Stuller Adds Lab-Grown Diamonds to its Inventory

Lafayette, La.--Stuller Inc., one of the largest jewelry manufacturers and suppliers in the United States, announced this week that it has added lab-grown diamonds to its product mix and, in fact, has been selling the stones since before the holidays.

Stuller is starting with a small assortment of the stones--as of Tuesday afternoon, the company had only 20-some lab-grown diamonds listed on its website, and Stuller’s Vice President of Diamonds and Gemstones Stanley Zale confirmed that that represents the entirety of what Stuller has available right now.

However, he said demand has been “stronger than anticipated” so far and that Stuller is continually adding more inventory.

Once available in limited quantities and sizes, lab-grown diamonds are becoming more mainstream as technology has improved to the point that diamond growers are able to produce steady streams of the stones, which are, in turn, getting picked up and sold by a growing number of suppliers and retailers.

Rogers & Hollands and Robbins Brothers both sell lab-grown diamonds. Over the summer, Helzberg Diamonds launched a pilot program offering white, yellow and pink lab-grown diamonds in select stores in four states, Virginia, Florida, Illinois and Arizona. Helzberg did not respond to inquiries about the current status of the program by press time.

Also, just last month, a total of 11 diamond growers announced the formation of the International Grown Diamond Association, a group designed to educate the public and stoke demand for the stones, in much the same way the world’s biggest diamond miners hope to buoy demand for natural diamonds via the Diamond Producers Association.

Zale said, in the end, Stuller opted to add lab-grown diamonds to its product mix because it wants to give jewelers’ choices.

“Whatever they are choosing, changing or creating with Stuller they can decide what center stone works best for their customer,” he said. “It might a natural diamond, a ruby or an emerald, a Forever One moissanite or even a lab-grown diamond.

“We’re here to help our customers succeed as jewelers.”

Stuller is sourcing the stones from a number of diamond growers though it declined to give the names of specific companies, noting that it is not its practice to name vendors except in cases where the merchandise is branded.

The lab-grown diamonds are being sold as loose stones and range in size from 0.34 to 2.15 carats, F to K and VS1 to