buckles under growing pressure from cheaper lab-grown diamonds mass-produced mainly in China and India.
“I have debts and I don’t know how I am going to pay them,” said the mother of two, who had survived on about $300 a month and relied on her employer for medical insurance. It had been a decent situation for a semi-skilled worker in a country where the average monthly salary is about $500. “Every month they call me asking for money. But where do I get it?”
‘Diamonds built our country’
Botswana, which has unearthed some of the world’s biggest stones, has prided itself on prudently managing its natural wealth, avoiding the corruption and fighting that have plagued many African peers. Its marketing message has been simple: Its stones are conflict-free and help fund development.
“Diamonds built our country,” said Joseph Tsimako, president of the Botswana Mine Workers Union, which represents about 10,000 workers in the nation of 2.5 million people. “Now, as the world changes, we must find a way to make sure they don’t destroy the lives of the people who helped build it.”
He warned that new U.S. tariffs under the Trump administration could worsen Botswana’s downturn, triggering staffing freezes, unpaid leave and more layoffs. The U.S. has imposed a 15% tariff on diamonds that are mined, cut and polished there.
Diamond exports, roughly 80% of Botswana’s foreign earnings and a third of government revenue, have tumbled.
Debswana, the largest local diamond producer and a joint venture between the government and mining giant De Beers, saw revenues halve last year. It has paused operations at some mines as Botswana and Angola enter talks to take over controlling stakes in De Beers’ diamond mining unit.
In September, Botswana’s national statistics agency reported a 43% drop in diamond output in the second quarter, the steepest fall in the country’s modern mining history. The World Bank expects the economy to shrink 3% this year, the second consecutive contraction.
The rise of synthetic diamonds
The global rise of synthetic diamonds has been swift. They have “given stiff competition, especially in lower-quality stones,” said Siddarth Gothi, chairman of the Botswana Diamond Manufacturers Association.
The gems emerged in the 1950s for industrial use. By the 1970s they had reached jewelry quality. Lab-grown stones now sell for up to 80% less than natural diamonds. Once making up just 1% of global sales in 2015, they have surged to nearly 20%.
Glitzy social media videos have fueled the appeal of synthetic gems made in weeks under intense heat and pressure and marketed as cheaper, conflict-free and eco-friendly alternatives to stones formed over billions of years.
Environmental groups have said natural diamond mining can drive deforestation, destroy habitats, degrade the soil and pollute the water. But environmental claims about the synthetic gems also face scrutiny, with critics noting that production remains energy-intensive, often powered by fossil fuels.
From “a marginal phenomenon,” an “unprecedented flood” of synthetics now threatens the natural diamond’s value and future, World Federation of Diamond Bourses president Yoram Dvash warned in July.
Lab-grown stones now account for most new U.S. engagement rings, he said. Natural diamond prices have fallen roughly 30% since 2022, leaving the industry at what Dvash called “a critical juncture.”
Hollywood stars, including Billie Eilish and Pamela Anderson, and Bollywood celebrities have boosted synthetic diamonds’ allure, along with Gen Z influencers.
“The new generation of youngsters getting engaged, they’ve got far more important things to spend their money on than a diamond,” said Ian Furman, founder of Naturally Diamonds, which sells natural and synthetic diamonds in neighboring South Africa. “So, it’s become so attractive to them to buy lab diamonds."
Furman said that for every 100 diamonds his company sells, around 95 are synthetic when just five or six years ago it was overwhelmingly natural diamonds.
African producers feel the pain
The shift is felt beyond Botswana. Across southern Africa, falling production of natural diamonds and revenue have led to job cuts and financial strain.
To counter the trend, Botswana, Angola, Namibia, South Africa and Congo in June agreed to pool 1% of annual diamond revenues, translating into millions of dollars, into a global marketing push led by the Natural Diamond Council to promote natural stones. The nonprofit’s members include major mining companies such as De Beers Group and Rio Tinto, which have invested heavily in natural diamonds.
Last year, the council launched a “Real. Rare. Responsible” campaign starring actor Lily James in a bid to recast natural diamonds as unique and ethically sourced.
Kristina Buckley Kayel, the council’s managing director for North America, said restoring natural diamonds’ “desirability” is essential to protect producer economies, particularly in southern Africa.
With its diamond income no longer assured, Botswana’s government in September created a sovereign wealth fund focused on investment and diversification beyond mining, although details about its value and investors sketchy. Suddenly, the country’s elephant-heavy tourism industry and other mining options, including gold, silver and uranium, are more important than ever.
But for Koko, the laid-off diamond worker, the policy shift may have come too late.
“I was the breadwinner in a big family,” she said. “Now I don’t even know how to feed my own. Looking for another job is very difficult. The skills I learned are only relevant to the diamond industry.”
She never owned a diamond herself. Even the smallest would be a luxury beyond her means.
___
Mutsaka reported from Harare, Zimbabwe. Associated Press writer Mogomotsi Magome in Johannesburg, South Africa, contributed to this report.
___
For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse
The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org
A raw diamond is displayed during a media tour of the Diamond Trading Company in Gaborone, Botswana, Sept. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Sello Motseta)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
A truck carries rough stones from the Orapa open cast mine in Lethakane, Botswana, Sept. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Sello Motseta)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Dust rises from the processing plant at the Orapa open cast mine in Lethakane, Botswana, Sept. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Sello Motseta)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Ian Furman, a jewellery consultant, points out the difference between real, at right, and synthetic diamond used on engagement and wedding rings, in Johannesburg, South Africa, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
GABORONE, Botswana (AP) — In a village outside Botswana ’s capital, Keorapetse Koko sat on an aging couch in her sparsely furnished home, stunned that a career — and an entire nation’s economy — built on diamonds had fallen so far, so fast.
For 17 years, she had earned a living cutting and polishing the gems that helped transform Botswana from one of the world’s poorest nations into one of Africa’s success stories. Diamonds were discovered in 1967, a year after independence, an abrupt change of fortune for the landlocked country.
Botswana became the world’s top diamond producer by value, and second-largest by volume after Russia. Diamonds are woven into the national identity, with local Olympic champion runner Letsile Tebogo heading a De Beers campaign celebrating how the industry funds schools and stadiums.
The stones that Koko and thousands of others dug and polished over the decades have funded Botswana’s health, education, infrastructure and more. The country risked the “resource curse” of building its economy on a single natural asset — and unlike many African nations, it was a success.
But Koko lost her job a year ago, joining many others left adrift as Africa’s trade in natural diamonds buckles under growing pressure from cheaper lab-grown diamonds mass-produced mainly in China and India.
“I have debts and I don’t know how I am going to pay them,” said the mother of two, who had survived on about $300 a month and relied on her employer for medical insurance. It had been a decent situation for a semi-skilled worker in a country where the average monthly salary is about $500. “Every month they call me asking for money. But where do I get it?”
‘Diamonds built our country’
Botswana, which has unearthed some of the world’s biggest stones, has prided itself on prudently managing its natural wealth, avoiding the corruption and fighting that have plagued many African peers. Its marketing message has been simple: Its stones are conflict-free and help fund development.
“Diamonds built our country,” said Joseph Tsimako, president of the Botswana Mine Workers Union, which represents about 10,000 workers in the nation of 2.5 million people. “Now, as the world changes, we must find a way to make sure they don’t destroy the lives of the people who helped build it.”
He warned that new U.S. tariffs under the Trump administration could worsen Botswana’s downturn, triggering staffing freezes, unpaid leave and more layoffs. The U.S. has imposed a 15% tariff on diamonds that are mined, cut and polished there.
Diamond exports, roughly 80% of Botswana’s foreign earnings and a third of government revenue, have tumbled.
Debswana, the largest local diamond producer and a joint venture between the government and mining giant De Beers, saw revenues halve last year. It has paused operations at some mines as Botswana and Angola enter talks to take over controlling stakes in De Beers’ diamond mining unit.
In September, Botswana’s national statistics agency reported a 43% drop in diamond output in the second quarter, the steepest fall in the country’s modern mining history. The World Bank expects the economy to shrink 3% this year, the second consecutive contraction.
The rise of synthetic diamonds
The global rise of synthetic diamonds has been swift. They have “given stiff competition, especially in lower-quality stones,” said Siddarth Gothi, chairman of the Botswana Diamond Manufacturers Association.
The gems emerged in the 1950s for industrial use. By the 1970s they had reached jewelry quality. Lab-grown stones now sell for up to 80% less than natural diamonds. Once making up just 1% of global sales in 2015, they have surged to nearly 20%.
Glitzy social media videos have fueled the appeal of synthetic gems made in weeks under intense heat and pressure and marketed as cheaper, conflict-free and eco-friendly alternatives to stones formed over billions of years.
