When one of your favourite jewellery brands launches a new collection it’s an exciting day, but Pandora’s new launch is so much more than exciting, as it makes its next major foray into the world of lab-grown diamonds.
You may not know it already, but Pandora has been making some key advancements in the sustainability space over recent years. Officially the biggest jewellery brand in the world – creating around 100 million pieces every year – it announced recently that not only would it be carbon neutral by 2025 and use 100% recycled metals by the same period, but it also switched to 100% renewable energy in its crafting facilities.
Proving that a social conscience need not limit creativity, the brand has also broken new ground when it comes to its shoppable offering; providing a lab-grown diamond line which starts at just £225.
One more thing you may not yet be aware of is how problematic the world of natural diamonds can be. Sure, there are some higher-end areas of the industry which try to ensure that their diamonds are mined and crafted in the most conscious possible way, but there remain many ethical and sustainable questions surrounding the process at large.
The majority of natural diamonds are found in Africa, and the extraction process often displaces huge portions of land and wildlife while requiring the use of damaging diesel generators and, of course, extreme manual labour. Despite their enormous efforts, an estimated one million African diamond miners earn less than a dollar a day.
While much-needed efforts and initiatives are of course underway to improve the world of of diamond mining, a sustainable, ethical alternative is fast-becoming a serious source of competition in the form of lab-grown diamonds.
Physically and aesthetically identical, the only difference between the two diamond types is how they are formed; a lab-grown diamond resulting from replicating the conditions in which traditional diamonds grow below the earth’s surface inside a lab. They have the exact same optical, chemical, thermal and physical characteristics as mined diamonds, and are graded by the same standards known as the 4Cs (cut, colour, clarity and carat).
Having launched its first diamond collection in 2021, Pandora has ensured for the last year that every single one of their lab-grown diamonds has been grown, cut and polished with 100% renewable energy, and set in 100% recycled silver or gold, setting a new industry standard for creating beautiful jewellery with a significantly reduced impact on the planet. Following on from this successful debut, Pandora has now announced the launch of three new collections which fall under the names Era, Nova and Talisman.
Fronting the new launch campaign – which was shot by renowned fashion photographer Mario Sorrenti – is none other than Pamela Anderson, who is joined by the likes of Grace Coddington, Precious Lee and Amita Suman.