April 2025 | Lab Grown Magazine

April 2025 | The Lab Grown Diamond Resource Book 24 Mailed to 24,000 Jewelers Monthly - To advertise call (888) 832-1109 | April 2025 25 uxury is truly defined by the admirer just as love is best defined. Decades ago, jewelry industry professionals and customers alike would only consider designs created in solid precious metal and natural precious gemstones, most frequently carrying a designer name as the marquee. This has certainly changed in today’s market. One need to look no farther than luxury timepiece brands such as Rolex with a multitude of bezels offered in aluminum and wrist straps in stainless steel or the Patek Philippe Nautilus series crafted in stainless steel. Then there’s leading sports watches many would classify under a luxury position like TAG Heuer, using a rubber strap for its Connected Watch Calibre E4 series. While sterling silver is considered a noble metal, it tarnishes and sells for far less than platinum, palladium or gold. Still, silver has been used in luxury jewelry that dates back beyond the Victorian era. It’s certainly alive and well, in today’s marketplace and used often by such luxury design houses as Tiffany and Co and David Yurman. Material Possessions While genuine leather wallet may be thought to out price that of canvas, one visit to Saks Fifth Avenue or its new aligned partner Neiman Marcus would beg to differ. A “generic” wallets crafted of the finest leather often is dramatically superseded in price when compared to a Dior or Coach canvas wallet. Having proven the fabrication of a luxury item doesn’t constitute its luxury appeal and related price tag, isn’t it interesting that major luxury design houses seem to have strayed from leveraging LGDs? Or have they? Let’s first review the market disruption of fuax furs in the U.S. - the once exclusive luxury appeal of natural fur coats, jackets and stoles changed almost overnight. In the 1980s through the late 1990s Americans experienced an outs aught of anti-natural fur campaigns on highway billboards, radio and TV spots and headlines on the covers of the New York Post, Chicago Tribune to the Los Angels Times. Leading brands such as Channel, Prada and Gucci ditched their natural fur lines and created in faux fur. By 2019, cities in California, namely, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley and West Hollywood banned natural fur sales. By 2023, the entire state of California banned all sales of natural fur. Other cities in major states inclosing, Cities in Massachusetts, Michigan, Florida and Pennsylvania have also passed similar legislation. These man-made creations sold for no less than their\r natural counterparts when brand name labels were attached… some sold for more. This is a classic example of how quickly the tide may turn from something defined as luxury and natural to luxury and man-made. ernal Gold ring in white gold with laboratory- own diamond Launched in 2023, Prada was the first major design house to embrace LGDs. As of 2024, their lab line, Eternal Gold has expanded and well received by Gen X’s favorite fashion label. Photo: Prada LGD Fine Jewelry at Leading Luxe Retail Earlier we spoke of the leading fashion brand Prada and the luxury mall anchors of Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. Just ten years go the thought of any of those properties selling LGDs was simply laughed at. Then we look at the market today. PART 1 of 2