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fashion<br />
Since the 1940s, women have pined for<br />
diamonds. Gentlemen, you have the<br />
iconic jewellery company De Beers and<br />
its legendary ‘A diamond is forever’ campaign<br />
to thank for that.<br />
Today, above-ground diamonds are the new<br />
rocks on the block, offering both opulence<br />
and ethics in order to charm the conscious<br />
shopper. These lab-grown alternatives are<br />
proving increasingly popular amongst<br />
millennials, who relish the fact they retail,<br />
on average, 30 per cent cheaper than mined<br />
diamonds of the same quality.<br />
So, let’s make a few things about manmade<br />
diamonds crystal clear. Above-ground<br />
diamonds are produced in a laboratory,<br />
mimicking the exact process that creates<br />
traditional, underground diamonds. As a<br />
result, both varieties of diamond are<br />
visually and atomically identical, to the<br />
point where gemologists are simply unable<br />
to tell the two apart without the aid of a<br />
specialist machine.<br />
One brand flying the flag for laboratorymade<br />
diamonds is Monarc Jewellery.<br />
<strong>This</strong> year, Monarc launched its Aboveground<br />
Commitment Collection, the first to appear<br />
on the New Zealand market. The ceremonial<br />
jewellery collection features above-ground<br />
diamonds that have been created at a foundry<br />
in California using solar power, resulting<br />
in a product that comes with a guaranteed<br />
zero-carbon footprint. Each of the diamonds<br />
in Monarc’s collection comes issued with a<br />
certificate that adheres to only the strictest of<br />
industry standards.<br />
We caught up with Monarc<br />
Jewellery’s founder, Kiwi<br />
Ella Drake, to find out more<br />
about the latest offerings in<br />
man-made diamonds.<br />
Why do above-ground diamonds make<br />
the perfect engagement or wedding ring?<br />
They’re more in line with the core values of<br />
love and marriage. Monarc’s Aboveground<br />
Commitment Collection brings<br />
sustainability and transparency to the piece<br />
of jewellery that signifies one of the most<br />
important moments of our life.<br />
Who and what inspired you to venture<br />
into above-ground diamonds as an<br />
alternative?<br />
I did a lot of research, to the point where<br />
I found a wonderful team located in San<br />
Francisco, where we create Monarc’s<br />
above-ground diamonds today. Leonardo<br />
Di Caprio is a key investor in The Diamond<br />
Foundry and a huge inspiration.<br />
New Zealand is a pioneering country<br />
that prides itself on being environmentally<br />
friendly, so releasing the collection here<br />
seemed like a natural choice.<br />
Photos: monarcjewellery.com<br />
It’s certainly hard to pick a clear-cut<br />
favourite. While the physical structure and<br />
chemical composition of a mined diamond can<br />
be perfectly duplicated, its sentimental worth<br />
simply cannot. The emotional link with these<br />
diamonds has encouraged us to associate the<br />
‘real thing’ with status and love. On the other<br />
hand, the future looks increasingly bright for<br />
the above-ground diamond industry... We<br />
think there’s room for both... set side by side in<br />
a gold ring, perhaps?<br />
“Creating affordable luxury.”<br />
11 New Regent St, Christchurch | info@viasollertia.co.nz
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