UAE start-up signs up with Leonardo Di Caprio-backed Diamond Foundry to offer carbon-neutral lab-grown diamonds

UAE-based sustainable jewellery brand Etika Jewels has collaborated with Diamond Foundry – a California-based lab-grown diamond manufacturer with investment from the likes of Leonardo Di Caprio – to offer unique carbon-neutral lab-grown diamonds made using renewable energy. The partnership will expand Etika Jewels’ offerings to include carbon-neutral lab-grown diamonds in addition to their existing ethical lab-grown diamond collection.

Etika Jewel’s latest additions offer carbon-neutral diamond options in a vast selection of solitaires from 0.8 carats and above. These investment-grade diamond rings also come with certificates from Diamond Foundry referencing their diamonds’ unique characteristics and the Diamond Foundry’s Producer Lifetime Warranty. Being ethically and sustainably produced in the US, these diamonds represent the future of responsible luxury with zero carbon footprint.

“Our mission at Etika Jewels is to give customers access to responsible jewellery with distinctive features while empowering them to spend consciously. As part of our continued commitment to sustainability, we are excited to partner with the best innovators in the sector like Diamond Foundry and be the first to offer a revolutionary diamond concept in the UAE. By providing carbon-free lab-grown diamonds that are celebrity-approved we hope to inspire change in the local diamond industry and give customers a chance to look their best with standout pieces without worrying about impacts on the environment and other stakeholders,” said Basma Chaieri, Founder, Etika Jewels.

Lab-grown diamonds are visually, physically and chemically identical to mined diamonds while having minimum adverse effects on the planet. The Diamond Foundry is the first and only diamond producer in the world using cutting-edge proprietary technology to grow diamonds in laboratories with zero carbon emissions thanks to a hydropower-led process. By replicating extreme natural conditions, the technology forms diamonds of the highest quality and avoids the environmental and ethical tolls of mining. Extreme heat from novel plasma reactors and precise engineering parts cause carbon atoms to stack on top of a tiny diamond foundation, gradually extending to its unique crystal structure and developing into a jewellery-grade lab-grown diamond, atomically identical to its mined counterpart.

Etika Jewels’ partnership with Diamond Foundry is a step towards transforming the ethical standards in the diamond industry for the better. The collaboration ensures that the exact history of each diamond is secured through a vertically integrated supply chain allowing for complete transparency through the entire process.

“People are becoming more and more receptive to sustainability centric innovation and that’s a huge opportunity for us,” she concluded.