When Laura first discovered that diamonds could be grown in a laboratory, she wasn’t surprised by the technology, she was surprised by how few people in the luxury jewellery industry were talking about it.
At the time, Laura was studying for her MBA at London Business School. Alongside her studies, she decided to take a History of Jewellery course at the London Jewellery School in Hatton Garden, partly because she had always loved jewellery.
What she discovered there changed the direction of her career. Laura learned that diamonds could be created in a laboratory and that, chemically, physically and optically, they were identical to mined diamonds. The technology itself was fascinating, but it was the lack of conversation around it that really stayed with her.
“I remember thinking, ‘This changes everything,’” Laura says.
If it was possible to create the same diamond without the environmental impact and many of the ethical issues associated with mining, Laura wondered why the luxury industry wasn’t embracing the opportunity. That was the moment she knew she had found her business.
But Laura wasn’t interested in simply creating another jewellery brand. She wanted to challenge an industry that had operated in much the same way for generations and help redefine what luxury could look like.
Rethinking what luxury means
For Laura, the problem was never simply about diamonds. It was about choice.
Luxury has traditionally been built around heritage and tradition, but Laura believes that tradition shouldn’t prevent progress. She wanted to show that consumers shouldn’t have to choose between exceptional craftsmanship and responsible sourcing. Lab-grown diamonds are real diamonds, yet when Laura first started talking about them, she found that they were often dismissed simply because they challenged an established way of thinking.
For her, that made the opportunity even more important. “If someone can buy a beautiful diamond without contributing to unnecessary mining, land disruption and many of the human rights concerns that have historically existed within parts of the industry, then they deserve to know that option exists,” she explains.
Education has therefore always been as important to Laura as selling jewellery.
Her aim has been to give people the information they need to make their own decisions, while proving that responsible choices don’t have to mean compromising on beauty, quality or craftsmanship. It is a philosophy that sits at the heart of Lark & Berry, the jewellery business Laura created to bring a different approach to luxury to life.
Why London?
For Laura, building the business in the UK felt like a natural fit. London is one of the world’s great luxury capitals, with an incredible heritage in jewellery, fashion and design. But what attracted Laura just as much was the city’s international outlook and openness to new ideas.
Building a business here also gave her access to a complex network of people and communities and the opportunity to introduce something genuinely different to customers who appreciate both innovation and craftsmanship.
That international environment was particularly important for Laura. From the beginning, she wanted to build something that could have a global outlook while still benefiting from everything London has to offer.
But building something different in an established industry was never going to be completely straightforward. "Being part of the Innovator International community has also reminded me that entrepreneurship doesn’t have to be a lonely journey. Having access to people who understand what you are building, and who are willing to share their experience, has been incredibly valuable.”
Learning to embrace the difficult conversations
One of Laura’s biggest challenges was navigating the mountain of misinformation surrounding lab-grown diamonds. When you are trying to introduce a new idea into an industry with deeply established traditions, it can be daunting to find yourself publicly representing something that many people don’t yet understand.
For a few months, Laura found that difficult. But instead of backing down, she decided to lean further into transparency. She began working with journalists and focusing on helping people understand the technology and the thinking behind it, rather than trying simply to change their minds.
That experience taught Laura something important about entrepreneurship: sometimes the most effective way to challenge an industry is not to tell people that they are wrong, but to give them the opportunity to understand something differently.
And the more Laura became involved in the UK’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, the more she realised how much support there was around her.
The advisers, communities and people she encountered were generous with their knowledge and genuinely interested in what she was trying to build. She also learned a huge amount from working with the UK media and understanding how advertising, consumer behaviour and an entirely new category can take time to develop.
Not everything happens overnight - sometimes building something new means being patient enough to let people catch up with the idea.
Staying true to the original idea
As Lark & Berry has developed, Laura has continued to think carefully about how the brand can introduce lab-grown diamonds to an even broader audience while staying true to the idea that started everything.
That means keeping the focus on beautiful jewellery, strong design and craftsmanship, while continuing to engage people in the bigger conversation around where their jewellery comes from and what their choices mean.
It is a balance Laura has worked hard to maintain. The original idea has never been lost: luxury can evolve. And perhaps that is what makes Laura’s story so compelling. She didn’t set out to reject the heritage of jewellery. She wanted to show that heritage and innovation can exist alongside one another.
What comes next?
Looking ahead, Laura wants to continue building awareness of Lark & Berry and the possibilities offered by lab-grown gemstones, including through physical retail, while continuing to grow the brand in a way that feels authentic.
There is still work to do. Changing the way people think about an established category takes time, particularly when that category is as emotional and tradition-led as jewellery. But Laura sees that as part of the opportunity rather than a reason to slow down.
The goal is to reach more people, introduce them to the possibilities of lab-grown diamonds and continue making responsible luxury feel less like an alternative and more like a natural part of the future of jewellery.
Laura’s advice to other founders
Laura’s own journey has taught her that there is rarely a perfect moment to build something new.
Her advice is simple: keep moving forward. Building a business inevitably comes with uncertainty, unexpected challenges and moments when the original plan doesn’t quite fit what is happening in front of you. The important thing is to keep learning, keep listening and keep adapting without losing sight of why you started.
For Laura, that original idea has remained remarkably consistent since the day she sat in a jewellery history class in London and realised that diamonds could be made in a completely different way.
What began as a discovery during an MBA became a business, a challenge to an established industry and a new way of thinking about luxury.
And perhaps most importantly, it began with a question: If we can create the same beautiful diamond without the same environmental and ethical concerns, why shouldn’t we?
Connect with Laura on Instagram:
