RAPAPORT... Consumers are prepared to pay a premium for a diamond that has been verified as responsibly sourced, MVI Marketing found in a survey.
Approximately one third of consumers would shell out an
extra 5% on top of the retail price for a diamond that has been authenticated by an independent body as being responsibly mined, or sustainably lab-grown, or for which the country of origin
was known. About a fifth of those surveyed would pay an additional 10%.
Nearly half of respondents stated they would not buy diamond
jewelry from a lab or mine that was known to have an adverse social or
environmental impact at their site and on their workers, while 30% said it was
somewhat important to them. Similarly, 50% of those surveyed said they would be
more likely to purchase a jewelry brand that they knew had a positive impact
over other brands they weren’t sure about.
When it comes to third-party verification and knowing a
diamond’s country of origin, 48% considered it very important for mined
diamonds, while 44% felt that way about lab-grown stones, the data showed. Outside verification made consumers even more likely to open their wallets: Some 7% of those surveyed gave the highest rating in terms of confidence in self-created standards,
while 20% voted that way for standards created by multiple companies or verified by a third party.
Meanwhile, when asked what they considered most important to
know prior to purchasing, other than price, respondents ranked the 4Cs first and a grading certificate second, followed by the brand’s reputation. Verification
that a diamond was mined using socially and environmentally responsible methods came in fourth.
MVI conducted the survey in July 2019 among 1,506
individuals aged 23 to 55, with a household income over $50,000, who have
purchased or received fine jewelry within the past year. Some 70% were female
and 30% male, while 77% were US citizens, and 23% were Canadian.
Image: A pair of diamond earrings. (Shutterstock)
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