ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)

In another gem in the UAE’s crown, albeit a lab-grown variety, the country’s artificial diamond trade hit a record 76.9 million carats in 2025.

Dubai also announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind lab-grown diamond platform that could boost the trade in these precious stones.

Artificial diamonds from the UAE saw a massive 91.5% rise year-on-year, with their value rising 7.5% to $1.3 billion, according to figures released by the Dubai Multi Commodities Center (DMCC).

And with the UAE’s total diamond trade reaching a record $41.7 billion in 2025, witnessing sharp growth in synthetic and industrial diamond volumes, the potential for growth is enormous, according to officials.

The opportunity for the UAE and Dubai may lie beyond jewellery.

Semiconductors, diamond wafers, quantum technologies, medical devices, aerospace and other advanced applications are where the material's thermal, optical and mechanical properties become commercially important, said Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DMCC.

The new lab-grown diamond platform will meet customer demand for these gems that are made using advanced high pressure or chemical technology.

The vertical will be independent of the natural diamond platform and will bring together global and regional producers of lab-gown diamonds. It will also have traders, investors, finance providers, technology companies and industrial users.

So, what are synthetic diamonds? These are gems produced in a controlled lab setting, unlike the natural variety that are mined from the earth. That is the lone distinction and the dissimilarities end here. They are like natural diamonds that are made of pure carbon arranged in a crystal lattice structure.

These artificial diamonds start as small carbon seeds from diamonds, mined or produced in labs. They then undergo High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) and Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) which allow carbon atoms to form into diamond crystal.

The process takes several days or weeks, after which a rough diamond is formed. The stone is then cut, polished and graded like a natural diamond. China, India and the US are leaders in the lab-grown diamond sector, with the global industry worth $30 billion.