The world’s leading natural diamond company, DeBeers coined the term “diamonds are a girl’s best friend” in 1940, positioning these jewels as not merely a fashion piece, but a lifelong symbol of love and luxury. However, in recent years, the enduring popularity of mined diamonds has been disrupted by lab grown alternatives.
Diamonds might be forever, but they aren’t so kind to the planet. The gemstones have a significant environmental and ethical impact: just one carat of diamonds causes up to 3.1 tonnes of earth displacement and requires 8.9l of fuel consumption, while leading to the displacement of both people and wildlife. These concerns have led to a growing demand for artificial alternatives which are not only more sustainable, but also more affordable.
One of the first major jewellery brands to introduce lab-grown gems was Pandora. The Danish company uses 100 per cent renewable energy in its facilities when crafting diamonds, with each set in 100 per cent recycled silver or gold (this could come from recycled jewellery, silverware, coins or even electronics). The carbon footprint of a finished white Pandora lab-grown diamond is around 90 per cent lower than that of a mined diamond – with a 1 carat cut comparable to that of a pair of jeans.
In a bid to offer further transparency for shoppers, Pandora has now introduced carbon footprint labelling on all its diamonds: dubbing it the “fifth C” (diamonds are traditionally graded by cut, colour, clarity and carat). The diamonds are “easier on your wallet, and easier on the environment, making them much more accessible”, Jennie Farmer, Pandora’s CMO, tells me at the Global Fashion Summit (GFS) in Copenhagen.
The annual conference – the biggest of its kind in the world – attracts the most influential and innovative names in sustainable fashion. Over two days, progress, setbacks and goals are shared, fostering collaboration toward a net-positive future. Closely behind oil and gas, the fashion industry is among the earth’s most polluting sectors.
Pandora, now a key player at the summit, has pledged to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across its entire chain by 2040. “I think [the fifth C] is really a step forward,” Farmer says. “When the sustainability team first said, look, we’re thinking of doing this, I said it sounds amazing, but how? How do we do this in a way that is really factual, and really rigorous? It’s been a lot of work… but we’ve worked with two external agencies and then the report is fully validated by Ernst & Young.”
Pamela Anderson – a decade-long advocate for sustainability and animal rights – is an ambassador of Pandora, wearing bespoke lab grown diamond pieces on red carpets from Cannes to LA. At the Pandora x GFS dinner, the actor complemented her signature bare-face look with understated, dainty silver lab-grown diamond jewellery – less is more, she told me. Speaking at the summit, she said: “They’re diamonds, they’re the same, and I love that.”
“Greater honestly and accountability is becoming a cultural force… in our small little ways, we can make better choices for the planet,” Anderson added. “I like to think of it as being a romantic activist.”
What’s being made clear at the summit is that brand’s driving change must also remember to keep the consumer at the heart of its model. “It’s not just about the fact that you could now buy your diamond engagement ring at a much more accessible price – you can decide to buy a beautiful ring or a simple bracelet, and don’t have to wait for those big moments or special occasions,” Farmer tells me. “It’s gifting for Mother’s Day or gifting for your partner, or women buying for themselves – I love that, I love the idea that you don’t have to wait for your partner to give you a diamond. You can buy all for yourself.”
Importantly, Pandora’s lab-grown stones carry all the same qualities as diamonds, meaning the gems are aesthetically and physically identical to the real deal. But how does Pandora achieve this? “We start with what we call a diamond seed, which is a very, very thin piece of lab grown diamond,” Farmer explains. “That is then placed in a chamber under conditions of controlled temperature and heat over a number of weeks, [where we] basically grow a rough diamond. We’re essentially replicating the forces that were under the Earth millions of years ago in a laboratory,” she adds. The brand uses technology where a hydrogen gas mixture is heated to 800C.
“Over three weeks, you create this beautiful rough diamond and then artisans cut and polish that rough diamond as you would do with a mined diamond. What we create in the laboratory is not the sparkly, beautiful diamond you see on my finger, but it’s a rough diamond, and we still go through that cutting and polishing process to get to the round brilliant or the princess cut.”
From dainty rings and understated studs (Anderson’s go-to’s) to glitzy earrings and gemstone necklaces, pieces in the Pandora lab-grown collection are set only in noble metals (yellow gold, white gold and sterling silver) and range from 0.1 to 2 carat. With prices starting from £100, it’s no wonder Pandora’s sales of lab-grown diamonds have surged by 87 per cent. Demonstrating the demand, Pandora tells me that 71 per cent of purchases come from return shoppers, too.
Since Pandora debuted lab-grown gems in 2021, I’ve sampled dozens of pieces over the years, seeing first hand their dazzling diamond-like finish. Whether you’re treating yourself or another, these are my favourite pieces.