Must Luxury Still Mean a Hefty Price Tag?
In redefining luxury, brands and consumers are looking at more than cost as a marker of quality and exclusivity in a product — even diamonds.
Gone are the days when items crafted from rare resources, in limited supply, and commanding serious coin were the benchmark of what could be considered luxury products. Recycled polyester, nylon, PVC, canvas, straw — these materials might not immediately remind one of luxury goods, but they can be found in the construction of a wide range of items spotted on fashion runways and on display in high-end boutiques, such as bags, shoes, and ready-to-wear pieces.
Similarly, in the realm of jewellery, gems like amethyst, quartz, aquamarine and garnet may be more abundant minerals, but they can and often do appear in the most exquisite creations presented by celebrated Maisons. Meanwhile, fancy shapes and coloured diamonds can be made more affordable through technology, though they are typically the most rare and therefore expensive variety of diamond. All this raises the question: If it is not solely a matter of the price of the materials used, how should one define what a luxury product is?
Game Changer
Even when the cost of a material may be more within reach, the innovation and craftsmanship that shape and mould it have a massive impact on the resultant product’s quality and exclusivity, and thus its status as a luxury item.
For example, mycelium from the root structure of the humble mushroom may be unremarkable, but the technical know-how needed to grow it to specifications and then craft it into a material that boasts the look and feel of animal hide has garnered this promising leather substitute the attention of some of the world’s most renowned luxury brands.
Likewise, rough gems may command more modest prices, but their quality and exclusivity can be influenced by intrinsic material attributes like colour, clarity and size, as well as the finesse of craftsmanship shown through faceting and polishing the stones.
A Star Is Born
When it comes to diamonds, even though they may not be a rare mineral, gem-quality stones very much are, and mining for and extracting those top-grade diamonds involve enormous cost — monetary, environmental and humanitarian. A happy alternative is lab-grown diamonds, like the AllStar Diamond from SK Jewellery, which is the first and only jeweller in Asia to carry and retail this extraordinary US-patented cut diamond that is the first of its kind.
A result of more than 60 years of research and development, the AllStar Diamond is more accessible — 2.5 times more so than a mined diamond of the same size, by avoiding the costs associated with mining — but by no means less stellar. The diamond-growing process starts with diamond seed crystals in a sealed growth chamber, which is filled with gas containing carbon and heated to a high temperature. Through mimicking the growing conditions natural diamonds face, a lab-grown Type IIA CVD diamond is created, which is chemically the most pure type of diamond.
Then, master craftsmen with over a decade of experience and extraordinary know-how work their magic: Spending three times as long to cut and polish these diamonds, they create almost double the 57 facets found on a typical brilliant-cut diamond — an industry-leading 101 facets, made up of 10 hearts and 10 arrows — achieving gems of unparalleled brilliance, fire and scintillation, as well as beauty and worth.
At the heart of the diamond, centred on the culet, lie three perfectly symmetrical stars, and their points align with all facets to achieve almost zero light leakage and deliver phenomenal light performance. And whether it is secured between swirling bands of precious metal or held by prongs that lift it high above the ring shank, the AllStar Diamond is always ready to dazzle.
A spectacular display of the transformative power of innovation and craftsmanship, the AllStar Diamond is proof that raw materials of more affordable origins can be turned into magnificent creations as exquisite and exclusive as those made by other leaders in the luxury industry. The AllStar Diamond from SK Jewellery is a glittering gem that does not hurt to acquire and a peerless jewel that redefines luxury today.
Find out more about SK Jewellery’s AllStar Diamond collection here.
