The ultimate ethical engagement ring?

Cred, the ‘original Fairtrade jeweller’, has been using exclusively Fairtrade gold from day one, and it made the first ever fairtrade gold wedding bands.

Now, following customer demand for socially and environmentally responsible products, Cred’s launching a collection made with lab-grown diamonds.

Growing diamonds

Lab-grown diamonds are made by simulating the environment at the Earth’s mantel, where diamonds are created. Carbon is placed under extreme heat and pressure; layer by layer, molecule by molecule, the carbon bonds to a small diamond ‘seed’ that acts as a molecular template.

This process takes as little as four days and the result is a rough diamond that can be cut and polished for use in jewellery like any naturally mined diamond. The controlled conditions of the laboratory result in a purer diamond, without the trace elements of other minerals that are often found in Nature.

Cutting out the mine

For decades the diamond industry has been opaque about its supply chain, failing to offer transparency and traceability to customers.

Fred’s managing director, Alan Frampton, says Cred’s customers feel reassured that their jewellery’s coming from a known and socially responsible system. The stones bear a laser mark and are accompanied by an independent certificate to guarantee origin and quality.

Lab-grown diamonds cuts out the mine completely. They provide the opportunity to get a superior quality product that is 100% traceable and approximately 30% cheaper than mined diamonds.