Yes: Thanks to recent technological innovations, real diamonds can be grown above ground. The process involves the same elements needed to form diamonds hundreds of miles below the Earth’s crust: carbon, heat and pressure. When the three are combined under strict laboratory conditions, the result is a diamond as authentic as a diamond grown underground.
We at CS have been interested in lab grown diamonds for a while now, and one newly launched brand that caught our eye is MINE Jewelry. MINE makes simple, sophisticated and sustainable fine jewelry pieces using exclusively lab grown diamonds. According to co-founders Josh Navon and Biren Bhansali, MINE’s use of lab grown diamonds is about two things: sustainability and price.
"Lab grown diamonds are chemically, physically and optically identical to mined diamonds—not even the most experienced jeweler can tell them apart,” says Bhansali. “But because our diamonds are grown above ground, we don’t lose any sleep over our stones hurting the planet, or worse, hurting the people that work to mine them. Plus, by going lab grown, we’re able to deliver high-quality diamond jewelry for a fraction of the price of traditional retailers.”
Sustainability aside, MINE has more to offer the fine jewelry world than just lab grown diamonds. Namely, they’re making jewelry that everyone can feel comfortable in: all ages, races and genders. As Navon puts it, the focus on inclusiveness came about after seeing one of MINE’s models (Mars Murray) wearing several of the company’s pieces.
"We noticed that not enough jewelry brands focus on diversity, and that this was one area where MINE could really differentiate itself.” says Navon.
We absolutely love these pieces, and we see big things in store for MINE. Check out minejewelry.co or @minejewelryco (Facebook and Instagram) for more information and updates.