Which Jewelry Brands Have Launched Lab-grown Diamond Business

This article summarizes some well-known jewelry brands that have started diamond businesses, which can be roughly divided into four categories: luxury brands, brands with a background in luxury brand operations ( e.g. the founder once being a luxury brand executive), globally renowned brands, and major jewelry brands in local markets. Below, we will introduce the lab-grown diamond business for these brands.

1. Luxury brand

TAG Heuer

TAG Heuer, which belongs to the LVMH Group, was one of the earliest brands to introduce lab-grown diamonds into high-end watches.

The TAG Heuer Carrera Plasma featuring lab-grown diamonds, was launched in 2022 and 2023. The series innovatively applied full lab-grown diamond crown and polycrystalline dial, and the case, bezel, and bracelet are adorned with lab-grown diamonds of various imaginative shapes.

Three editions of the Carrera Plasma using lab-grown diamond, with the most expensive one priced at 550, 000 Swiss francs (center picture)

(Image source: TAG Heuer)

Breitling

Breitling is the first premium watch brand to announce the full adoption of lab-grown diamonds.

In October 2022, Breitling launched its first Super Chronomat Automatic 38 Origins watch featuring lab-grown diamonds, with a case made of 18K gold. Meanwhile, Breitling announced plans to use only lab-grown diamonds by 2024, and it is working towards 100% gold traceable to specific artisanal and small scale mines by 2025.

It retails for $19500 on rubber or $19950 on leather.

(Image source: Breitling)

2. Brands with luxury background

Luximpact - Vever & Oscar Massin

Luximplact is headquartered in Paris, France and is committed to reshaping the long-standing French jewelry brand. It was co-founded by Frédéric de Narp and Coralie de Fontenay, and the two have management experience in top luxury brands. Frédéric de Narp is the former CEO of luxury jewelry brand Harry Winston, while Coralie de Fontenay is a former executive of Cartier. Luximplact also hired designer Sandrine de Laage from Harry Winston and Cartier as partner and creative director.

Luximplact has successively reshaped and launched brands such as Vever, Oscar Massin, and Rouvenat. All jewelry products of the three revival brands uses recycled gold, while Vever and Oscar Massin use lab-grown diamonds.

Vever

This jewelry brand, which began in 1821, ceased operations in 1982. In 2020, Luximplact formed a joint venture with Camille and Damien Vever, the 7th generation heirs of the Vever family, to restart the brand. Vever focuses on the French market and has opened its first concession at Printemps.

Vever's creative offer – rooted in the Art Nouveau heritage of the brand- is built on the use of innovative materials on one hand (including lab grown diamond) and the preservation of rare French artisanal know-how (including ‘pliqué à jour’ enamel) on the other hand.

(Image source: Vever)

Oscar Massin

A high-end jewelry brand in Paris with a history of 160 years, founded by jeweler Oscar Massin in the 19th century, has produced many famous jewelry works for European royalty. However, since the founder Oscar Massin's death in 1923, the brand has gradually disappeared from people's sight.

In March 2022, Luximplact relaunched Oscar Massin in the US market. American actor Kate Hudson and fashion designer Rachel Zoe joined the company as minority shareholders. Oscar Massin was the first brand to sell and lab-grown diamond jewelry at Saks in New York and Los Angeles.

Oscar Massin incorporates the brand's iconic filigree craftsmanship into the lab-grown diamond jewelry

(Image source: Oscar Massin)

Courbet

Courbet was established in 2017. Its founders Manuel Mallen and Marie-Ann Wachtmeister have management experience in top tier brands. Manuel Mallen has previously managed a subsidiary of Piaget Group, Baume&Mercier, a Swiss luxury watch brand under the Richemont Group, and Poiray Group. Marie-Ann Wachtmeister has once worked at Procter&Gamble and McKinsey, while also delving into gold styling and gemstone inlay techniques.

Courbet opened its store in Place Vendome in Paris in 2018, with a recent round of financing valued at 60 million euros. Its investors include Chanel and the Qatari royalty. In 2023, Courbet's sales are expected to be 4 million euros.

