They come with cost savings of up to 50 per cent, are produced via sustainable methods, and look exactly like naturally-mined diamonds. Lab-grown diamonds (LGDs), it can be said, are a girl's new best friend.

Publicly-listed Singapore company SK Jewellery Group is the newest retailer here to launch them through e-shop Star Carat Shop. This makes it the first chain jeweller in the region to offer both mined diamond and LGDs at the same time.

Star Carat Shop is supported by social media channels and complemented with an experiential diamond showcase housed within the Group's headquarters at Changi Business Park Vista. Star Carat LGDs also retail at The Group's subsidiaries Love & Co. and SK Jewellery outlets.

The Group sees this foray not just as its ability to be on the forefront of innovation, but an industry disruption for consumers.

Says a spokesperson: "We see LGDs as a major innovation breathing new life into the diamond industry, and as a platform to engage consumers the traditional industry has not been able to reach out to. LGDs are the perfect blend of old and new; a product of cutting-edge technology ready to face the fourth industrial revolution."

Technologically-created, complementing a time-honoured legacy

Star Carat LGDs are made possible through technology that simulates the geological conditions required for diamonds to form naturally over billions of years - in just a fraction of the time.

Its creation process is known as Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD). A diamond seed is placed in a sealed chamber, to which hydrocarbon gas is injected and heated to approximately 800 degrees Celsius, so the gases are ionised into plasma. High-power microwaves break their molecular bonds, before a pure carbon precipitate gradually crystallises to form a diamond.

There is no size restriction, and one-dimensional growth is guaranteed, culminating in a crystal structure that mimics a mined diamond. The result? A gemstone that is purer and clearer.

Not to be confused with simulants such as cubic zirconia and moissanite, LGDs feature the same brilliance and sparkle, as well as chemical, optical and physical compatibility, of conventional diamonds.

Each one is certified by the International Gemological Institute, one of the world's leading gemological grading laboratories. Colour, cut, carat and clarity can vary, and grading is based on the same scale and criteria as regular diamonds.

Star Carat LGDs vary between 1.0 (priced from $2,999) and 4.0 carats. Currently, only white diamonds available but other exciting hues are in the pipeline.

Value-for-money offerings

LGDs are not new to the market, having been around for years now. Consumers started to sit up and take notice of them when international leading diamond company De Beers started retailing them online last May under its subsidiary brand, Lightbox - reinforcing how LGDs are, in fact, diamonds.

The same may happen here in Singapore, where LGDs have not garnered the attention they deserve. The Group's timely venture into the LGD arena is a calculated move following its consistent monitoring of the market and a decision to reach out to an untapped market segment unfamiliar with jewellery shopping: millennials.

For this group of consumers, the idea of luxury is reflected through factors such as customisation, technology, ethical sourcing and values such as minimal environmental impact and higher product value - the very same traits linked to LGDs.

How millennials here respond to these new offerings remains to be seen. But some around the world have fallen for these gems, in line with their pro-sustainability sensibilities, including the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle.

The rest of the consumers in the jewellery community, be they collectors or aficionados, have carte blanche when it comes to embracing these new offerings, and edge LGDs closer to mainstream acceptance.

Ultimately, does one go for a diamond pendant, a pair of earrings and or a ring featuring au naturel or lab-grown options? The answer - and pleasure - lies in leisurely hours of shopping at your nearest SK Jewellery or Love & Co. boutique, or Star Carat Shop at Changi Business Park Vista today.

To whet your appetite, click here.