Environmental groups have said natural diamond mining can drive deforestation, destroy habitats, degrade the soil and pollute the water. But environmental claims about the synthetic gems also face scrutiny, with critics noting that production remains energy-intensive, often powered by fossil fuels.
From “a marginal phenomenon,” an “unprecedented flood” of synthetics now threatens the natural diamond’s value and future, World Federation of Diamond Bourses president Yoram Dvash warned in July.
Lab-grown stones now account for most new U.S. engagement rings, he said. Natural diamond prices have fallen roughly 30% since 2022, leaving the industry at what Dvash called “a critical juncture.”
Hollywood stars, including Billie Eilish and Pamela Anderson, and Bollywood celebrities have boosted synthetic diamonds’ allure, along with Gen Z influencers.
“The new generation of youngsters getting engaged, they’ve got far more important things to spend their money on than a diamond,” said Ian Furman, founder of Naturally Diamonds, which sells natural and synthetic diamonds in neighboring South Africa. “So, it’s become so attractive to them to buy lab diamonds."
Furman said that for every 100 diamonds his company sells, around 95 are synthetic when just five or six years ago it was overwhelmingly natural diamonds.
African producers feel the pain
The shift is felt beyond Botswana. Across southern Africa, falling production of natural diamonds and revenue have led to job cuts and financial strain.
To counter the trend, Botswana, Angola, Namibia, South Africa and Congo in June agreed to pool 1% of annual diamond revenues, translating into millions of dollars, into a global marketing push led by the Natural Diamond Council to promote natural stones. The nonprofit’s members include major mining companies such as De Beers Group and Rio Tinto, which have invested heavily in natural diamonds.
Last year, the council launched a “Real. Rare. Responsible” campaign starring actor Lily James in a bid to recast natural diamonds as unique and ethically sourced.
Kristina Buckley Kayel, the council’s managing director for North America, said restoring natural diamonds’ “desirability” is essential to protect producer economies, particularly in southern Africa.
With its diamond income no longer assured, Botswana’s government in September created a sovereign wealth fund focused on investment and diversification beyond mining, although details about its value and investors sketchy. Suddenly, the country’s elephant-heavy tourism industry and other mining options, including gold, silver and uranium, are more important than ever.
But for Koko, the laid-off diamond worker, the policy shift may have come too late.
“I was the breadwinner in a big family,” she said. “Now I don’t even know how to feed my own. Looking for another job is very difficult. The skills I learned are only relevant to the diamond industry.”
She never owned a diamond herself. Even the smallest would be a luxury beyond her means.
___
Mutsaka reported from Harare, Zimbabwe. Associated Press writer Mogomotsi Magome in Johannesburg, South Africa, contributed to this report.
___
For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse
The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org
G&G in a Flash: The Latest on Laboratory-Grown Diamonds
From G&G Summer 2024;
article by Sally Eaton-Magaña et al.
Phoebe Shang
December 2, 2024
Phoebe Shang
December 2, 2024
The CVD diamond plate on the left was created at a GIA facility for research
purposes. On the right is a 10.02 carat, E color, VS1 clarity HPHT grown emerald
cut diamond. Its size and quality show just how far laboratory-grown diamond
technology has come in recent decades. Industry analysts project that by 2025
, 20% of all diamonds on the market will be laboratory-grown. Indeed, the
gem industry has seen a significant increase in the quantity, size, and quality
of laboratory-grown diamonds in recent years. And at present, GIA averages
more CVD-grown diamond submissions per day than it once did during an
entire year. It is therefore more important than ever to understand the
production, treatment, and identification of laboratory-grown diamonds.
This article covers major trends observed by GIA since 2007, the year it began issuing laboratory-grown diamond grading reports.
Laboratory Growth and Treatment Methods
Most laboratory-grown diamonds passing through GIA’s laboratories are grown by CVD (chemical vapor deposition), with most undergoing post-growth HPHT (high-pressure, high-temperature) treatment to remove their color.
CVD Diamonds
When the first CVD diamonds were produced in 1952, the crystal quality and sizes were not suitable for jewelry. Some gem-quality diamonds began appearing in the 2000s. In recent years, however, rapid advancements in technology have resulted in vast quantities of high-quality CVD-grown gem diamonds.
CVD diamond growth is based on a chemical process very different from natural diamond formation. This technique involves a reactor in which hydrogen and hydrocarbon (typically methane) gases flow over one or more diamond substrates. Microwaves are used to activate a plasma, triggering a series of reactions necessary to deposit diamond material on the seeds. Hydrogen, accounting for 90–99% of the gas mixture, suppresses the growth of graphite or non-diamond carbon, which would hinder high-quality diamond formation.
