The H&CO Brand Index · Diamond search · Q2 2026
How US search demand splits between lab-grown and natural diamonds — in total, over time, and across every product type shoppers actually search for.
Updated April 2026.
Diamond search · Natural vs. Lab-Grown
Across ~18 diamond product-type queries each side, lab-grown outsearches natural 4.2 to 1.
Lab share of search · trailing year
84% (May'25) → 80% (Apr'26)
Read it right: “natural” is the default, unmarked term — shoppers rarely type it because a diamond is assumed natural, while lab always needs the qualifier. So the 81% overstates lab’s real market position. The trustworthy signal is the trend: lab-grown has plateaued while natural-diamond search is climbing. Aggregated from US Google branded search, data through April 2026.
Lab-grown takes the largest share of everyday pieces — necklaces, bracelets, earrings. Natural holds its strongest ground exactly where the decision is most emotional and most considered: engagement rings (lab just 64%) and loose diamonds (69%). The everyday has gone lab; the milestone purchase is still contested.
| Product type | Lab share of search | Lab /mo | Natural /mo | Lab % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diamonds (generic) | 223,817 | 39,392 | 85% | |
| Diamond rings | 97,158 | 28,342 | 77% | |
| Engagement rings | 25,608 | 14,542 | 64% | |
| Earrings | 20,992 | 4,623 | 82% | |
| Tennis bracelets | 12,617 | 2,432 | 84% | |
| Stud earrings | 6,675 | 1,608 | 81% | |
| Necklaces | 6,483 | 722 | 90% | |
| Loose diamonds | 3,458 | 1,577 | 69% | |
| Wedding bands | 2,567 | 1,023 | 72% | |
| Bracelets | 2,833 | 384 | 88% | |
| Eternity bands | 1,258 | 351 | 78% | |
| Pendants | 1,120 | 296 | 79% | |
| Solitaires | 161 | 64 | 72% |
Method: each product type aggregates the matched natural and lab-grown branded queries (e.g. “natural diamond ring” + “real diamond ring” vs “lab grown diamond ring” + “lab created diamond ring”), US Google search, averaged over the trailing twelve months through April 2026. “Natural” is the unmarked default term — shoppers rarely type it because a diamond is assumed natural — so these shares understate natural’s true market position. The trend is the honest signal.
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