Lightbox, the De Beers lab grown division, is expanding into the bridal market, with a range of 16 engagement rings.
It’s a significant step for a company that launched in May 2018, saying it would supply “high-quality, fashion jewelry” for “less serious occasions”.
Lightbox has clearly changed direction and has launched its first range of engagement rings with the tag line “Because great chemistry deserves great chemistry”.
Most are priced around the $2,500 mark. The cheapest is a 0.3-ct tw three-stone ring priced at $500.
The most expensive is a $5,000 two-carat round brilliant solitaire engagement ring with a stone graded as colorless/VVS+.
Lightbox CEO Antoine Borde said in a statement that the company was running a small in-market test of consumer preferences in the lab-grown diamond engagement ring segment.
She said: “We are undertaking the test now to better understand more about consumer interest in lab-grown diamond engagement rings, and to better understand how Lightbox’s offering of clear information and accessible prices resonates in this segment.
“Once the test is complete, we will analyze the learnings before deciding on next steps.”
Lightbox has been closing the gap between natural and lab growns over the last five years, with the introduction of grading reports (which it initially rejected), higher qualities (its Finest range), bigger sizes (up to two-carats) and higher-priced goods.
