Have you ever wondered if you could transform all the bountiful, often detrimental carbon that is warming the world into a magnificent type of carbon that warms the hearts of people instead? A new startup is doing just that by turning pollution into diamonds. The first carbon-negative gemstones that are aesthetically, chemically, and physically identical to mine-extracted jewels are here and making a statement that can alter everything in the global jewelry industry.
It may seem fantastical, but an elite jewelry firm based out of New York has unprecedently developed diamonds generated from thin air. Aether is the first entity in the world to create stunning sustainable diamonds out of our atmospheric air pollution. Aether extracts carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air to generate lab-manufactured jewels which are indistinguishable to the tangible diamonds that we see today.
It markets them as carbon-negative diamonds by asserting that every one-carat diamond produced and purchased removes 20 metric tonnes of CO2 from the world’s atmosphere. This is what made Aether the very first and currently only diamond company to receive the highly regarded B Corp Certification.
In furthering its sustainable method, the new startup extracts CO2 from the air using sophisticated and specialized chemical vapor deposition reactors which are driven entirely by renewable clean energy. This novel method converts the acquired CO2 into the hydrocarbon fodder which is required for growing diamonds. Aether’s stones differ from all other experimentally laboratory-grown diamonds in that they are developed using petrochemicals such as methane. In these perfect growing conditions, the resulting diamond crystals take shape and form in approximately four weeks and are subsequently produced, cut, faceted, and polished by hand by expert craftsman before being offered and sold.
Each handmade gem-piece is then certified and acknowledged by the International Gemological Institute (IGI), the world’s largest accredited and authoritative laboratory for assessing and grading gemstones and diamonds. Additionally, these gems are also vegan-certified. The brand recently debuted its signature collection, which is comprised of premium diamond rings, earrings, bands and necklaces.
Aether intends to utilize $18 million in new investment, attained via a fundraising finance phase managed by the investment firm Helena, to increase manufacturing of its diamonds and other gemstones, as well as their recently launched ethical wholesale endeavor.
The bold vision of the company is dedicated and aggressively driven to the unparalleled modern alchemy methodology and mission of transforming air pollution into valuable and extravagant stones, and to serve as the standard of authenticity and ethics in the luxury diamond business.