S02 Episode 76 | MIADONNA, CONFLICT-FREE DIAMONDS + LUXURY FROM LABS
In episode 76, Kestrel welcomes Anna-Mieke Anderson, the CEO of MiaDonna, to the show. An ethical and affordable bridal jewelry line, which crafts its pieces with the finest lab-grown diamonds, gemstones and recycled metals, MiaDonna is pushing to change what the diamond industry looks like by going beyond "conflict-free".
"It's estimated that 30 million American women have purchased a conflict diamond." -Anna-Mieke, CEO of MiaDonna
In this chat, Kestrel asks Anna-Mieke to share her insight on what conflict-free means to her, and how MiaDonna thinks about standards when it comes to diamonds and gemstones. Anna-Mieke breaks down some of the science when it comes to the differences between lab-grown diamonds, diamond hybrids and lab-grown gemstones.
Additionally, Anna-Mieke explains how she built MiaDonna and the company's sister foundation, The Greener Diamond, in conjunction so they could work together.
Some of the certifications, definitions and statistics that Anna-Mieke shared throughout this chat:
Kimberley Process: certification scheme put in place in 2003
The 4 C's: clarity, cut, color and carat size
98% of diamonds mined will be a Type I diamond
Flux Fusion Method: allows you to get the internal structure identical to the gem; used by MiaDonna
I'm a lover of documentaries. A recent fave of mine is The First Monday In May. It's an up close and personal, behind the scenes look at the creation and execution of the 2015 China-themed Met Gala.
While it's a lot about Anna Wintour, I also found it exceptionally intriguing when it came to how it questions fashion as art and inspiration vs cultural appropriation. If it sounds interesting, you can check it out on Netflix.