Courbet specializes in the concept of "eco jewelry", using lab-grown diamonds and recycled gold as raw materials

(Image source: Courbet)

Jean Dousset

In 2010, Jean Dousset, the great grandson of Louis-François Cartie, the founder of Cartier, founded a personal jewelry brand with his name. Around 2021, Jean Dousset launched a series of lab grown diamond products, and the brand switched to use only lab-grown diamonds in 2023. Jean Dousset himself has once worked in brands such as Chaumet, Bochelon, and Van Cleef&Arpels.

Jean Dousset says its mission is to provide an exceptional high-quality lab diamond engagement ring–fit to your desires and preferences without compromise.

(Image source: Jean Dousset)

3. Globally renowned jewelry brands

Pandora

In May 2021, Pandora announced it would no longer use natural diamonds but only lab-grown diamonds. Starting from August 2022, Pandora adopts lab-grown diamonds grown, cut and polished using 100% renewable energy. In addition, Pandora has promised to purchase only recycled silver and gold to make jewelry by 2025.

Swarovski

Swarovski launched Diama jewelry collection in 2016, marking their first foray into lab-grown diamonds. At the end of 2018, Victoria's Secret used 2100 Swarovski created diamonds to produce a lingerie. In November 2022, Swarovski launched its created diamond series on its online store.

Left: The Swarovski created diamonds used in the 2018 Victoria’s Sectert Dream Angel Fantasy Bra weighs 71.05ct in total

Right: In the autumn of 2023, Swarovski released the Galaxy collection of its Created Diamond series

(Image source: Swarovski)

4 Other famous brands in regional markets

Signet Jewelers

Signet, the largest diamond jewelry retailer in the United States, has been selling diamonds through its brands such as James Allen, Kay, Jared, and Zales since 2019, not only for fashion jewelry but also for wedding jewelry; In addition to finished jewelry, Signet also sell loose stones for private customization. In 2023, Signet launched the "ZALES x Rocksbox" jewelry rental project, which rents out lab-grown diamond jewelry to customers at a price of 10% of the listed price.

Blue Nile

At the end of 2020, Blue Nile started to sell De Beers Lightbox lab-grown diamond jewelry. In August 2022, Signet acquired Blue Nile. In November 2022, Blue Nile began to introduce lab-grown diamond loose stones.

Berkshire Hathaway

Berkshire Hathaway, an investment company under Warren Buffett, God of Stocks, owns multiple jewelry brands and has also ventured into lab-grown diamonds.

Richline

Richline Group, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, announced in October 2018 a partnership with two well-known US department stores, JCPenney and Macy's, to launch the lab-grown diamond jewelry collection Grown with Love during the Christmas holiday season. This release marks the first time that lab-grown diamonds have been widely distributed through physical retailers in the United States.

Helzberg

Berkshire Hathaway’s subsidiary Helzberg began offering lab-grown diamond products in 2017 and launched its own lab-grown diamond jewelry series, Light Heart, at the end of 2018. In March 2023, a new lab-grown diamond series rêve (meaning "dream" in French) was introduced.

Borsheims Jewelry

Berkshire Hathaway's subsidiary, Boxian Jewelry, has been selling lab-grown diamond wedding rings since 2016.

In addition, a lot of well-known jewelry brands from China have also enter lab-grown diamond market.

In 2019, The Future Rocks, an e-commerce platform invested by Chow Sang Sang came online, which gathered selected lab-grown diamond jewelry brands around the world. It entered the European and American markets in 2021 and expanded into the Asian market in 2022.

In August 2021, Yu Yuan In. launched its lab-grown diamond brand Lusant.

In March 2022, MCLON introduced its lab-grown diamond brand OWN SHINE.

In May 2022, VENTI, a collection store brand under CHJ Jewellery, introduced lab-grown diamond products.

In May 2023, the lab-grown diamond joint venture brand Cëvol, established by CHJ Jewellery and Liliang Diamond, held a new product launching event in Shanghai.

In June 2023, China Gold introduced lab-grown diamond products during the 618 shopping festival.

……

We can see from above that there are roughly three directions for jewelry brands to introduce lab-grown diamond business. One type is focused on the innovative utilization of lab-grown diamonds, with limited production and high pricing, such as TAG Heuer. The second category emphasizes on sustainable development, using certified suppliers and even adopting recycled gold for manufacturing jewelry. The third category is to provide consumers with a new product choices other than natural diamonds, showing the price advantages of lab-grown diamond.

No matter which direction you prefer, the cost advantage of lab-grown diamonds provides a solid foundation for brand marketing and innovation.