Technology and high jewellery | Ancient techniques with new materials build the future
This article was originally written by Demi Karanikolaou in Greek for Harper’s Bazaar Greece. You can find it here.
Technology is revolutionising various aspects of the high jewellery industry, from design and production to marketing and customer experience. It offers opportunities for innovation, detailed customisation, commerce, security and of course sustainability, all while also driving, and catering to, the ever evolving needs of consumers.
The design process for a piece of jewellery often starts from designing it. Technology, sure to be a pivotal point in every step of the process, allows us to utilise CAD (Computer-Aided Design ) software to create intricate and precise 3D designs, enabling creativity with complex and detailed jewellery designs. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies also enable people to visualise jewellery designs in a more immersive way before creating them. The same technology can also be used by customers in “Virtual Try-Ons”: Augmented reality apps and websites can allow customers to "try on' ' high-end jewellery virtually, helping them make informed purchase decisions.
On the production front, 3D Printing (Additive Manufacturing) can be used to create intricate and customised jewellery pieces with a high level of precision. A trending topic in every industry, AI and Machine Learning can also help jewellery brands analyse customer preferences and trends to offer personalised and on-demand designs. Advanced tech and AI will be huge in development also because people like to have instant results in multiple things: “Instant jewels” aka, the quick production of the trendiest necklace in fashion, will be available to produce quickly with advanced technologies, even if it is somewhat personalised. When it comes to craftsmanship, robots, automation and advanced tools (such as laser cutting and engraving machines), can assist jewellers in tasks that require extreme precision, hence reducing the likelihood of errors in high-end pieces. Smart Jewellery and Wearable Technology pose another big question to the future of the jewellery industry, since they can incorporate smart features, such as fitness tracking, communication, or security functions, adding a tech-savvy element to luxury pieces.
Of course sustainability and transparency efforts are themselves driven by technology. Blockchain Technology for example can be used to create transparent supply chains, allowing customers to trace the origin of gemstones and metals, ensuring ethical and sustainable sourcing.
With authenticity being so pivotal to this industry, it is almost expected that the abilities of technology will prove extremely important. NFC and RFID technologies for example, can be integrated into jewellery to provide authentication and provenance information. Customers can use their smartphones to verify the authenticity of high-end pieces.
Lastly, on Marketing, Branding and Digital Storytelling techniques, technology offers a myriad of different solutions, including immersive videos and virtual tours to convey the artistry and craftsmanship behind their pieces. Indeed, future advanced technologies aim to make everything seamless for the customer, delight them and of course keep them ahead of the game. If one thing is clear, that is that technology has all of the potential to influence the world of high jewellery, transforming how jewellery is designed, crafted, and experienced.
But when it comes to the stones used in jewellery, one of the most radical innovations in the high jewellery scene would have to be the creation and widespread usage of Lab Grown Diamonds.
Lab-Grown Diamonds
The technology behind lab-grown diamonds and gemstones provides a more sustainable and ethical alternative to mined stones. With the first examples of them firstly created in labs during the 50s, it took decades until lab grown diamonds achieved an ultra high-quality outcome due to advanced technology. As a result those new fine diamonds, with their perfect clarity eventually became accessible to the wider public for commercial use. Instead of growing out of the earth, Lab Stones are grown from technology: using the same materials as nature does, a minded diamond seed and then replicating the natural pressure, heat etc. in a lab. This means that lab grown diamonds are physically, chemically and visually identical to their mined counterparts, the only difference being that one is grown above ground, while the other underground. While coming in at a more affordable price point than their mined counterparts, high end jewellery made with lab grown diamonds would still be handcrafted by skilled artisans, maintaining the art of jewellery making, whilst propelling it into the future and merging tradition, physics, technology and science together.
This comes at a time where a lot of voices have voiced their scepticism on mined diamonds, since the excessive mining is harmful for our planet. This is due to the many resources needed for extraction of a diamond from its natural habitat and the distortion of insects, tribes and overall impact on nature. On the opposite side, lab diamonds are more sustainable with less costs, emissions etc. and can be produced without the high environmental price tag .
Always more environmentally conscious, the younger consumers seem to be the driving force behind a lot of the start-ups in the lab diamond field. Jamie Amelia Patel, founder of London based high jewellery maison “The Diamond Lab”, specialising on using only lab grown diamonds said on the topic: “ Whereas with the transparency of the retail chain of mined diamonds is lost within the multiple stages and how we get from inception to final point of sale, lab grown diamond practices offer fully tracked practices and a 360 transparency from inception, to production and final point of sale, involving way fewer people than the mined diamond business. Gen Z in particular, understands and appreciates the more ethical and transparent practices that offer them the option to wear a sustainable and beautiful piece of jewellery. They also understand lab diamonds better, since they grew up with technology present in every aspect of their life, meaning that for them innovation is a lifestyle, not a trend. They want something that represents the future in a positive way and demand Lab grown from different retailers. “
Indeed, According to jewellery industry analyst Paul Zimnisky, sales of these man-made diamonds have increased from under $1 billion in 2016 to just under $12 billion in 2022 according to Paul Zimnisky, a jewellery analyst and BOF. Additionally according to diamond research firm Edahn Golan they “represent just over 17% of the overall diamond market”.
Despite the massive increase in sales, educating and familiarising consumers with lab diamonds is still a major focus for start-ups in the field. “ The vast majority of our customers during our launch at Selfridges, had only ever had experience with mined diamonds. However I was very happy to see that with the right education on what lab diamonds are, we saw them changing their mentality and buying into their first lab grown diamond with us” mentions Jamie Amelia Patel from “The Diamond Lab”.
But sustainability is not the only good thing about lab diamonds. They are also aiding creativity and out of the box thinking in jewellery design: “ Coloured diamonds are notoriously rare and hard to be mined. This is not the case for lab grown diamonds - consumers have access to beautiful pink, blue and more colourful diamonds. For ultra high networth individuals, that are less price sensitive, the lower price point also makes lab grown diamonds an instantly easy choice. They love using advanced design methods, such as AI, to customise their designs into their most fun, quirky and wild dreams" mentioned Jamie Amelia Patel.
Like it or not, technology is here to keep reshaping every industry, including that of high jewellery. When it comes to stones, lab grown diamonds seem to already be a leading force in the future of luxury, offering a more sustainable choice for buyers for generations to come and strongly supported by Gen Z. Chic, ethically-sourced and far more affordable. What’s not to love?
