Sustainability Spotlight highlights the key actions or activities of brands that increase positive impact. Butterfly Mark certified Limelight Diamonds, founded and based in India, is leading the way in the field of lab grown CVD diamonds. In this interview, Managing Director & Founder Pooja Sheth reveals the origins of the brand, the finer details of the CVD creation process and discusses the impact of lab grown diamonds. Discover how the brand has also been implementing changes to its business practices in order to have less impact on the environment – such as the adoption of alternative materials, recycling of jewellery, solar energy at their CVD growing facilities and more.
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Hi Pooja! Congratulations on recently becoming Butterfly Mark certified. Can you tell us about Limelight Lab Grown Diamonds and how it all began?
I was away from India for almost 8 years. I graduated from the London School of Economics, studied at Harvard Business School, pursued an MSc in Finance at Imperial Business School and then worked as an investment banker at Barclays, London. However, I always had the aspiration to be an entrepreneur – and build a category that could focus on bringing the “India” story to the limelight. With that thought, Limelight Diamonds was founded in 2019 to create a luxury niche in the world for lab-grown CVD diamonds from India. On one of my trips back home, I got a chance to visit the deep-tech labs of the Bhathwari Group in Surat, producing the finest quality diamonds at a very large scale. I was overwhelmed and inspired with the level of automation and efficiency of this cutting-edge technology that managed to establish the Group as one of the pioneers of the lab-grown CVD diamond industry. I felt an immense sense of pride to see how our country is progressing and I knew this was a story that needed to be the talk of the town. The decision to move back and build a brand around this product was a natural progression. Thus, I founded Limelight Lab-Grown Diamonds with the vision to be India’s first and most responsibly managed CVD diamond-studded jewellery brand – and create a luxury niche for lab-grown CVD diamond jewellery worldwide. Inspiring, beautiful, and totally couture, yet with less impact through lab-grown diamond jewellery. In the last four years Limelight has managed to create strong waves in the gem and jewellery industry by building a differentiated product category in the class of luxury consumer goods. As one of the largest brands offering lab-grown CVD diamonds, Limelight’s efforts of bringing the true representation of these diamonds through education and promotion have been applauded, including support from the Royal families of India – who have been the prime custodians of the purest diamonds in the past too.
Why have you decided to go down the CVD lab grown route for creating diamonds over traditional methods?
There is a lot of misconceptions about lab-grown diamonds being addressed as imitations or simulants, but this is incorrect. Actual imitations like cubic zirconia or synthetic moissanite — which only look like diamond — have very different chemical and physical properties which can be easily differentiated from the natural ones by a gemmologist. Lab grown diamonds (LGDs) are created in the lab with an artificial setting that replicates the natural diamonds found below the earth’s surface. There are two growing methods to produce LGDs, Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) and High-Pressure High Temperature (HPHT). Initially, HPHT was the traditional diamond growth method. With the newer advancements, CVD process was introduced which produces type IIA diamonds, rare and purest quality as certified by all diamond grading laboratories. Studies and reports by the BBC and Times of India claim that one carat of a lab grown diamond can save up to 250 tonnes of land and 109 gallons (almost 500 litres) of water simply due to no mining. LGDs, a technology driven product, certainly seem to have an advantage in terms of reduced environmental and social damage that is usually associated with mining diamonds. They are 100% real and have less environmental impact and less human rights risks, so are more affordable than natural diamonds too.
Can you tell us how your CVD lab grown diamonds are made?
Chemical Vapor Deposition exactly replicates the diamond creation process which occurs below the surface of the earth. Lab grown diamonds are molecularly identical to mined diamonds and grow in different sizes and qualities, therefore they have the same 4C’s too – same cut, colour, clarity and carat. It all begins with a natural diamond seed. The seed is placed in the CVD plasma chamber and an intense environment of temperature and pressure is created just like that found under the earth. Gases are infused and together with the right combination of pressure and temperature conditions, carbon formations develop into rough diamonds. Therefore, CVD method produces type IIA quality diamonds – the purest type of diamonds – which is a rarity to find even in natural diamonds. CVD diamonds are not only real diamonds grown in the lab but are also, in my opinion, superior in quality than mined diamonds. This is mainly because all CVD diamonds are nitrogen free (certified as Type IIA diamonds). Because of no nitrogen, these diamonds have a far better shine, lustre and sparkle.
What are the benefits of CVD method as opposed to others for both for your business and for the planet?
