At the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), deputy finance minister of Russia, Alexey Moiseyev, reminded the forum participants that lab-grown diamonds (LGD) are not recognized by Russian law as precious stones. He also expressed the opinion that they cause more damage to the environment than the extraction of their natural counterparts.
Alexey Moiseyev addressed the female part of the audience with a warning that "synthetics" are not precious stones: "The law says otherwise."
Emphasizing the difference between synthetic and natural gems from a legislative point of view, he suggested that the active global promotion of LGD may be associated with attempts to displace Russian natural diamonds, since Russia remains one of the world's largest diamond mining countries.
"In essence, there is a distortion and substitution of facts," he added, "everything Russian is considered bad."
Along with the legislative aspect, the official touched upon the environmental impact of synthetic diamond production. He noted the serious environmental damage from this activity, emphasizing that the carbon dioxide emissions from this process exceed those from natural diamond mining by a hundred times. This makes the production of LGD unsustainable and harmful to the environment, and conflicts with the widespread opinion about the "environmental friendliness" of lab-growns. After all, it is generally believed that the extraction of natural diamonds is associated with a significant impact on the environment, including landscape changes, water and energy consumption, and potential pollution. But the production of synthetic diamonds, although it does not require digging mines, is an extremely energy-intensive process, requiring high temperatures and pressures. The overall environmental impact of diamond mining and synthetic production remains a subject of debate among experts.
At the same time, the statement by the deputy finance minister may influence the perception and regulation of the market for laboratory-grown diamonds in Russia, emphasizes the need for clear information to consumers and is a reason for a serious assessment of the environmental safety of various methods of diamond production.
Galina Semyonova, Editor in Chief of the Russian Bureau, Rough&Polished
