Events & AwardsMay 22, 2026
Instore Buys JA New York ShowThe deal closed this week, which means Instore will produce the JA NY show slated to take place this fall.
SourcingFeb 21, 2019
Lab-Grown Diamonds Land at Place Vendôme
Courbet is headed by a former Richemont executive and a marketing executive turned jewelry designer.
Named for rebellious French painter Gustave Courbet, lab-grown diamond jewelry brand Courbet opened last spring on Paris’ famed Place Vendôme. It is the only lab-grown diamond jeweler on a square known for being home to some of the world’s most illustrious jewelry houses.
Paris—Place Vendôme is where César Ritz opened his celebrated hotel that housed Coco Chanel and served as a favored watering hole for Ernest Hemingway (so much so that the hotel bar bears his name).
For 200 years, the famed square in Paris’ 1st arrondissement also has been home to boutiques for the world’s most illustrious fashion and jewelry houses, including French heritage brands like Boucheron, Chaumet, Cartier, Mauboussin and Mellerio, which opened in 1815 as the first jeweler on the plaza.
Now, Place Vendôme houses a company with a future bent, a fledgling lab-grown diamond jewelry brand helmed by a former Richemont executive and a Swedish marketing executive turned designer.
Courbet, named after the innovative French painter thought to be behind the destruction of the column in the center’s square in the 1870s, opened a showroom at 7 Place Vendôme in May 2018 and began selling online the following month. The store is located on the fifth floor in the Cour Vendôme.
Manuel Mallen, who spent nearly 20 years as an executive with Piaget and then Baume & Mercier, started the brand in 2017 with Marie-Ann Wachtmeister, a former marketing manager in Europe for Procter & Gamble who started and then sold her own telecom company before getting into jewelry design in 2010.
Like so many other companies that sell man-made diamonds, Courbet’s marketing uses words like “sustainable” and “ethical,” but it also pays homage to the history and heritage of the brands in the square it occupies.
Courbet, the company’s press kit reads, “embodies the reinvention of Place Vendôme, and proposes the next generation of jewelry,” while noting that it is not “aiming to revolutionize the sector or denounce its traditional players. After more than 25 years as part of this industry, Manuel Mallen simply wants to offer an alternative.”
View this post on InstagramA post shared by COURBET • Joaillier de Valeurs (@courbetofficial) on Nov 6, 2018 at 6:40am PST
The company told National Jeweler that it has a variety of sources for its diamonds, including San Francisco-based Diamond Foundry, Russian lab-grown diamond company New Diamond Technology (NDT) and “very soon” will be sourcing stones from a diamond grower in France.
Among the brand’s standouts are the “Eclipse” bangle bracelets, which bring to mind another French jeweler, Cartier, and its ubiquitous Love bracelets.
The jewelry is crafted in 18-karat recycled white, yellow or rose gold and is manufactured in Europe—in Paris and Lyon, France as well as Milan—using craftsmen who make jewelry for other brands on Place Vendôme.
RELATED CONTENT: 4 Predictions on Retail and Diamond Desire in 2019
Courbet joins the growing roster of companies dealing in lab-grown diamonds.
Last year, De Beers launched Lightbox, and J.C. Penney and Macy’s both added the Richline-supported line “Grown With Love” just before the holidays.
Another Berkshire Hathaway-owned company, Helzberg, also has expanded its man-made diamond offerings.
The jeweler, which ranked as the eighth largest fine jeweler in terms of sales and the third largest in terms of size in National Jeweler’s 2018 “State of the Majors” report, started selling the “Light Heart” line late last year.
Helzberg Diamonds first experimented with lab-grown offerings in 2015, testing pink, yellow and white stones from Scio and Renaissance Diamonds, though it dropped the line shortly after.
The North Kansas City, Missouri-based chain also carries man-made diamonds from Altr.
Last year, De Beers launched Lightbox, and J.C. Penney and Macy’s both added the Richline-supported line “Grown With Love” just before the holidays.
Another Berkshire Hathaway-owned company, Helzberg, also has expanded its man-made diamond offerings.
The jeweler, which ranked as the eighth largest fine jeweler in terms of sales and the third largest in terms of size in National Jeweler’s 2018 “State of the Majors” report, started selling the “Light Heart” line late last year.
Helzberg Diamonds first experimented with lab-grown offerings in 2015, testing pink, yellow and white stones from Scio and Renaissance Diamonds, though it dropped the line shortly after.
The North Kansas City, Missouri-based chain also carries man-made diamonds from Altr.
More on Sourcing
The Latest
FinancialsMay 22, 2026
Richemont’s Jewelry Brands Lead the Charge in Q4The company’s jewelry sales were up in Q4 and the fiscal year, with Richemont raising prices in part because of the cost of gold.
CollectionsMay 22, 2026
Leigh Maxwell Celebrates 5 Years at Couture With ‘Bauble’ CollectionThe “Bauble” capsule collection of colorful one-of-a-kinds includes our Piece of the Week, the “Bauble” earrings, featuring rose zircon.
