Diamonds: lab-grown vs mined

Diamonds: lab-grown vs mined

From Business Daily by BBC World Service

April 27, 2026 · 17 min

About this episode

This episode explores the competition between lab-grown and mined diamonds, focusing on ethical and economic implications.

Diamonds in places like Sierra Leone have long had a tarnished association with war and corruption – blood diamonds, as they’re known. There’s now also the economic threat of synthetic, lab-grown diamonds. Can traditional mining compete? And are natural diamonds really so much worse for us, for the planet, than their new rivals, grown in a lab? To get in touch with the team, send us an email to businessdaily@bbc.co.uk Producer/presenter: Ed Butler Sound engineer: Toby James Business Daily is the home of in-depth audio journalism devoted to the world of money and work. From small startup stories to big corporate takeovers, global economic shifts to trends in technology, we look at the key figures, ideas and events shaping business. Each episode is a 17-minute, daily deep dive into a single topic, featuring expert analysis and the people at the heart of the story. Recent episodes explore the weight-loss drug revolution, the growth in AI, the cost of living, the economic impact of the war in the Middle East, and why bond markets are so powerful. We also feature in-depth interviews with company founders and some of the world's most prominent CEOs. These include Google's Sundar…

People in this episode

Host: Ed Butler

Topics covered

  • diamonds
  • lab-grown vs mined
  • economic impact
  • sustainability
  • ethical sourcing

Keywords

  • diamonds
  • lab-grown
  • mined
  • Sierra Leone
  • blood diamonds
  • sustainability
  • ethical sourcing

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BBC World Service

Products: lab-grown diamonds, natural diamonds

Places: Sierra Leone

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