Luxury players have begun turning to lab-grown diamonds for creative experimentation in cases where natural stones would be far more costly, time-consuming and difficult — if not impossible — to source.

Even so, high-end jewelers have remained reluctant overall to trade natural diamonds for lab-grown, despite the dramatic improvements in their quality, because they don’t offer the same rarity and storytelling opportunities.

Some producers and brands are instead emphasizing the possibilities for innovative design, creativity and even craftsmanship in lab-grown diamonds.