This ring features a 2.14 ct heart-shaped laboratory-grown diamond with E color
and VS1 clarity as well as 2.12 cts of D–F, VVS–VS laboratory-grown melee diamonds.
HPHT Diamonds
While the CVD method was developed earlier, the first gem-quality laboratory-grown diamonds were produced using the HPHT method. The HPHT method mimics some of the conditions in which natural diamonds form. A solid carbon source, typically graphite powder, is subjected to pressures of 5–6 GPa (equivalent to a depth of 150–190 km within the earth) and temperatures of 1300–1600°C, higher than those for natural diamond formation (~1040–1250°C), allowing for rapid growth. HPHT growth takes place inside a capsule that includes a carbon source, a metallic flux for dissolving the carbon to aid in growth, and a diamond seed to start the process. The temperature of the diamond seed is lower, so that carbon supersaturates and crystallizes out of the metal solution. An HPHT diamond usually takes an hour to a few weeks to grow, depending on the desired size and quality.
For both methods, a diamond substrate (often referred to as a “seed” in HPHT growth) is used to create the crystal blueprint from which the new diamond is created. The quality, size, and preparation of the substrate can have a significant impact on the resulting diamond.
These CVD-grown diamonds vary from 9.52 to 12.06 carats. Their color
ranges from E to G and their clarity from VS2 to SI1. Large laboratory-grown
diamonds like these have become more common in recent years.
Color, Clarity, and Carat Weight
Color
Prior to 2020, most CVD-grown diamonds were “near-colorless,” with color grades from G to N. During the mid-2010s, many CVD-grown diamonds also had gray coloration. The year 2020 saw a significant increase in the submission of colorless-grade diamonds (D, E, or F), likely due to improvements in growth and treatment procedures. Manufacturers are constantly—and successfully—refining their growth and treatment procedures to produce large, colorless diamonds.
Most early HPHT-grown diamond submissions observed at GIA starting in 2007 were yellow-orange due to nitrogen impurities or blue due to boron. Over the past 10–15 years, manufacturers have successfully eliminated nitrogen, the main cause of yellow-orange color, from laboratory-grown diamonds. There has since been a sharp decline in submissions of yellow-orange HPHT-grown diamonds, with colorless samples now representing the vast majority of submissions. In the years 2021–2023, more than 90% of HPHT-grown diamond intake was colorless—a trend that likely reflects consumer preferences.
Some CVD-grown diamonds have a brown coloration after growth. As with natural brown diamonds, CVD-grown diamonds can be enhanced using HPHT treatments to reduce or remove the brown coloration. Although similar equipment can be used for HPHT treatment and HPHT growth, the underlying methods are different. HPHT treatments are conducted at higher temperatures than those used for HPHT growth (>1600°C) and do not result in additional diamond material. Low-pressure, high-temperature (LPHT) treatment, in which samples are annealed at similarly high temperatures under a vacuum or an inert gas, can also be used to change the color of CVD-grown diamonds.
Manufacturers of CVD products can thus use recipes that promote rapid growth of diamond layers, even if it results in a brown coloration, and subsequently improve the color grade through post-growth annealing. This approach may be faster, easier, or more cost-effective than directly producing a colorless diamond using CVD. Over time, the percentage of CVD-grown diamonds exhibiting signs of annealing treatment has consistently increased. Since 2020, approximately 80% of the CVD-grown diamonds submitted to GIA have undergone post-growth processing.
These 2.00 ct Fancy Deep orange (left) and 3.00 ct Fancy Vivid orangy pink
Color, Clarity, and Carat Weight
Color
Prior to 2020, most CVD-grown diamonds were “near-colorless,” with color grades from G to N. During the mid-2010s, many CVD-grown diamonds also had gray coloration. The year 2020 saw a significant increase in the submission of colorless-grade diamonds (D, E, or F), likely due to improvements in growth and treatment procedures. Manufacturers are constantly—and successfully—refining their growth and treatment procedures to produce large, colorless diamonds.
Most early HPHT-grown diamond submissions observed at GIA starting in 2007 were yellow-orange due to nitrogen impurities or blue due to boron. Over the past 10–15 years, manufacturers have successfully eliminated nitrogen, the main cause of yellow-orange color, from laboratory-grown diamonds. There has since been a sharp decline in submissions of yellow-orange HPHT-grown diamonds, with colorless samples now representing the vast majority of submissions. In the years 2021–2023, more than 90% of HPHT-grown diamond intake was colorless—a trend that likely reflects consumer preferences.
