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Little Switzerland Introduces Lab-Grown Diamond Brand
It is called “Engrace” and is available in a variety of colors.
A pair of half-carat lab-grown pink diamond stud earrings in 14-karat rose gold from Little Switzerland’s “Engrace Diamonds” line (retail price $750). Man-made diamonds will be sold in all the retailer’s stores by late 2019.
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands—Little Switzerland announced its big push into man-made diamonds last week, launching “Engrace Diamonds,” a lab-grown brand exclusive to its stores.
The man-made stones, sold loose and in finished jewelry, are available in a variety of colors, including white, pink, blue, orange, and olive green.
A Little Switzerland spokesperson said the diamonds are grown in the United States—he declined to name the specific company for “competitive reasons”—and graded by both Independent Gemological Laboratories and International Gemological Institute.
Loose diamonds over a half-carat are laser-inscribed with “LG” on the girdle and are sold with a grading report. Finished jewelry, created in 14-karat and 18-karat gold, also will be laser-inscribed and come with a grading report.
In addition to Engrace, Little Switzerland sells a line of lab-grown diamond jewlery called Nuri & Ash.
In launching Engrace, the retailer touted the value and affordability of the product, noting that customers can “get a bigger and higher-quality lab-grown diamond for the same price as a mined diamond.”
"As an industry leader we felt it was important to not only be the first stores in the Caribbean to offer lab-grown diamonds but to expose and educate our customers on this important new-age product,” CEO Hal Tayler said in a statement.
Little Switzerland has more than 30 locations throughout the Caribbean with boutiques in Aruba, Barbados, Curacao and St. Maarten. It also has U.S. locations, in Puerto Rico and Florida.
Engrace is being sold now online and in most Little Switzerland stores. It is expected to be sold in all the chain’s stores by late 2019.
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