Brought to you by
All Eyes on Gold Prices. Alternatives to Look For. And What to BEWARE of in VegasAs gold prices rise, today’s retailers are looking for alternatives at prices that will appeal to wider audiences.
MajorsMay 22, 2026
Stuller’s New Packaging, Display Catalog Is Out The updated catalog has a newly dedicated section for gift wrapping.
Weekly QuizMay 21, 2026
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
PodcastsMay 21, 2026
Episode 5: Sotheby’s Frank Everett Puts the Auction Market in PerspectiveEverett covers colored stones’ surging popularity, the mellow return of the “Mellon Blue,” and his “The Devil Wears Prada” doppelgänger.
IndependentsMay 21, 2026
Springer’s Jewelers’ New Flagship Will Serve Next-Gen Luxury ShoppersFourth-generation CEO Lilly Mullen wants to emphasize experience, connection, and personalized service.
Brought to you by
How Modern Training Is Becoming a Competitive Advantage for Jewelry RetailersWith the trade and customer trust in mind, GIA® developed NextGem™ – on-demand training designed specifically for retail.
Events & AwardsMay 21, 2026
JA Announces Nina Pugliese Memorial ScholarshipThe new award, created in partnership with Henne Jewelers, honors the late designer’s legacy through supporting jewelry education.
CrimeMay 20, 2026
NYPD Warns of Jewelry Swap Scams Targeting SeniorsThe NYPD is warning elderly New Yorkers to keep their jewelry hidden when walking outside to avoid being a target.
IndependentsMay 20, 2026
Adornment & Theory’s New Store Feels Like Home Designer Viviana Langhoff has realized her dream of owning a space for her Chicago jewelry store that looks and feels like her brand.
Events & AwardsMay 20, 2026
Here Is Couture’s 2026 Education Lineup The sessions will run from Friday, May 29, to Sunday, May 31, with one being a live taping of an episode of Couture’s podcast.
Lab-GrownMay 20, 2026
Savannah Friedkin Jewelry Names New CEOFormer Stephanie Gottlieb Fine Jewelry executive Morgan P. Richardson is joining the lab-grown diamond jewelry brand.
WatchesMay 19, 2026
Here’s the AP x Swatch Pocket Watch That Caused PandemoniumThe $400 pocket watch is a blend of Audemars Piguet’s iconic eight-sided Royal Oak and Swatch’s unserious Pop watches from the ‘80s.
CollectionsMay 19, 2026
Chris Ploof’s New Collection Makes an Ancient Metal ModernWith gold prices on the rise, the “Modern Electrum” collection uses an alternative, non-tarnishing metal alloy composed of gold and silver.
IndependentsMay 19, 2026
Ellen and Michael Fruchtman Retire, Sell Marketing Agency Fruchtman Marketing has new owners, Erin Moyer-Carballea and Manuel Carballea, and will relocate to Miami.
ColumnistsMay 19, 2026
Peter Smith: The (Mostly) Immutable Sales TruthsIn a column for the 2026 State of the Majors issue, Smith lists 10 time-tested principles about sales that still ring true.
ColumnistsMay 18, 2026
Edahn Golan: What a K-Shaped Economy Means for Fine JewelryIn a column for the 2026 State of the Majors issue, Golan spells out how the growing economic divide in the U.S. is reshaping the market.
CollectionsMay 18, 2026
Foundrae’s New Collection Taps Into JoyThe “Limitless Expansion of Joy and Hope” collection evokes summer through colored gemstones and motifs of butterflies and florals.
CollectionsMay 18, 2026
Hancocks London Acquires Historic ‘Inchiquin’ EmeraldThe jewel, circa 1890, is from the late Victorian era and was owned by descendants of the last high king of Ireland.
Events & AwardsMay 18, 2026
Here Are the 2026 JCK Industry Fund Grant Recipients This is what the nine recipients plan to do with the funds.
AuctionsMay 15, 2026
American Collector Ponies Up Almost $17K for John Wayne’s RingThe Western star’s 14-karat gold signet ring sold for six times its low estimate following a bidding war at U.K. auction house Elmwood’s.
Events & AwardsMay 15, 2026
JA, MJSA To Sponsor Roundtable at TJSThe discussion, "Rebuilding the Jewelry Workforce," will take place on Saturday, May 16, in Troy, Michigan.
AuctionsMay 14, 2026
White Diamonds Lead Sotheby’s Auction, Blue Diamond Does Not SellA matching pair of 18.38-carat, D-color diamonds from Botswana’s Jwaneng mine sold for $3.3 million, the top lot of the jewelry auction.
Supplier BulletinMay 14, 2026
A Diamond Is Forever Continues Desert Diamonds – Bridal ReinvigoratedSponsored by A Diamond Is Forever
SourcingMay 14, 2026
State of Colored Stones: The Spirit of Young American Gemstone CuttersThe next generation of lapidarists are entrepreneurial, engaged online, and see the craft as a means for artistic expression.
AuctionsMay 14, 2026
‘Ocean Dream’ Makes Waves at Christie’s, Fetching $17MIt was the second auction appearance for the fancy vivid blue-green diamond, which sold for $7.8 million at Christie’s Geneva 12 years ago.
