When science meets art: recycled metal and lab-grown gems. Some people consider a natural diamond, formed over billions of years, to be the pinnacle of luxury. However, a British designer who has won several awards believes that jewelry produced using laboratory-grown jewels and metal from recycled cans is more valuable.
After observing what she described as deplorable working conditions at diamond mines, Anabela Chan stated that she decided to use the materials she used.
She made this statement while at her shop in Knightsbridge, in the heart of London. “These are some of the most precious and valuable commodities in the world, and I just couldn’t make sense of them,” she added.
On the other hand, her creations are made with lab-grown diamonds, recycled aluminum from cans, and pearls cultivated using farming practices that promote regenerative agriculture.
Although Chan’s firm does not disclose its sales data, it has stated that it has had a significant increase in demand ever since the COVID-19 outbreak. The British Luxury Awards were held in November, and she was awarded the “Game Changer” category trophy.
According to Edahn Golan Diamond Research & Data, the market for lab-grown jewelry has experienced yearly growth of twenty percent over the past several years, resulting in worldwide earnings reaching fifteen billion dollars.
There has been a decrease in the selling price of lab-grown diamonds due to the increased number of producers entering the market. As a result, businesses strive to differentiate themselves, notably via their jewelry style.
Joshua Braman, the head of diamonds at Pandora (PNDORA.CO), a prominent reseller of lab-grown diamonds, stated that lab-grown stones might provide further opportunities for jewelry creation.
The concept of sustainability is yet another element of differentiation. “So effectively taking something negative and turning it into something positive,” Chan added, referring to the fact that he relies on suppliers that employ technology to absorb carbon dioxide emissions that would otherwise be discharged into the environment to produce diamonds.
