The Diamond Lab is having a busy few months and one of the reasons is that it has “opened its latest funding round to the public, following an overwhelming response from its community of clients and supporters”.

The “ethical” fine jewellery brand said that after choosing to pivot from institutional investors to a community-led raise, it reached over £500,000 in pledges within two weeks of launching its private campaign. 

The brand is now on track to complete its £530,000 round at a £9.5 million valuation, closing on 1 December or sooner if the target is reached.

Funds raised will be used to accelerate marketing, digital growth, and inventory expansion as it “prepares for global scale — including entry into the Middle East market and strengthening its tech and operations infrastructure”.

And long-term, the brand said it “aims to become the global leader in ethical fine jewellery, combining innovation, sustainability, and design to make lab-grown luxury accessible to everyday consumers”.

Founder Jamie Patel said: “Our brand has always been built on community, so this approach felt right. It not only fuels our next stage of growth but also gives our clients, friends, and supporters the chance to invest and be part of our journey.”

The company is also busy on another front. It has joined forces with Maddox Gallery to create “a first-of-its-kind luxury immersive shopping experience” inside Selfridges’ VIP lounge running until 16 December.

Complete with food and drink, it’s been transformed into an “intimate collector’s salon, for a fusion of contemporary art and ethical diamonds this Christmas”. The company said that at the heart is a collection of “rare, never-before-seen lab-grown diamonds, including stones ranging from 20 to 70 carats, placed in a setting adorned with icons of pop, conceptual and photographic art from Andy Warhol, Banksy, David Yarrow, The Connor Brothers, Will Martyr, Mel Bochner, RETNA and Cooper, curated by Maddox”.

Visitors can “meet with experts, collaborating with in-house designers and art consultants to bring their bespoke jewellery vision to life”.

Each element of the concept has been conceived as a “multi-sensory experience that celebrates art, innovation and beauty”.