Pandora is adding a fifth C to its lab-grown diamonds, bringing carbon footprint transparency into a conversation once defined solely by cut, colour, clarity and carat.
The beauty and magic of a diamond can hardly be captured in words. Yet, for nearly a century, diamonds have been described using just four: cut, colour, clarity, and carat. Until now, that is. Pandora, known as much for its extraordinary lab-grown diamonds as its commitment to sustainability, is introducing the 5th C: carbon footprint. “At Pandora, we have always believed that jewellery should be a form of self-expression that is both meaningful and accessible,” says Pandora CMO Jennie Farmer. “Adding carbon footprint transparency to our lab-grown diamonds fits naturally with that belief.”
The idea is simple yet effective; a measurable statement that the carbon footprint associated with a diamond’s creation is just as vital to consider as its dazzling aesthetics. It’s an initiative Pandora is uniquely poised to introduce. Not only did the Danish jewellery brand stop working with mined diamonds in 2021, its lab-grown diamonds are grown, cut and polished using 100 per cent renewable electricity. What’s more, Pandora jewellery is crafted from 100 per cent recycled silver and gold.
Our approach is about harmony rather than compromise
Jennie Farmer
Pandora’s lab-grown diamonds capture the splendour of nature, using carefully honed innovations to create that same otherworldly beauty of a mined stone. In fact, each lab-grown stone is indistinguishable from a mined diamond optically, chemically, thermally and physically. The notable difference is that aforementioned 5th C, which is radically lower than that of a traditionally mined diamond.
With consumers – particularly the next generation of consumers – making more conscious purchasing decisions, this initiative couldn’t be more timely. “We are at a moment where transparency is increasingly becoming an expectation, not a bonus,” says Farmer. To emphasise accuracy, the carbon footprint of Pandora’s diamonds are calculated by external experts. This considered process yields an easy-to-understand figure for a modern diamond-aficionado. Or, as Farmer puts it, “a clear, factual way to consider carbon footprint alongside traditional criteria”.
Not that Pandora doesn’t hold that traditional criteria in the highest regard. Quite the opposite. “The traditional four Cs remain fundamental, they define the beauty, craftsmanship, and brilliance of a diamond. The 5th C sits alongside them as an added layer of meaning,” says Farmer. “Our approach is about harmony rather than compromise."