TLDR:
We started Petite Frites to challenge an industry and give lab grown diamonds the just reputation they deserve. We design celebratory jewelry sourcing the highest quality FG-VS lab-grown diamonds and set them in solid 18K gold for responsible pieces that will last a lifetime and more.
FROM THE DESK OF OUR FOUNDERS...
We have both always had a love for sparkly baubles, but over the past couple years, we started paying closer attention to the diamond industry (both mined and lab-grown) - the market, the customer, the designs, the prices - and saw opportunity. We learned about the control a couple mined diamond companies have historically held over mined diamond prices, the ground-breaking marketing campaign that changed the demand of the entire bridal industry, and the horrors that mining precious gemstones can wreak on the environment, communities, and human lives.
In a society that is increasingly thoughtful about our impact, the absence of conversations and lack of understanding around lab-grown diamonds just didn’t add up. If there is a chemically, structurally, and optically identical alternative to mined diamonds that has far fewer negative social and environmental implications, then why do they not have a more prominent reputation and place in the market?
When researching current lab-grown diamond retailers, we made more sense of this phenomenon that boils down to one core element: lab-grown diamonds are a threat to the supply chain of big mined diamond players. As a result, said players have bought into this market with the goal of stigmatizing the social value of lab-grown diamonds and trying to drive their value down with campaigns featuring these diamonds in jewelry that “may not be forever” (exact words from their CEO). Fast fashion diamonds?! While clever, it is also wrong. Lab grown diamonds are 100% real diamonds - it's just no one got hurt in the process of sourcing them.
Petite Frites is the “small fry” entering the market to give lab-grown diamonds their just reputation. Working with generational fine jewelers, we bring our unique, colorful designs to life using the highest quality (FG-VS) lab-grown diamonds and solid 18K gold, ensuring pieces that will last a lifetime and more.
Jackie (Petite) & Katie (Frites)