For every single diamond carat, an estimated 250 tons of earth has to shift. For context, 142 million carats were mined in 2019 alone. This has created holes that are so big, they can be seen from space. Furthermore, traditional mining releases 2,011 ounces of pollution and 143 pounds of carbon dioxide per carat. "An alarming amount of pollution and irreversible damage is done during and after a mine is opened," Jogia says, also citing unsafe working conditions, soil erosion, and degradation.
With mined diamonds, it's also difficult to know exactly where your diamond came from or to ensure no harm was done in the process of creating it. Though some jewellery brands have launched end-to-end traceability platforms, lab-grown diamonds still have less channels to go through. There are less hands that have touched it, travelling from the lab to jeweler to customer.
Numerous lab-grown diamond jewelers seek suppliers that use solar energy to offset their water waste. "By comparison, the energy used while mining is often dirty diesel," Warch says. "The long-term effects left on our planet are vast."