The new collection Fred with laboratory diamonds: for or against?

New at FRED: the laboratory diamond

Place Vendôme has long fought against the introduction of diamonds so-called synthetic, or more precisely laboratory, on the jewelry market. The arrival of the new collection Force 10 Duality by FRED, mixing natural diamonds and laboratory blue diamonds, will certainly make a big splash. 

Certainly, the big names in luxury have started to change their point of view on these stones which they consider not to be of the standard of high jewelry. Some are studying the issue more closely, such as De Beers with Lightbox or Chanel via its investment in 2021 in Courbet. This Parisian Jewelry House qui produces laboratory diamonds sold on Place Vendôme, was named after the Communard painter who toppled the Vendôme column, set the tone for its creation in 2018 with its slogan “without the good, the beautiful is nothing”.

For or against laboratory diamonds? Divergent opinions

 The question of ethics and eco-responsibility is indeed an argument of the “pro” laboratory diamonds. Although a little cheaper than natural diamonds, they are just as spectacular and boast being more durable and, above all, more ethical.

Mines have a visible ecological impact by disfiguring landscapes, unlike laboratories located in urban areas. However, there is controversy over CO2 emissions, with divergent figures. According to some diamond “manufacturers”, the extraction of one carat of natural diamond would result in the emission of 57 kilos of CO2, while one carat of synthetic diamond would only emit 0.028 g of CO2. However, a study commissioned by the Diamond Producers Association (DPA), which represents 75% of global production, claims that a natural diamond would actually emit 160 kilos of CO2, while a synthetic diamond would emit 511.

From a more subjective point of view, some like to say that the journey of a diamond is a fascinating story that has taken place over billions of years, which makes it incomparable and singular, quite the opposite of a laboratory diamond. Others, on the contrary, will highlight that the diamond of laboratory, as the natural diamond “grows” with the uncertainty of its quality, just like the natural diamond, and that it on the other hand is free from any doubt as to its origin, with particular reference to “blood diamonds”. Natural diamond, wonder of nature, laboratory diamond, tribute to human genius? The debate is far from over…

In any case, the laboratory diamond made its “appearance” this month in a collection of a House of the LVMH group: FRED

A clever choice of Fred : present a diamond too rare to be natural

The choice of the jewelry house Fred is skilled, as she only works with blue lab diamonds. These are very rare and too difficult to obtain in nature to be used in jewelry collections.

Indeed, blue diamonds represent only a tiny part of the diamonds extracted from mines, around a thousandth of the mines' production, or even less.

Fred argues that these synthetic diamonds do not compete with natural diamonds, not only because of their color, but also because of their ship's sail shape, which recalls the maritime inspiration of the House Fred. Finally, however, the house seems to think of this collection as a first test, since these diamonds are removable... Will we give stone lovers the choice to decide between natural or laboratory diamonds? Time will tell us !

Other, more recent, jewelry houses are moving into laboratory diamonds.

Besides Courbet already cited, theMaison Vever is also one of the eco-responsible companies in the luxury sector to use only synthetic diamonds, in the innovative spirit which was at the origin of this brand founded 200 years ago. Company with a mission - a status recently created by the French State targeting "companies that wish to work for the common good by putting the resolution of social and environmental challenges at the heart of their model", it offers jewelry that respects the environment, exclusively made in France. 

Maison JEM (Jewellery Ethically Minded), among the French brands, also works ethically and sustainably with synthetic diamonds.