Pandora, the world鈥檚 biggest jeweller,聽is in the US and Canada as part of the company鈥檚 strategy to eliminate mined gems and create more affordable products with less associated emissions.
The Danish company, which plans to make its operations carbon neutral within three years, said the collection is the first one crafted with 100% recycled silver and gold.
鈥淭his brings greenhouse gas emissions of the collection鈥檚 entry product 鈥� a silver ring with a 0.15 carat lab-created diamond ($300) 鈥� down to 2.7 kg CO2e, which is equal to the average emissions of a t-shirt,鈥� Pandora said.
The flagship product, a one carat lab-created diamond set in a 14 carat solid gold ring 聽and sold for about $1,950, has a footprint of 10.4kg CO2e, which is less than the average emissions of a pair of jeans.
The jeweller, best known for its charm bracelets, has committed to craft all its pieces from recycled silver and gold by 2025.
Pandora launched its first Pandora Brilliance collection using only man-made diamonds in the UK last year.
鈥淟ab-created diamonds are just as beautiful as mined diamonds, but available to more people and with lower carbon emissions,鈥� chief executive officer Alexander Lacik said in .
While producing diamonds is energy-intensive, Pandora said its gems would be made using only renewable energy.
Since 2011, when prices peaked thanks to聽China鈥檚 younger shoppers, diamonds have faltered. Lab-grown stones, initially priced confusingly close to the real thing, posed a challenge.
Top diamond makers reacted to the new kind of diamonds,聽widely embraced by young consumers聽as they look identical to mined stones, by launching a joint marketing campaign.
Under the motto 鈥淩eal is Rare鈥�, the Natural Diamond Council (formerly the Diamond Producers Association), which groups the world鈥檚 leading diamond companies, launched聽a series of film-like spots聽targeting millennials 鈥� those born between 1981 and 1996.
Failing that, they begun selling man-made diamonds themselves. Anglo American鈥檚 De Beers聽created the聽Lightbox brand聽to sell alternative diamonds for a fraction of the price of the mined ones.
Ethical concerns
Despite the establishment of the Kimberley Process in 2003, aimed at removing conflict diamonds from the supply chain, experts say聽.
Miners and world famous jewellers including Tiffany & Co, have come up with innovative ways of certifying their stones as ethically mined, mostly聽based in blockchain technology.
In 2020, the New York-based company聽began providing customers聽with details of newly sourced, individually registered diamonds that trace a stone鈥檚 path all the way back to the mine.聽