The Diamond Lab | Creating Ethical Lab-Grown Diamonds

Jamie and Ruby Patel founded The Diamond Lab with a mission to make space for lab-grown diamonds within the luxury sphere. In just three years, they have done exactly that – not only establishing a presence within Selfridges, but expanding far beyond it, with many collaborations already on the horizon.

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The Diamond Lab provides luxury consumers with ethical and sustainable pieces, making it a clear choice for the conscious consumers of the future. Their approach proves that responsibility and refinement can coexist without compromise. Each piece embodies a new vision of luxury – one that is thoughtful, modern, and rooted in integrity.

Jamie and Ruby Patel, founder of The Diamond Lab

Interview with the founders of The Diamond Lab

How has the Diamond Lab evolved from its original form, from its creation to where it is now, returning to Selfridges?

The Diamond Lab started as an educational project at a time when the world was still calling lab-grown diamonds “fake” and “synthetic.” Industry experts actively advised me not to promote lab-grown and certainly not to position them as luxury. That resistance is what pushed me to do the complete opposite – to take lab-grown diamonds and prove they belonged in the luxury space.

Fast-forward to today: we’re standing in a four-floor flagship store on Bond Street, with entrepreneurs, UHNW clients, and celebrities choosing us, wearing us, and proudly sharing our brand within their circles. We’ve created a brand that’s accessible yet aspirational – a place where anyone can experience a sense of luxury in a beautiful, welcoming space.

Selfridges inviting us back for a Christmas residency is a full-circle moment. We’re bringing something fresh to their world again –art, colour, storytelling–and creating a space where fine jewellery and contemporary art sit in dialogue. We’ve partnered with Maddox Gallery, who curated our Bond Street walls when we first opened, to recreate that same energy and visual language inside Selfridges.

What have been the biggest challenges faced as a “disruptor” in the diamond industry, and what has the response been like from the natural diamond world?

Honestly, the biggest challenge hasn’t been consumers –they’ve been open, intelligent, curious, and ready from day one. The real resistance has come from within the industry itself.

I’ve worked in the diamond world for 20 years, and many of the leaders I’d worked alongside told me we wouldn’t make it… that no one would ever take lab-grown diamonds seriously. We also experienced male-dominated supplier environments questioning why us –giving us unfair inventory terms and making it clear they didn’t see lab-grown as worthy of the “luxury” lane.

It’s taken time, education, and a lot of perseverance to get the industry on-side. The shift is happening now. The same people who doubted us are starting to understand that lab-grown diamonds aren’t a threat –they’re part of the future.

As founders with nature and sustainability at the core, how does this shape each step of your creation process?

It shapes everything. Sustainability isn’t something we add at the end — it’s the filter through which we make every decision.
We focus on renewable-energy partners, ethical cutting, and creating pieces that honour craftsmanship while reducing environmental impact. Nature and responsibility guide the entire journey from seed to stone, and then from stone to design.

“Sustainability isn’t something we add at the end –it’s the filter through which we make every decision.”

How have technological innovations in lab-grown diamonds helped you reach your goals?

Innovation has been one of our greatest allies. The technology has accelerated so quickly that we’re now able to create stones with incredible clarity, light performance, and scale. This lets us push creative boundaries, offer our clients coloured diamonds, and build a business model that can scale globally without ever compromising on quality or ethics.

What do you think the future of The Diamond Lab holds?

The future is global. We’re building The Diamond Lab into an international brand, with openings planned across the Middle East, the US, and Asia within the next 24 months. We’re also developing our own lab – allowing us full control from growth to finished jewellery powered by renewable energy.

The long-term vision is simple: to become the world’s leading modern diamond house, weaving art into every one of our spaces and making it a core part of our brand ethos.

Can we look forward to any exciting collaborations?

Absolutely. We’re currently working on a collaboration with a renowned fine artist to create an exclusive jewellery collection –merging art and diamonds in a way that feels very true to our brand.

And later this year, we’re opening during the Abu Dhabi F1 at the Mandarin Oriental in Emirates Palace, where we’ll be unveiling some very special pieces and showcasing our next chapter.

As The Diamond Lab promotes the value of lab-grown diamonds, what’s the most important thing you want readers to remember?

A diamond’s true value is in its cut, its polish, and its symmetry – The beauty and brilliance come from craftsmanship and the way the stone is shaped, not whether it grows above ground, or below ground.

“Lab-grown diamonds aren’t less than.” They’re simply the next evolution of an object we’ve loved for generations.”