We’ve just discovered a jewelry brand in London, named Lark & Berry. What sets them apart are their cruelty-free, tree-planting, lab-grown and therefore beyond ethically sourced diamonds. Yes! In a lab! The future is so now.
I know what you’re thinking, “so, how do they actually grow diamonds in a lab, when it takes a zillion years on Earth for the science by which diamonds naturally form?” We were curious, too, so we sat down and did some homework, with a little guidance from the brand. We’ll discuss the hows and whys below, but first: take a look at these sparkly fantastics!
If we HAD to pick our favorites, these are our Top 3:
(Left to Right. Click to see even more product info and to purchase over on larkandberry.com)
Veto Open Stackable Ring, $575
Pretty precious is this Veto Open Ring! Oozing dashes of elegance, the band is laced with pave-set shimmering diamonds complemented by pretty marquise-cut white sapphires. For a truly modern edge, stack with the other rings in the Veto collection.
Dark Halo Earrings, $995
Lace your look with elegance wearing these delicately frosted pale pink sapphires. Accentuated by an organic halo of pave set diamonds, the blackened gold highlights the sparkle of the stones for a contemporary reworking of the classic drop. 14K Rose Gold, with pink sapphire and diamond.
Halo Diamond Pavé Trio Necklace, $1,495
Run rings around your love with this exquisite trio of diamond-set halos. Positioned playfully across your décolletage, this 14K rose gold pendant will glisten like it’s having a ball.
Fabulous, right? So, here’s the skinny on how they mastered lab-grown gemstones which will answer any questions about the ‘realness’ of a cultured diamond that you may have:
- Cultured, or ‘lab-grown’ diamonds, are still diamonds. 100% authentic diamonds—to the naked eye, or even with the strongest loupe, gemologists can’t tell cultured from mined because quite simply, there’s nothing to tell apart!
- Cultured diamonds are comprised of the same chemical crystal compound as their mined counterparts. Lark & Berry diamonds are made in a controlled environment and process which mimics how mined diamonds naturally form in nature, deep inside the Earth’s mantle. The cultured process is far quicker and cleaner and forms the purest category of diamond – the Type IIa – which is so rare in nature that only 2% of mined diamonds found are of this superior quality.
- Cultured diamonds are truly the way forward and choosing Lark & Berry means you really can have luxury for less: these diamonds produce less waste, use less water and have less environmental impact than mined stones as no land or wildlife is ever displaced, and no need to search and dig up mines, that may or may not have gem-quality diamonds,
Best of all, cultured diamonds go BEYOND conflict-free, ethically sourced diamonds. No mining or exploitation of local communities ever takes place.
They’ve even penned an open letter to the industry, stating, “We recently received a letter signed by two of the biggest diamond and jewellery organizations wishing us well, while simultaneously trying to intimidate us (passive-aggressive much?)”
“Instead of hiding, shredding or ignoring this letter we thought it would be best to respond openly and share these organizations’ issues of contention here with you. This is a great opportunity to further educate on cultured diamond disruption. This criticism proves to us, at Lark & Berry, that we’re doing something right.”
>READ: INVESTMENT GEMSTONES: ARE DIAMONDS STILL A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND?
