VRAI is the world's first certified diamond producer with zero emissions, a fine jewellery brand with innovation, craftsmanship, and sustainability at the core. VRAI means true in French and their mission is to introduce sustainably created diamonds. Currently, no other company exists that can guarantee the origin of a diamond made with a carbon neutral process.
The diamonds are created in their own Diamond Foundry in America’s Pacific West, then cut and polished in international workshops by master craftsmen. VRAI’s vertically integrated supply chain ensures complete transparency, so there are no questions about origin or middlemen markups.
With a large collection to view and buy online, the website stocks Necklaces, Earrings and Rings.
By having full control over the creation of the diamonds, VRAI provides customization options with a choice of up to 10 unique diamond shapes and 12 settings. Consumers are able to go online, select their diamond of choice, pick between platinum, white, yellow or rose gold, select the orientation of the diamond, design their band, add an engraving and receive it in less than two weeks.
On first hearing about the brand, I had a million questions, as I am sure most shoppers will have. A fascinating process, man-made lab grown diamonds are 100% carbon and have the exact same chemical properties as mined diamonds. Lab created diamonds are grown by recreating the conditions underneath the Earth that result in diamond growth: pressure, heat, and carbon.
Lab diamonds and natural diamonds of the same quality look the same, even to a trained eye, which means traditional jewellers' tools such as microscopes or loupes cannot detect the difference between a laboratory grown diamond and a natural, mined diamond.
There is a physical speed limit to how fast a diamond can be grown to avoid fractures in the crystal. It takes 7-10 days to grow a 1 carat lab diamond, and about a month to grow a 3 carat diamond.
Because these diamonds are grown by recreating the conditions of nature, lab grown diamonds are not flawless either and have the same variations of colour and clarity that exist in mined diamonds (the 4 C's).
Recent collaborations include VRAI x Amanda Hearst Rønning and VRAI x RandM.
The packaging is made from recyclable, compostable and reusable materials while the molded trays that hold each jewellery box are made from compressed sugarcane pulp, an environmentally friendly and renewable resource.
Buying a lab grown diamond will be a brand new concept and education for most people, with many questions from new customers, so the brand are aware of the personal service needed during the purchasing process. They offer a consultation appointment service with a diamond expert.
By Anna Bance
June 2021
