Just as with every other part of our wardrobes, there are more opportunities than ever to be sustainable and environmentally friendly when it comes to purchasing jewellery.
Diamonds, thanks to their vast heritage and reputation as the most-prized precious stones, will doubtless always be a girls’ best friend – and so the luxury jewellery market continues to boom. While leading jewellery houses such as Chopard, Tiffany & Co and Cartier promote responsible mining – using known sources, recycled materials and certified mines – outside of those recognisable houses, there can be questionable methods of production and links to conflict.
Kimai is one of many lab-grown diamond brands gaining popularity, even with the royals as the Duchess of Sussex is a fan of the brand. Co-founder Jessica Warch, who launched Kimai with Sidney Neuhaus, notes how the industry lends itself to a much-needed refresh.
“The engagement ring market is really ripe for modernisation,” Warch previously told us. “Traditionally, there are a lot of ‘rules’ around shopping for one, from how much you should spend to where and how to choose a ring and that women aren’t a part of the process. But we had more and more people coming to us, both individually and in couples, to enquire about bespoke engagement-ring designs – and we realised there was an opportunity to speak to a more modern, consciously-minded customer.”
Many labels are prioritising responsibility, by choosing to use laboratory-grown diamonds rather than their natural counterparts, in an effort to have a more ethical and sustainable footprint. With a less harmful impact on our planet, it’s no wonder that many celebrities are choosing lab-grown diamond brands, but it can also be good for your bank account. The process of creating a diamond in a lab is also more cost-effective, meaning that the pieces can be retailed for less.
And, it’s important to remember that whether it’s jewellery or clothes, if you aren’t looking after your items in the right way to make them last a lifetime, then all your efforts to become more of a conscious shopper will go to waste. In the same way as caring for your wardrobe in the right way is so important, looking after your jewellery box is too. Whether it’s caring for your pieces at home, or taking them to be professionally cleaned, ensure to invest in your pieces long after you’ve made the purchase.
Below, we round up 10 of the best brands to shop now and wear forever, which only use lab-grown diamonds.