September 2023 | Lab Grown Magazine

September 2023 | The Lab Grown Diamond Resource Book 24 Mailed to 24,000 Jewelers Monthly - To advertise call (888) 832-1109 | September 2023 25 FOR MORE DETAILS Dan Scott is a Brand Architect with Luxe Licensing, a marketing, licensing and production agency with a portfolio including Dior, Chanel, Harry Winston and demi-luxe starter brands. Dan also operates The Mined & Man-Made Diamond Allaince (www. MMDA.world) a non-profit that doesn’t compete with any natural or LGD like organizations, rather hopes to build a bridge between such. Dan welcomes comments. Texts/calls: + 1201 294 3697 or through LuxeLicensing.com rare, scarce, and typically expensive. The opposite reaction occurs when the market is flooded with a certain product with competitively low prices. Those that are basking in the LGD sunlight are likely to get burnt. Even though LGDs will continue to command consumer attention, there is no legendary brand umbrella to stand under when it rains. Decades ago (and returning to the runway) natural mink, chinchilla or sable were the “I’m doing well” visual coat cue. Signaling the ability to wear your wealth, people were captivated by the cozy luxury of a designer fur coat. Then came the animal rights activists and fashion week’s finest, many chaining themselves to natural fur coat racks at major department stores. These actions supported the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) a well-intentioned animal rights group that had Pamela Anderson, Pink, Eva Mendes to Dennis Rodman declaring they’d “rather be naked than be seen in fur.” That campaign ran for thirty years. The finest boutiques rid themselves of natural fur replaced by impressively deceptive, affordable man-made fur. The state of California continues to ban any new natural fur sale statewide. So, why is natural fur coming back into vogue? Most faux fur is not bio-degradable. Tiny plastic coils chock birds and fish, and man-made fur rots slower than plastic bottles in landfills. Flipside: Natural discarded fur is quickly degradable. PETA’s campaign (focused on fur) won’t be back... perhaps because they caught their own misstep. PETA protestors continue to wear leather shoes and belts while speaking anti-fur words. Now, the Natural Fibers Alliance, supporters of natural materials in fashion, is lobbying to overturn the California state law. This, as statewide retailers and young shoppers revaluate and hopefully come to a balance - an equilibrium. You are welcome to draw your own industry comparisons. LGDs will outsell natural diamonds in our lifetime. And yes, LGDs could be a destructive force to the jewelry industry (by and large) unless we find peace with LGD’s natural creator, as they too must find peace with man-made. ◊