A recycled diamond is a diamond that has already been extracted and used, and that re-enters the diamond market. It is a more ecological, less expensive, and more ethical alternative to traditional diamonds.

At Héloïse & Abélard, all our jewelry is exclusively made with recycled diamonds from second-hand jewelry and recycled 18-carat gold.

To learn more about recycled gold

 

The History of Diamonds

The Birth of a Diamond

Let's start with a summary of how diamonds are formed.

To find diamonds, one must go as deep as the Earth's crust: nearly 200 km towards the center of the Earth.

Diamonds are the result of crystallization that requires an enormous amount of time and energy: literally more than 1000 degrees Celsius under a pressure of 75 tons per cm². All the diamonds found on the Earth's surface were formed between 1.5 and 3.5 billion years ago, which is between 25 and 75% of the Earth's age.

To learn more about the birth of diamonds

 

Diamond Mines

The history of diamonds begins in India, more than 3000 years ago. The diamond trade from antiquity to modern and contemporary times exhausted Indian deposits.

Subsequently, Brazilian deposits were discovered and supplied the Western market until the end of the 19th century, when South African deposits were found.

Africa became the major exporter in the 20th century, followed by the market boom.

 

Today, Russia is the largest diamond producer in the world. Botswana, Canada, and Australia follow.

To learn more about diamond mines

 

Traditional Diamonds

An Overview of Diamonds

The diamond is an essential stone in the world of jewelry.

To evaluate the quality of a diamond, the 4Cs are used:

 

Conflict Diamonds and the Kimberley Process Response

The process of obtaining diamonds is not without consequences.

One of the most common examples is "blood diamonds," which were diamonds from Africa sold in the 2000s.

These were extracted from mines located in war zones and illegally sold to supply local armed groups with weapons and ammunition.

To address these issues, the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, launched on January 1, 2003, aims to eliminate the global trade in conflict diamonds. By issuing certificates accompanying rough diamond shipments, participating states commit to controlling their diamond imports and exports.

 However, the effectiveness of the process has been questioned by numerous local NGOs.

 

The Choice of Recycled Diamonds

As explained in the introduction, a recycled diamond is a diamond that has already been extracted/used in jewelry and re-enters the diamond market. They are generally recovered from vintage or second-hand jewelry.

The Advantages of Recycled Diamonds

The recycled diamond is a responsible and ethical choice because the diamonds are reused and not extracted from a mine for the occasion.

There is no need for additional production or extraction with this alternative. The diamond industry is very polluting and not very ethical, and not promoting additional extractions is a step towards a more ethical and responsible diamond market.

Moreover, it avoids the depletion of diamond resources. A McKinsey & Company report estimates that one-third of diamond supply will come from recycled diamonds by 2025.

Furthermore, diamond is the hardest existing material: it can be reused and upcycled more than once without any problem. Its quality does not degrade over time!

 

 

Ethical Alternatives to Recycled Diamonds?

Laboratory-Grown Diamonds

A laboratory-grown diamond is produced using various physical and chemical techniques, aiming to reproduce the structure of natural diamonds.

A laboratory-grown diamond is identical to natural, mined diamonds in terms of its characteristics.

This is an interesting alternative because its manufacture does not require any extraction, and the quality of the manufactured stones is similar to that of a natural diamond. Furthermore, the cost of a laboratory-grown diamond is lower than that of a natural diamond.

However, this solution remains quite energy-intensive and does not bring progress or development of responsible methods for the mining industry.

 

The Responsible Jewellery Council

The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to certify the good practices of companies throughout the supply chain of gold, platinum, and diamonds, from mine to distribution.

The RJC has established its own certification system. All RJC member companies are audited by an accredited independent auditor who, after verifying a multitude of standards, issues them a certification.

 

In Brief

At Héloïse & Abélard, we have chosen recycled diamonds.

The recycled diamond is a more ethical alternative that allows for no new diamond extraction and limits the social and environmental impact while maintaining optimal quality.

Join the movement!