Brilliance and diamonds are two ends of the same coin. Sharper the shine, rarer the stone and higher the price. Shattering this historic connect and disrupting the price barriers, Limelight Diamonds, through technology, brings to India a range of lab-grown CVD (Chemical Vapour Deposition) diamonds that are as pure as the Type IIa diamonds that were found historically in the Golconda mines (present-day Andhra Pradesh). Koh-i-noor was a Type IIa Golconda diamond.

Analogous to the concept of test-tube babies and naturally born babies where the process is different but the output is exactly the same, CVD diamonds are real diamonds grown in the labs by exactly replicating the diamond creation process which occurs below the surface of the earth bearing the exact same composition, properties & characteristics.

The change maker is that these diamonds are grown in a lab and not found in mines, hence leaving the earth free of mining manipulations. To add to that is the decrease in cost that happens due to the fact that these diamonds incur no mining costs. Besides price, what appeals to its true audience, the millennials, is the fact that these diamonds help sustain the earth and its depleting resources.

To abridge the benefit in a quick factoid: CVD or Chemical Vapour Deposition Diamonds are not just beautiful they also save 109 gallons of water per carat and 2.63 tonnes of mineral waste from the land. Landmass and water being the most precious and stretched resources today.

As Limelight gets set to launch their inaugural line of precious, certified jewelry, they invite four royal scions to pay homage to the beauty of the Golconda diamonds that their forefathers so graciously wore.

Jema Mrinalika Manjari Bhanjdeo with her sister Jema Akshita Manjari Bhanjdeo of Mayurbhanj are joined by Rajkumari Rajeshwari Kumari Patiala and Pooja Kanwar of Darkoti who together launch the collection and support a conscious and sustainable way of life. Dressed in Samant Chauhan’s Winter couture gowns, made from indigenous silks, they revel in supporting ‘sustainable style’ and ‘diamonds with a heart.’

Mrinalika a teacher of yoga wore a brilliant choker made with a row of perfect solitaires. Rajeshwari who stands tall as the reigning shooting champion, ranking number one in India wore another solitaire string as a tiara around her head. Young Akshita, a writer and communications professional went bold with a styling hoop of CVD diamonds while Pooja, the youngest of the lot, flashed a diamond chandelier earring to élan.

Said Mrinalika, from the royal family of Mayurbhanj “We are millennials who have to also keep a rich legacy alive. These diamonds reflect the brilliance of jewels our ancestors wore. Yet they help keep the planet alive for our future citizens to live in. What could be a better blend?”

Founded by the young entrepreneur Pooja Sheth, an investment banker from London and a business student from the London School Economics who wishes to give it back to mother earth by crafting a stylish collection of jewellery with CVD Diamonds. Inspiring, beautiful and totally couture, yet easy on the ecology, Pooja took it upon herself to add CVD Diamonds to every conscious diva’s wish list. Crafted to perfection in labs and chiseled to take shape and form that is near art.

A young professional herself, Pooja states that “Millennials view jewellery in a new light. While their discretionary spend is second-highest on accessories, they will respect stones that save the environment and also are chic and stylish in their design and appeal. Limelight wishes to talk to these caring, young citizens of the world.”

And the real gem is the fact that Limelight’s CVD Diamond Jewellery brings back the glory of Type IIa diamonds but in a new, sustainable avatar. Each stone as lustrous, clear and precious as the Type IIa diamonds, the purest type of a diamond. All Limelight diamond solitaires are certified as Type IIa by the world-renowned and reputed diamond grading & certifying institute, such as the IGI – International Gemological Institute or SGL – Solitaire Gemological Laboratories. 

“The beauty of technology is that it permits you to enjoy something you could never even dream of. Truly, an industry revolution, CVD diamonds turn dreams into reality by offering Type IIa diamonds that belong to the same league as the Koh-i-noor at the hand of every consumer. At the same time creating a new kind of heritage that is also conscious of the world, that can protect the legacy of the diamond yet preserve the planet for a brighter future for all,“ feels Pooja.