November 2023 | Lab Grown Magazine

Mailed to 24,000 Jewelers Monthly - To advertise call (888) 832-1109 | November 2023 27 November 2023 | The Lab Grown Diamond Resource Book 26 nexpected. That’s the word that comes to mind as we each experience a pivotal shift in the global diamond history. Since natural stones now have clones, those copycats grown diamonds are unmistakably being introduced into “mass luxury” - beyond jewelry and timepieces. But, diamonds in beauty salons as an expected item? Certainly. Diamonds have been in the daily consumer beauty realm for decades, be they in more obscure areas… fingernail files, for example. Yet, our sector has turned a sharp corner. Laboratory Bissé The luxe personal dermatology line, Natura Bissé, has been blending natural diamond dust into their exfoliating facial creams sold at Neiman Marcus since 2021. Now, the Barcelona-based brand has copied themselves, reduced costs and is catering to formerly price prohibitive shoppers via lab luxe. Identical to their natural diamond enhanced skincare, Natura Bissé released an assortment of LGD- enhanced facial masks and skin buffing creams at high-end Belgium shops. They plan to expand to Morocco, the Philippines and Korea next. “We’ve been selling our natural diamond Natura Bissé skincare products have cloned themselves. By testing a lower priced “carbon copy” of their natural diamond creams and oils by leveraging LGDs over natural, they quickly concluded the word “laboratory” was not only appropriate, it was welcomed. Photo: Mateo Perez infused skincare at luxury cosmetic counters for years,” said Joaquín Serra, business development director for the brand. “Adding the word ‘laboratory’ and adjusting to a man-made diamond ingredient instead of a natural diamond granulars has allowed us to reduce our price, expand our audience, and retain all the brand benefits.” Sign of the Times With his eyes to the skies, Erbert Chong, a Paris-trained bespoke millennial fashion artist offers his ultra-high net worth French clients with a flair for the extreme forward. Creating a clutch in the form of a miniature UFO (or UAP), Chong originally planned on bedazzling his one-of-a-kind purse with Swarovski crystals, but, “After reviewing the cost per crystal carat and the setting time, it made more sense to create a handheld spaceship purse glowing with cascading lab diamonds,” Chong said. “Grown dark green- blue and sky shappires adorn the dome and secret inside accents,” he added. The diamond clad wonder has already flew to a private collector in Russia. “I know we can’t buy from them, but we can still sell to them ,right?,” Chong asked, I’ll defer that response to leaders of the G7, and the US Federal Government. An out-of-this-world spacecraft purse shines in an assortment of .25 to 1.3 carat VS1 LGDs capped with an array of green-blue and deep sky- blue man-made sapphires. This from the bespoke brainchild of Erbert Chong, a Paris-based haute couture fashion designer. Photo: Laurent Fournier) Booking Time Reading is a luxury. Securing personal time has become a “luxe labeled” event. Slipping away from the diamond grind and relaxing with a good book is part of today’s luxe lifestyle. Novelist Rob Bates, the mega-award-winning news director at the industry authority, JCK, Bates has also been crowned with the same high-standing authoritative title by the New York Times to National Public Radio. But, that’s his hard-hitting, facts-only side. Bates, like most of us, can’t turn diamonds off of his mind. So, he created a way to weave clever industry plots, dark humor, and larger-than-life characters into a page-turning, “who done it?” book series. In his forth and upcoming Diamond Murder Mystery series title, the plot thickens with the introduction of LGDs slicing their way into the storyline of his next novel. These books are welcomed balance of fiction meets slice-of-life pseudo reality. Best read from the first book onward, readers will quickly pick-up on Bates’ dry and witty humor, with blurred comparisons to industry people, places and the wildest of possibilities. ◆ The first of three Diamond District Murder Mystery Series by Rob Bates, each book speaks to inventive situations wrapped around inviting characters. Expect the unexpected when you read the continuing story or pick-up somewhere along the way. A maze of mystery downtime awaits. Photo: Camel Press