A reference, kept since 2026 · every entry sourced
The documented history of lab-grown diamonds in fine jewellery.
Who used them first, who switched, who resisted, and what it costs to buy one well in the UK today. Dated, sourced, brand by brand — never ranked.
Published by Lark & Berry, a London fine jeweller founded on lab-grown diamonds in 2018. Our own history is on this record and held to the same rule as everyone else's: no third-party source, no entry.
Pillar A
The timeline
2005 to today: bridal pioneers, Diamond Foundry's capsules, the 2018 luxury turn, De Beers' reversal, Pandora, the price collapse.
Pillar B
The Lark & Berry record
Cannes 2018, the Met Gala, the Tonys, the Golden Globes, the Oscars — each red-carpet first as a dated page with its sources.
Pillar C
Buying lab-grown in the UK
Certificates, UK advertising law and ASA rulings, real 2026 price bands, resale honesty, insurance.
Pillar D
Lab-grown in bespoke & engagement
Designer house vs online retailer, carat-for-budget, fancy colours, matched stones, the heirloom question.
Free tool: the Lab-Grown Ring Brief Builder turns a budget into a stone spec and five questions to ask any jeweller.
Start here
- 2005–2021Who was the first jewellery brand to use lab-grown diamonds exclusively?
There is no single 'first'. A sourced, category-by-category record of who used lab-grown diamonds first: MiaDonna, Ada, Anabela Chan, Vrai, Courbet, Lark & Berry, Lightbox, Pandora.
- 2018What happened in 2018, the year lab-grown diamonds went luxury?
Month by month, 2018: Courbet on Place Vendôme, Lark & Berry at Cannes, De Beers' Lightbox announcement on 29 May, Lightbox on sale in September, Kimaï in November. Every date sourced.
- May 2018When did Lark & Berry launch, and why does the date matter?
Lark & Berry launched at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2018 with Martha Hunt, online in June, and a Marylebone store by August — a month before De Beers announced Lightbox.
- February 2020What was the lab-grown diamond necklace Billy Porter wore at the 2020 Oscars?
Billy Porter opened the 92nd Academy Awards on 9 February 2020 in Supernova, a Lark & Berry x Diamond Foundry collar of 500+ lab-grown diamonds, 64.5 carats, in 18k white gold.