The stunning fusion of 'science and art' in lab-grown gems
London-based jeweler Anabela Chan brings her sustainable creations to a surging market of lab-grown gems and diamonds.
Transcript
00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:03 Diamonds are made of carbon.
00:16 Sapphires are made of corundum, which is an aluminum oxide.
00:20 Rubies are aluminum oxide with chromium.
00:23 So once you know what things are made of,
00:25 you can sort of work backwards.
00:26 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:30 These are some of the most precious and valuable
00:48 commodities there are in the world.
00:50 Just didn't make any sense to me.
00:52 So that's when I began my research
00:54 into alternative materials.
00:56 How can we create equally beautiful, red carpet
00:59 worthy, fine high jewelry, but without using
01:02 mining in the process?
01:03 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:07,
01:34 So laboratory grown gemstones are about mimicking
01:37 the conditions within the earth where
01:40 gemstones are formed, but in a controlled environment.
01:42 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:46 Six of these can turn into an ingot like this
01:51 that can then be cast into a pair of earrings like this.
01:55 And what's interesting about this
01:57 is this sort of like really shiny, silky gold you see
02:01 is actually 24 karat gold PVD onto recycled aluminum.
02:06 [MUSIC PLAYING]
02:09 So effectively taking something negative
02:15 and turning it into something positive,
02:16 I think that's the beauty of what
02:18 is possible in the world of lab grown gemstones.
02:21 [MUSIC PLAYING]
02:29 Lab grown diamonds are a new product
02:34 that are seeing a great deal of demand in the US market.
02:43 About 85% of sales globally are in the United States.
02:48 I think working with laboratory grown diamonds
02:50 and laboratory grown color stones for me
02:52 really brings a glimpse into the future of what
02:55 fine jewelry looks like.
02:57 Because I think it is about a celebration of science and art
03:00 together.
03:01 [MUSIC PLAYING]
03:05 (upbeat music)