At Bijorhca, Love Lab’s bet on lab-grown diamonds
Brand founder Elie Schonfeld explains why he believes in a product that sometimes still struggles to conquer the market.
It’s a discreet diamond, slipped onto a nylon cord that you can wrap around your wrist in a hand twist. The look is relaxed, the stone catches the light and the cord is available in every color. This is the winning formula behind Love Lab, a young brand offering a playful take on the lab-grown diamond, which found great success at the latest edition of Bijorhca. “We’ve had so many visitors that we had to ask for more tables and chairs in order to keep up!” says co-founder Elie Schonfeld.
Love Lab was born a year ago with a challenge: to change the image of lab-grown diamonds. Its bracelets are designed to be cool and unpretentious, without compromising on the quality. With stones as glamorous as traditional ones, they also contribute to demystifying the diamond, at a time when our relationship to luxury is evolving faster than ever.
What made you believe in lab-grown diamonds?
Today, younger generations are less interested in the myth of a one-of-a-kind diamond, buried underground for millions of years. They want a beautiful, affordable product that they can collect and renew, like an iPhone or a handbag. With lab-grown diamonds, you can offer a beautiful piece of jewelry for a good price.
What are the main challenges that you face?
The main challenge is to make buyers understand that we don’t intend to replace traditional diamonds. It’s simply a different product, with its own rules and its own story.At Love Lab we choose to go with our instincts, and to remain flexible when it comes to colors and minimum orders. We also welcome every client with the same enthusiasm, no matter the budget. It’s important for us to foster a younger diamond culture, without being pretentious.
How does Bijorhca help you to secure a spot in the market?
Bijorhca is the place where a brand such as ours can find its clients. The trade show attracts far more buyers than any other, with very different profiles. It allows us to better understand the expectations of the different markets, and to take the time to really explain our philosophy. We’ve almost doubled our September revenue, and it is just the beginning!
