Are you overpaying for a lab-grown diamond?: CBC Marketplace cheat sheet

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Marketed as an alternative to mined diamonds, lab-grown stones are growing in popularity among engaged couples, taking some of the shine from mined or “natural” diamonds, which have traditionally dominated the market.

When Toronto residents Daniel Ng and Olivia Chan were ring-shopping in 2024, choosing a lab-grown diamond was an easy decision, largely because of the significant price difference compared to a natural stone.

Experts say a lab-grown diamond can cost 90 per cent less than its natural equivalent.

“The tide has shifted. Like, more people are going with … the lab-grown,” Ng said.

Industry experts say lab-grown diamonds are becoming cheaper to make and more widely available, and confirm that more young couples are going with that option. But a Marketplace investigation found that virtually identical lab-grown diamonds are being sold at vastly different prices, raising questions about whether some consumers are paying far more than they need to.

Both diamonds had the same features: one carat, D-colour, ideal cut, VS1 clarity and round shape.

The Blue Nile diamond cost $1,639.23 Cdn, including shipping and taxes. The diamond purchased from Alibaba cost $228.86, all-in.

Marketplace reviewed prices at other online retailers and found comparable stones listed for as much as $1,500 before fees and taxes.

Marketplace asked Blue Nile’s parent company, Signet Jewelers, why its diamond cost significantly more than the Alibaba diamond, despite its almost identical features.

Signet declined an interview but said in a statement that “customers consistently buy Blue Nile because of the brand’s reputation, proven track record and trusted quality. Our customers have confidence knowing they are buying a product backed by experience and trust.”

The company said they are “proud to have strong sourcing standards as well as ethical and sustainable production and procurement processes," and the diamonds sold by Blue Nile are from vendors “who are held to strict annual reporting standards.”

Read more from Marketplace journalists Tomi Raji, Jeremy McDonald and Asha Tomlinson.

The records show Transport Canada — under two different transport ministers — repeatedly intervened in the work of the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), which is supposed to operate independently and was directed by Parliament in 2023 to introduce a cost-recovery fee on airlines.

More than 2½ years later, the fee still does not exist.

Taxpayers continue to cover roughly $30 million a year to process air passenger complaints and the backlog of people seeking compensation continues to grow — already topping more than 88,000.

Passengers who are denied compensation after such things as flight delays, denied boarding or lost luggage can file complaints with the CTA. But because the complaints system has been overwhelmed, as a temporary measure to recover part of the cost, Parliament ordered the agency to charge airlines a fee for cases involving passengers with eligible claims.

To understand why the fee has not been implemented, Go Public filed an access to information request with the CTA, covering the period from Aug. 1, 2024, to May 20, 2025.

More than 2,000 pages of heavily repetitious records include correspondence between the CTA and multiple transport ministers, internal discussions about how to respond to government concerns about the proposed fee and submissions from a public consultation process.

The documents were reviewed by Gábor Lukács, founder of Air Passenger Rights, an advocacy organization that made a submission on the proposed fee.

"What I am seeing here is strong evidence of ministerial interference with the CTA's work, which is supposed to be independent," said Lukács.

Neither the CTA, the transport minister nor the ministry — which is also known as Transport Canada — agreed to interviews. Transport Canada provided a general statement about its role that did not answer Go Public’s specific questions. Former ministers of transport in office since the CTA was directed to implement a fee did not respond to our questions.

Ruby Szpeflicki spends hours each month shopping online, looking for good deals and sharing them with other bargain hunters.

But the Greenwood, N.S., accounting clerk has been noticing a growing trend of prices shifting on a dime.

"The prices change daily," she said. "It drives me nuts. I hate it."

This is known in some circles as dynamic pricing, meaning that algorithms are watching your actions online — every time you like a Facebook post, look up a recipe or browse a website looking for a new pair of jeans — and adjusting prices based on your personal information.

Mark Daley, Western University's chief AI officer, says pricing based on our online habits has been happening for several years.

But the introduction of AI into the mix has the potential to change the way data is gathered, he said, as companies get access to even more personal information about their customers faster and use it to influence pricing.

The problem is no one knows quite how widespread personalized pricing through the use of AI is, because as David Dunbar, a lawyer formerly with the Competition Bureau, put it, "it's all being done inside the black box."

"AI itself is so dynamic, and we're just discovering what it can do. Even the people who understand it are learning it and becoming better at understanding it and seeing what it can do."

Staples Canada did not fully wipe personal information from resold laptops, says privacy watchdog

Commissioner gave Staples 9 months to develop clear standards for wiping devices

Telecom complaints have shot up 17%, with billing issues the main gripe, says watchdog

Canada's three largest telecoms again led the way with the most complaints. Watch for a Marketplace episode about telecom complaints in the coming weeks

No Name beef burgers recalled due to risk of E. Coli

Frozen burgers were sold nationally in 1.36 kg boxes

Air Canada ordered to compensate Ottawa man $15K after losing appeal

Ontario Superior Court rejects airline's appeal of earlier small claims decision

He accepted a fake job offer. Police believe it roped him into a grandparent scam

Would-be job seeker picked up thousands in cash from seniors before suspecting scam and going to police

Have you complained to the consumer protection office in your province or territory? If so, we want to know how it went. Email us at marketplace@cbc.ca.

Are you planning on calling customer service for your cell, cable or internet provider? Or are you looking to cancel your service? Before you do, Marketplace wants to hear from you! Email us at marketplace@cbc.ca.

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