Ethica Diamonds have been developing a carbon negative standard for the past two years. The first lab grown diamond to be certified C-® Standard was donated to the Born Free Foundation. It was raffled as a ‘Diamond in a Glass’ at the Footsteps for Freedom gala, alongside a luxury pendant necklace. The necklace was designed in collaboration with Dame Joanna Lumley. 100% of the money raised was donated to the charity.
Diamond sustainability – why the carbon negative standard matters
The Carbon Negative Standard (C-® Standard) is important because many lab grown diamonds are not as sustainable as people think they are. Although they are more sustainable than mined diamonds.
Elaine Reffell, founder at Ethica Diamonds said “This was a great opportunity for the launch of the Carbon Negative Standard that we have spent the past 2 years working towards. The diamond that we donated for this event was the first lab grown diamond that has been certified with the C-® Standard, which is a significant step for the industry. Lab grown diamonds are not as environmentally friendly as people think because most of them are grown using non-renewable energy, so this standard gives consumers full trust in the ethics of the product they are purchasing, particularly one that holds so much sentiment.”
The Diamond Environmental Impacts Estimation (DEIE) projects that mining diamonds will cause between 9.65 mega tonnes and 13.26 mega tonnes of greenhouse gases annually by 2100, depending on the scenario modelled (Nature). This is in addition to vast mineral waste and water usage. And according to the International Gem Society, producing a one carat lab grown diamond using fossil fuels releases approximately 511 kilograms of greenhouse gases (ABC News). By contrast, a lab grown diamond made using renewable energy causes 0.028 grams of greenhouse gas emissions.
Charity auction
Ethica Diamonds’ in-house designer, Laura Basham, incorporated personal contributions from Dame Joanna Lumley into a custom pendant for the Born Free Foundation. Joanna is the original ambassador and patron for the charity.
“The whole world is in our hands: sink or swim, jeopardy or protection, survival or a miserable absence of our planet’s most glorious animals. It is up to us: as humans we must wield our devastating power with compassion, humility and courage. I love this graceful and stunning pendant, which is as beautiful as it is wise. It captures Born Free’s ethics and ambitions perfectly.”
– Dame Joanna Lumley
The pendant used green lab-grown diamonds (3.65 carats) and light blue lab grown sapphires (2.04 carats), set in recycled yellow gold. The selected materials reflect Ethica Diamonds’ commitment to environmental responsibility. Born Free is well known for its conservation work in Africa.
The live auction took place on 21 March 2025 and the pendant raised £10,000 which was donated to Born Free. And a lucky winner took home the ‘Diamond in a Glass’ raffle prize.
“We’re delighted to be working with Joanna Lumley to create a truly special bespoke pendant exclusively for Born Free,” says Emily Foreman, a director at Ethica Diamonds and Elaine’s daughter. “We have loved getting creative and having some fun designing something which captures the essence of the charity, to celebrate and support the amazing work they do. It is a cause which is very close to our hearts at Ethica Diamonds as we are all huge animal lovers in our team, so it has been highly rewarding for us to create something so meaningful which will be helping Born Free raise a lot of money for their work.”
Sustainable lab grown diamond jewellery
Ethica Diamonds choose only the finest lab grown diamonds for their jewellery. They are independently audited and fully traceable. They are grown with 100% renewable electricity. To find out more about carbon negative lab grown diamonds or to shop for jewellery, visit https://ethica.diamonds/
