FOCUS JNA LAB-GROWN DIAMOND SPECIAL 2023 | 28 Pandora Brilliance is also the brand’s first collection produced with 100 per cent recycled silver and gold. This aligns with the company’s pledge to produce all its jewellery with recycled silver and gold by 2025. “The future of luxury is here today. Lab-created diamonds are just as beautiful as mined diamonds but available to more people and with lower carbon emissions. We are proud to broaden the diamond market and offer innovative jewellery that sets a new standard for how the industry can reduce its impact on the planet,” said Pandora CEO Alexander Lacik. Lab-grown diamonds also serve as an effective vehicle for brand revivals, with storied jewellery houses reentering the scene with lab-grown diamond collections that still remain true to their design legacies. French brand Vever, founded in 1821, relaunched in 2021 after 40 years of dormancy with trendy jewellery in recycled gold with lab-grown diamonds. The pieces also pay tribute to the pliqueà-jour enamelling technique on which the jewellery house was built. Meanwhile, the patented techniques of famed French luxury jeweller Oscar Massin are likewise revived in the brand’s new incarnation launched in 2021. Awareness and acceptance Celebrity endorsements further solidify lab-grown diamonds’ appeal in the market. At this year’s Met Gala themed “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” on May 1, supermodel Gigi Hadid shone the spotlight on lab-grown diamonds when she wore jewellery by New York-based Smiling Rocks. The "Dream Necklace" has 54 pieces of round and emerald-cut lab-grown diamonds weighing a total of 74.65 carats, including a 6-carat centre piece, set in 14-karat gold. She paired this with the brand’s High Jewelry ring with 7.70 carats of marquise, round and cushion-cut lab-grown diamonds set in 14-karat gold. Lab-grown diamond brands also take a leading role in educating the market on their products. Smiling Rocks CEO Zulu Ghevriya recently served as guest lecturer at the London Business School’s Luxury Strategy course to share his insights on the past, present and future of the lab-grown diamond industry. Entitled “Protection vs. Disruption,” the presentation covered the science, sustainability, marketability, appeal and branding of lab-grown diamonds, among others. Efforts at education and marketing on a sectoral level are undertaken by industry organisations such as the International Grown Diamond Association (IGDA). Joanna Park-Tonks, founder of jewellery brand Chelsea Rocks – Laboratory Grown Diamonds, became IGDA president in the beginning of the year. Her priorities at the association include member networking, representation and the provision of actionable market insight about the lab-grown diamond industry, with the goal of making the sector more competent and organised to bestow it with a collective voice and professional community. Park-Tonks said, “I see great value and synergies in broadening the membership base to include third-party suppliers to the lab-grown diamond industry, student members from a variety of disciplines and increasing the value proposition for retailers. We are working hard to deliver value to retailers, in particular, to provide them with tools and methodologies to explain and sell lab-grown diamonds honestly, clearly and confidently.” The IGDA official also intends to promote a mutually respectful and equitable dialogue between the created and mined diamond industry and further enhance the luxury cachet of diamonds in general. “It is important that we maintain the status of diamonds to celebrate life’s special moments, whether as a gift or as a self-purchase. We need to guard against perceptions of value erosion Advancements in lab-grown diamond manufacturing technology are likely to continue, resulting in higher-quality and larger diamonds being produced. This could lead to more options for consumers in terms of sizes, colours and cuts. – Smit Virani, director of Rockrush Joanna Park-Tonks, president of the International Grown Diamond Association (IGDA) 国际培育钻石协会 (IGDA)主席Joanna Park-Tonks
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