Diamonds with a Clear Conscience – True Beauty Without Compromise

At Nangi, we’ve made a clear choice: we sell only lab-grown diamonds. Not as a compromise, but as a conscious step toward a jewelry world that doesn’t ask nature or people to pay the price.

We were the first in Norway to move entirely away from mined diamonds in 2019 — not because it was the easiest path, but because we believe jewelry is more beautiful when it doesn’t harm the planet.

The Numbers Speak for Themselves

We know many people simply haven’t been aware of how vast the differences truly are. That’s why we want to give you the facts — clearly, honestly, and without judgment. Once you know what lies behind, the choice becomes effortless.

The data tells the story: the difference between mined and lab-grown diamonds isn’t subtle — it’s staggering.

A mined diamond can consume up to 9,000 liters of water per carat (Earthworks, 2019) — that’s more than 120 showers or enough to fill a bathtub ten times over. A lab-grown diamond, on the other hand, typically uses less than 100 liters — about the same as one load of laundry.

When it comes to climate impact, a traditional diamond emits 150–250 kg of CO₂ per carat — roughly the same as a round trip flight from Oslo to Rome. A lab-grown diamond often falls below 40 kg, comparable to a single taxi ride to the airport.

For every carat mined, up to two tons of earth and rock may be displaced. A lab-grown diamond leaves behind no craters, dust clouds, or eroded soil — only a pure crystal, cultivated, controlled, and fully traceable.

These are not small differences. They are two entirely different realities.

Lab-Grown Diamonds – Nature’s Result, Without Nature’s Cost

A lab-grown diamond is a diamond. It is made of carbon, with the same hardness, brilliance, and enduring beauty as one formed deep within the earth.

When we speak of hardness, we mean resistance to scratches; when we speak of durability, we mean the ability to be worn and cherished for generations.

The difference lies in everything that doesn’t have to happen:

• Water use: typically under 100 liters – about one laundry cycle (George, 2024)
• CO₂ emissions: 70–85% lower than mined diamonds (Jiang et al., 2025)
• No blasting, excavation, or groundwater depletion
• No worker or community risk
• No destroyed ecosystems left to restore

Lab-grown diamonds aren’t “perfect” — they require energy to create — but their footprint can be improved. A destroyed landscape cannot.

How Is a Lab-Grown Diamond Made?

Many people wonder how it’s possible to grow a diamond. The processes are complex, yet the result is identical to what nature creates — only faster, cleaner, and far more controlled.

CVD – Chemical Vapor Deposition

In the CVD process, a tiny diamond seed is placed inside a sealed chamber with methane gas. As the gas heats, carbon atoms detach and bond layer by layer onto the seed, slowly forming a rough diamond.

When we visited a laboratory producing lab-grown diamonds, we learned something fascinating: every single diamond begins with a seed — a sliver of an existing lab-grown diamond or a fragment of a natural one.

Depending on the size, growth takes between two and ten weeks. The process allows for exceptional control over purity and quality (Shigley et al., 2016b). Only small quantities of methane are used — a single tank can last for years. CVD also makes it easier to create diamonds with unique colors.

HPHT – High Pressure High Temperature

HPHT replicates the extreme pressure and heat conditions deep beneath the earth’s crust. Graphite is compressed until it transforms into diamond (Jiang et al., 2025). This method is often used for white diamonds, but also for certain colored ones — especially yellow and blue.

While HPHT remains important, CVD has become the most advanced and sustainable way to grow high-quality diamonds with even color and brilliance.

Both methods produce real diamonds — the same structure, sparkle, and permanence as those mined from the earth.

Read more about Nangi’s visit to a diamond laboratory here.

Certification You Can Trust

All our diamonds above 0.50 carat come with certification from the International Gemological Institute (IGI) — the world’s largest independent laboratory for gemstone grading.

This guarantees that your diamond is genuine and graded for weight, color, clarity, and cut.

Choosing One Path — Not Standing in the Middle

Many jewelry brands offer both mined and lab-grown diamonds, leaving customers to navigate the moral terrain on their own.

At Nangi, we chose differently. We believe in taking a stand — not standing on both sides at once. We don’t want our customers to carry the burden of choice. We want to make it simple to choose something that feels good, looks beautiful, and lasts a lifetime.

A clear choice builds confidence — and confidence lets you buy with heart.

A Diamond Should Never Be a Burden Disguised as Love

We create jewelry because we believe in its meaning — not just in the moment, but for generations to come. For us, sustainability isn’t about perfection; it’s about awareness.

A piece of jewelry should be easy to give, easy to wear, and easy to love — even when you think about where it came from.

When you choose a diamond from Nangi, you’re not giving anything up. You’re simply leaving behind the consequences you never needed to carry.

From here on, jewelry should make us feel something — not defend something.

References

• Earthworks. 2019. Diamonds: Polluting Our Water, Air and Soil.
• George, A. 2024. Sustainable Sparkle: The Emergence and Impact of Lab-Grown Diamonds in India’s Diamond Capital.
• Hoang, K., et al. 2024. Klimascenarioanalyse av diamantindustriens utvikling.
• Jiang, X., et al. 2025. Optimizing Eco-Friendly Jewelry Design Through an Integrated Eco-Innovation Approach Using Artificial Neural Networks.
• Natural Diamond Council. 2019. Total Clarity: The Diamond Industry’s Report on Sustainability.
• Shigley, J., et al. 2016a. Mining Diamonds in the Canadian Arctic: The Diavik Mine.
• Shigley, J., et al. 2016b. Gem News International (Lab Notes).