Greg Holland: Holland & Co Fine Jewellery owner on the lab-grown diamond market overtaking the traditional market

Lab-grown diamonds are dulling the sparkle of the real thing. 

The jewellery trend is taking over the traditional diamond market, mainly due to their cheaper price. 

Auckland's Holland & Co Fine Jewellery owner Greg Holland told Mike Hosking people can't tell the difference between lab grown and real with the naked eye. 

He says someone would need strong magnifying equipment to see the growth lines on manmade ones. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
There's a new trend I got for you and jewel
evill a new ish trend anyway, lab grown diamonds, right,
so they look real, but the cost of fraction of
the real thing. So how good are they and what's
it doing to the value of the real thing if
you've got the real thing? Holand co owner Greek Hollins, Well,
it's greg.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Morning, Good morning White.

Speaker 1 (00:15):
Correct me if I'm wrong, But I think lab grind
has been around for years, haven't they. It's just have
they suddenly improved in quality? Heints, we're all excited about them.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Yes, Look, there'sually nothing new about lab grown. Back in
the fifties, General Electric managed to figure out how to
create a lab grown diamond.

Speaker 1 (00:32):
Right between you. It's like, can I tell the difference
between a real one and a lab grind nowadays or not?

Speaker 2 (00:37):
No? The short answer is no, unless you're a gymologist
and you've got magnification. You can see growth lines and
a lab grown diamond, but you need pretty pretty intense
modification to see that. So no, to the naked eye,
you can't.

Speaker 1 (00:49):
See the difference high quality one carrot real versus one
carrot man made. What's the price difference?

Speaker 2 (00:55):
Oh it significant, it's roughly half.

Speaker 1 (00:59):
So why would I buther?

Speaker 2 (01:01):
Well, exactly, But I would say that they're not everyone's
cup of tea. I mean, I've got customers that will
just absolutely don't want to even look at a lab
grown for whatever reason that might be.

Speaker 1 (01:09):
And I mean that's about snobbery.

Speaker 2 (01:13):
Yeah, potentially, yep, but no, there's no doubt about it.
They are an increasing trend and are they here to stay?
And lab ground diamonds are definitely an option for a
customer looking for anegagi ring.

Speaker 1 (01:24):
I have followed this for a couple of years internationally.
The price of the real stuff when you're dealing with
the BS and all those sort of people. The price
of the real stuff has come down because of all this,
hasn't it?

Speaker 2 (01:33):
Yes, it has, yeah, absolutely, Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
So how come because a diamond is a diamond is
a diamond and that hasn't changed other than people's perceptions.
So it's the perceptions that's the price, that's all it is.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
Yeah, And the supply obviously to the lab growns. You know,
we're saying huge amount of supply coming through, so the
price of labrons has dropped as well.

Speaker 1 (01:54):
Do people have a stigma when they come in and go,
I'd like to when you're standing there with your bride
to be and and they go, I'd like a real one,
ago like lab grown. Can I do the let Does
it get it embarrassed?

Speaker 2 (02:06):
No? I mean the way our frame is like, the
customer has the choice obviously, so you know, I'll present
with them. You know, it might give you an option
of have a beautiful sapphire, for example, versus a natural
diamond versus a lab grown It's really customer's choice. And
as long as there I like giving them acute information
so they know exactly what they're dealing with them how
to make an informed decision. That's the key to it.

Speaker 1 (02:26):
How's business generally?

Speaker 2 (02:28):
Look, I found it quite good this year. I've got
very lower world customers. So yeah, there's always a demand
for the lex anniversary or significant birthday, so this is yeah.

Speaker 1 (02:38):
Yeah, fantastic. Good on you, Greg, nice to talk to you.
Pass that one onto the newsroom. Were you found a
businessman who's doing well in diamonds? Say you don't hear
You don't hear that too often?

Speaker 2 (02:47):
For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to
news talks.

Speaker 1 (02:51):
They'd be from six am weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.