A timely discussion on the soaring popularity of lab-grown diamonds alongside market demand, branding strategies and growth prospects is set to take place at a webinar scheduled for June 17 as part of Jewellery & Gem ASIA Hong Kong’s (JGA) online edition, JGA Virtual.

The webinar, Lab-Grown Diamonds: Rising Stars of the Jewellery Industry, will examine business opportunities in this booming sector and how branded lab-grown diamond jewellers are effectively capturing the attention of millennial and Gen Z consumers with jewellery designs that are edgy, youthful and modern. 

The event, to be held at 9pm Hong Kong time, will feature market experts Marty Hurwitz, CEO and founder of THE MVEye; and Zulu Ghevriya, CEO and co-founder of lab-grown diamond jewellery brand, Smiling Rocks. Also joining the panel is Diana Verde Nieto, co-founder and CEO of Positive Luxury, who will share her insights on how luxury brands could contribute to a more sustainable world, the significance of The Butterfly Mark, and why sustainability is increasingly important to today’s consumers.

Hurwitz had flourishing careers in television, advertising and oil before embarking on a journey in the jewellery trade. He became a third-generation jewellery retailer when he partnered with a childhood friend in 1984.

In 1989, he founded MVI Marketing LLC (THE MVEye), together with his wife, Liz Chatelain, and grew THE MVEye into an internationally recognised organisation. Hurwitz is considered a subject matter expert on consumer and trade awareness and acceptance of lab-grown diamonds, along with the technologies and processes currently operating and in development in the prime growing sectors. THE MVEye is headquartered in Austin, Texas.

With more than 20 years of experience in the diamond and jewellery industry, Ghevriya is also the founder of Vedantti Jewellery and managing director of Prism Group. He started his business, Prism Group, as a natural diamond company. Today, Prism is globally recognised as a diamond and jewellery design house. He pioneered the colour-treated diamond business in Asia, which grew into a global venture, early on in his career. With his experience in diamond manufacturing and trading in India, as well as his export expertise in Hong Kong, New York and Europe, Ghevriya is a recognised authority in the industry. In 2018, he won JNA’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Nieto’s company, Positive Luxury, invented the Butterfly Mark, a unique interactive trust mark awarded to luxury lifestyle brands in recognition of their commitment to having a positive impact on people and our planet. The Mark provides wordless reassurance that a brand can be trusted. Positive Luxury was founded in partnership with Karen Hanton MBE, founder of toptable.com. The two trailblazing entrepreneurs combined their experience and knowledge to use technology to demystify sustainability and positively communicate a brand’s actions directly to the consumer. 

Click the link to register for the Lab-Grown Diamonds: Rising Stars of the Jewellery Industry webinar. 

JGA Virtual is the synergy-enhancing digital component of JGA. It will run from June 17 to July 7, 2021.