“They are real diamonds! Exclaims Virginie Roy, co-founder of Proud Diamond. “Contrary to popular belief, these are not fakes, but real diamonds, and they have the advantage of being environmentally friendly, ethical and more affordable. I think you really have to educate people and publicize this process of making diamonds in the lab, ”she says excitedly on the day the company’s first collection launched earlier this month. -this. “It’s crazy, there is a craze. ”
Virginie Roy and Julia Van Arsdale, the two founders of Proud Diamond, feel invested with a mission: to make us aware of the origin of natural diamonds and to adopt those of the future, laboratory diamonds.
Diamonds are a luxury item, but they can be environmentally friendly. Mining a diamond mine is not good for the environment.
Virginie Roy, co-founder of Proud Diamond
Mme Roy also recalls that many diamonds from mines in Africa finance armed conflicts. “We want to revolutionize the market. “
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PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
Proud Diamond manufactures lab, ethical and ecological diamonds.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY PROUD DIAMOND
Small pavé hoop earrings, $ 550
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY PROUD DIAMOND
Halo Necklace, $ 817
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PHOTO ALJOSA ALIJAGIC, SUPPLIED BY PROUD DIAMOND
Bangle Bracelet, $ 1985
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY PROUD DIAMOND
Solitaire pendant, $ 593
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY PROUD DIAMOND
Solitaire Pavé Ring, $ 1,400
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The two entrepreneurs met when they worked at Airbnb, Virginie in Montreal and Julia in San Francisco. Virginie Roy fell into diamonds when she was little. “My grandfather would arrive with suitcases full of sparkling diamonds. I was impressed, and I remember the huge padlock on the trunk of her car, ”she recalls. He was the one who told her about lab diamonds and she clicked.
Julia Van Arsdale is German, photographer and artistic director, she has lived in the United States since 2010. “I am from Leipzig, in the former East Germany,” she explains. My dad always told me: “There is so much to see elsewhere in the world, go ahead and explore!” And here I am! I now live in Seattle and I am starting a business with a Quebecer! “
They saw that there was a market for these jewels, especially that of new generations who want to buy ethical diamonds that will last a lifetime. “As for the older ones, you have to make them understand that they have to change their habits, because they have always bought natural diamonds,” said Virginie Roy.
Manufacturing process
What is the manufacturing process for lab diamonds? “The technique we use is chemical vapor deposition (CVD). We place a diamond slide, called a plate, in a closed chamber, insert a gas mixture and, thanks to very high temperatures, the carbon will attach to the diamond plate, and the plate will grow according to the desired carat ” , explains Virginie Roy. She specifies that the diamond will be more affordable (prices start at $ 445 for earrings), because in the production line of a mine diamond, there are between 10 and 15 people, while in that of a laboratory diamond is 3 people. “We also do direct sales without an intermediary. ”
The first collection is very classic, timeless. There are solitaire rings, necklaces with solitaire diamonds, earrings and bracelets with very clean lines. “We want to focus on the quality of the diamond. Afterwards, we will do collaborations with artists and more original jewelry, but with the first collection, we want to make the laboratory diamond known ”, affirm the two founders.
Virginie Roy and Julia Van Arsdale believe that you have to pay the right price for a diamond. “We have values, caring about the environment, about people, that’s part of who we are. We offer a diamond of quality, ecological, ethical, whose origin we know. These are the diamonds of the future, and they are forever too! ”
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