If I were to list a few, the following would be:
- CVD technology produces the world’s purest diamonds CVD diamonds and are more affordable than natural diamonds
- There is no mining involved
Additionally consumers, especially millennials, are consciously making buying decisions based on the baggage of social impact closely tied with the impact on the planet. Consumer tastes and preferences in jewellery are changing rapidly in India too: more ethical and responsible sourcing is beginning to play an important role in every consumer’s purchase decision. Consumers are remaining extremely brand conscious, supporting brands not just for the product itself but also the philosophies and values that the brand carries. We spend a lot of time in ensuring that consumers are factually made aware of the entire lab grown diamond technology and process through our marketing strategies. In addition to this, independent third-party certification from diamond grading institutions like IGI & SGL clearly state that they are lab grown diamonds alongside all the other usual grading parameters required for diamonds. These institutes are renowned for grading mined diamonds and therefore lab grown diamond disclosures from these bodies further gives immense assurance to the consumers of their purchase. A step further, consumers are also looking for disclosures on the lab grown diamond method as that affects the quality of the diamond they are getting.
Looking forward, what is your immediate focus for creating positive change in the jewellery industry?
Being a lab grown diamond grower with an innovative product is itself a progressive step towards increased visibility of our production, giving us a better understanding and management of our environment impacts. By earning the Butterfly Mark certification, we are embarking on a new chapter to profess our sustainability commitments through our actions. With this achievement, our consumers build more trust towards us, and this helps us to attract more conscious consumers. Our focus is on expansion, product launches, acquisitions, and other strategies to increase our market penetration and strengthen our position in the industry. We want to create more abundant awareness and educate customers on the environment implications of their jewellery choices. With our new certificate verifying high ESG standards, we will be able to empower consumers to make informed buying decisions and support companies on their sustainability journey. We believe in being transparent and confident in talking about our products and processes, which it is critical to be communicated well to our consumers. Lab grown diamonds are growing in popularity with the younger socially conscious consumer also, and we are proactively working towards increasing meeting their demand.
You just opened a new store, how important do you feel it is to have a physical retail space in this digital forward world?
The concept of physical stores and real-world retail experiences plays a vital role. With the opening of a retail store, our focus is not solely on goods and one-dimensional transactions but give a better experience of our jewellery. Having a personalised store helps us to connect with our desired customers on a personal level and increases customer rapport. With the retail space, we have the advantage to showcase a variety of products at the counter and customers can also adore the designs, feel and try them, before the purchase. Diamonds are very precious, and any customer would want to see the beauty in real life before making the buying decision. Our ethos of providing the most luxurious shopping experience we can finds expression in its thoughtfully created retail ambience. In addition to that, the brand’s customer services include design customisation, Enterprise Management Incentives, lifetime buyback and a 100% exchange guarantee instil further trust and confidence in the consumers visiting the store. It is a critical step to build a trust with your customers and with the right product innovation and store experience, it is achievable.
Why was it important for Limelight to seek third party verification for your sustainability actions and performance?
The planet is witnessing the harmful effects of climate change, more so now than ever. The pandemic has become an eye-opener for many organisations in terms of understanding what they contribute to society and the environment, and it has led them to recognise the fact that sustainability is not just the need of the hour, but the fundamental starting principle under which companies must operate. As India’s largest CVD diamond jewellery brand on its sustainability journey, we at Limelight Diamonds are constantly working hard towards staying true to our core philosophy of establishing a luxury niche that is not built at the cost of our planet or our people. This recognition only further motivates us to continue at our future endeavours. ESG+ certification allows customers to identify companies who are socially responsible towards the environment and the world in whole and demonstrate transparent business ethics. It was indeed an important factor to receive a third-party verification to signify our commitments. We are consciously doing our bit and wanted that significant third-party recognition to verify our actions.
Finally, how has working with Positive Luxury and earning Butterfly Mark certification changed or informed your approach to your sustainability journey?
At the heart of it, Positive Luxury looks at the effects that global brands have on people and the environment. It was an overwhelmingly positive experience we shared with Positive Luxury! We have gone through a rigorous assessment to demonstrate our contributions towards environmental preservation and social well-being. ESG+ assessment was an intense process and was completed using an intuitive yet detailed framework that considers over 150 factors across 75 categories, tailored to the specific impacts of the luxury industry, from climate, waste, and carbon management to animal welfare, biodiversity, and circular economy. The Butterfly Mark has given us an edge that proves our work towards sustainability practices. We feel grateful and privileged for this significant achievement. By choosing more responsible practices and using LGDs, we’re helping to reduce our impact on the environment. We are doing our best in developing newer practices to be able to make a tangible difference. With the help of Positive Luxury, we have been doing a lot more to demonstrate progress on our sustainability commitments and the various areas identified that can be imrpoved. We started implementing several changes in our business practices – such as the adoption of alternative materials, the recycling of jewellery, zero plastic-based packaging from recycled papers, solar energy at our CVD growing facilities and even ensuring our office premises are all operating on green power. All these factors also contribute to the communities, making a positive impact on both people and planet. As we always say at Limelight, diamonds are very special for us and now, we have the power to preserve its legacy yet help protect our planet and progress towards a brighter future for all.
LEARN MORE ABOUT BUTTERFLY MARK CERTIFIED LIMELIGHT DIAMONDS NOW
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