DMCC establishes lab-grown diamond vertical as UAE trade reaches 76.9 million carats
Beyond jewellery, lab-grown diamonds are being developed for advanced industrial uses
DMCC – the leading international business district that drives the flow of global trade through Dubai – has formally established its Lab-Grown Diamond Vertical, creating a dedicated platform for an industry whose rapid expansion is increasingly being driven by advanced manufacturing and technology as well as jewellery and global consumer demand.
The announcement comes as the UAE records its highest-ever lab-grown diamond trade volumes. A total of 76.9 million carats were traded in 2025, an increase of 91.5 per cent year-on-year, with the value of trade rising 7.5 per cent to $1.3 billion. Volumes have more than doubled since 2022, rising 109 per cent from 36.8 million carats, with imports and re-exports expanding at broadly the same rate, pointing to sustained growth across the UAE’s trade flows rather than a shift in one part of the market.
DMCC's decision to establish lab-grown diamonds as a standalone vertical reflects the increasingly distinct economics underpinning the sector. It establishes an explicit separation from DMCC's natural diamond and coloured stone activities, recognising that lab-grown diamonds are characterised by scalable manufacturing, technical specification and industrial utility.
Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DMCC, said: “Lab-grown diamonds have reached the point where they need dedicated market infrastructure and a distinct economic case of their own, developed alongside the natural diamond trade rather than in place of it. For decades, China, India and the United States have driven the scientific, technological and industrial development that turned an experimental breakthrough into a global industry now estimated at close to USD 30 billion. The most significant opportunity ahead may lie beyond jewellery, in semiconductors, diamond wafers, quantum technologies, medical devices, aerospace and other advanced applications where the material's thermal, optical and mechanical properties become commercially important.
“With 76.9 million carats of lab-grown diamonds traded through the United Arab Emirates in 2025, more than double the 2022 figure, Dubai already has the scale to help shape the sector’s next phase. DMCC’s Lab-Grown Diamond Vertical gives the industry a dedicated global platform to expand international trade flows, bring producers, technology companies and buyers closer together, and build the transparent market infrastructure the sector needs for its continued development.”
The modern lab-grown diamond industry has been built on three foundational markets whose combined capabilities have shaped its development at global scale: China as the world’s dominant centre for industrial-scale production, research and development; India as a global powerhouse for CVD growth, manufacturing and processing; and the United States as a pioneer in diamond-growth technology and the industry’s largest consumer market. Together, these three markets have provided the technological innovation, production capacity, manufacturing expertise and consumer demand that enabled lab-grown diamonds to develop into a global commercial industry. Meanwhile, Japan, Israel and the UK are also established hubs for research, industrial applications and trade.
Beyond jewellery, lab-grown diamonds are increasingly being developed for advanced industrial uses. Their thermal, optical and semiconductor properties have potential applications in semiconductors and diamond wafers, quantum technologies, space systems and precision engineering.
The Lab-Grown Diamond Vertical formalises several years of DMCC activity in the sector. Diamond Foundry established its international sales operations at DMCC in 2020, while DMCC has since developed a dedicated digital platform, expanded its research and trade agenda, and hosted two Lab-Grown Diamond Symposiums, with the next scheduled for 2027.
The vertical will bring together global and regional producers, manufacturers, traders, investors, finance providers, technology companies and industrial users, while strengthening Dubai's links with the industry's main global markets. It will remain distinct from DMCC's natural diamond and coloured stone activities. The UAE’s total diamond trade reached a record $41.7 billion in 2025, alongside sharp growth in synthetic and industrial diamond volumes.