Some CVD-grown diamonds have a brown coloration after growth. As with natural brown diamonds, CVD-grown diamonds can be enhanced using HPHT treatments to reduce or remove the brown coloration. Although similar equipment can be used for HPHT treatment and HPHT growth, the underlying methods are different. HPHT treatments are conducted at higher temperatures than those used for HPHT growth (>1600°C) and do not result in additional diamond material. Low-pressure, high-temperature (LPHT) treatment, in which samples are annealed at similarly high temperatures under a vacuum or an inert gas, can also be used to change the color of CVD-grown diamonds.
Manufacturers of CVD products can thus use recipes that promote rapid growth of diamond layers, even if it results in a brown coloration, and subsequently improve the color grade through post-growth annealing. This approach may be faster, easier, or more cost-effective than directly producing a colorless diamond using CVD. Over time, the percentage of CVD-grown diamonds exhibiting signs of annealing treatment has consistently increased. Since 2020, approximately 80% of the CVD-grown diamonds submitted to GIA have undergone post-growth processing.
These 2.00 ct Fancy Deep orange (left) and 3.00 ct Fancy Vivid orangy pink
(right) CVD-grown diamonds underwent multiple treatments, including HPHT
processing, irradiation, and low-temperature annealing to achieve their final
color grades.
Clarity
The growth of large, colorless HPHT-grown diamonds with high purity is particularly challenging, as it requires complex ingredient and recipe development to minimize nitrogen content, as well as the ability to carefully control conditions over extended periods of time. Nitrogen speeds diamond growth, so its absence reduces growth rates. Whereas CVD-grown diamonds can be created over a series of growth steps, HPHT-grown diamonds are produced in a single uninterrupted run, making a highly controlled environment much more necessary.
Carat Weight
The size of gem-quality CVD-grown diamonds has seen a dramatic increase over time. From 2000 to 2010, most CVD-grown diamonds submitted to GIA were under half a carat. Today, the majority of them exceed 3 ct. This change in size reflects improvements in CVD methods as well as the availability of larger diamond substrates. The years since 2010 have seen a very rapid increase in size. By January 2022, the largest faceted CVD-grown diamond was 16.41 ct. Since that time, the benchmark has more than quadrupled to 75.33 ct.
Some HPHT-grown diamonds surpass 100 carats in size. The largest recorded laboratory-grown diamond is a 150.42 ct HPHT-grown crystal with good quality, created in November 2021.
These cuboctahedral near-colorless HPHT-grown diamond crystals are
commonly grown up to a few carats in size.
Global Laboratory-Grown Diamond Producers
One industry report estimated that 6–7 million carats of gem-quality laboratory-grown diamonds were produced globally in 2020. China produced approximately 3 million carats (mostly HPHT), followed by India with about 1.5 million carats (mostly CVD) and the United States with about 1 million carats (mostly CVD).
Market leaders in China use the HPHT method to mass produce small, melee-size goods and diamond grits and powders for abrasives. Chinese CVD producers also grow high-quality gemstones, including large, untreated colorless diamonds and pink and blue diamonds.
India has an estimated 4,000–6,000 CVD reactors based in Surat in the state of Gujarat, which is also the world’s leading diamond cutting and polishing center. A company there produced the largest known faceted CVD diamond to date, a 75.33 ct square emerald cut displayed at the 2024 JCK Las Vegas show. The original crystal reportedly took nine months to grow. In 2023, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented a 7.50 ct F-color, VVS2-clarity CVD-grown diamond to First Lady Jill Biden during a visit to the White House, showing the increase in prestige and importance of laboratory-grown diamonds.
CVD diamond production in the United States arose due to the semiconductor industry. Diamond’s remarkable properties—including high hardness, high thermal conductivity, low thermal expansion, wide optical window, biocompatibility, and high resistance to corrosion, acid, and radiation—have a wide range of engineering applications.
Tens of carats of near-colorless HPHT diamonds are grown in single runs
and faceted into melee gems like these.
Did you know that the vast majority of colorless to near-colorless laboratory-grown diamonds are type II, meaning they have no detectable nitrogen impurities? In contrast, only about 1% of natural diamonds are type II. Therefore, most diamonds submitted for extensive analysis to determine whether they are laboratory-grown are type II.
To learn more about identifying laboratory-grown diamonds, especially melee, read the full article.
No comments:
Post a Comment