PARIS — In the jewelry space, it can take years before a brand reaches the point where it showcases a record-setting 36-carat lab-grown diamond ring, releases five full-fledged collections with another five about to drop and retails in the fashion capitals with firm plans for a Paris flagship store.
But for lab-grown diamond label Unsaid, all of that only took nine months.
The company also won a Best of the Best distinction at the 2023 Red Dot Award just this June for the 10-carat — and five-patent — Rem X ring inspired by its initial one-of-a-kind Reminiscence ring and its novel bubble diamond cut during Paris Fashion Week last October.
According to Eric Gourgouillon, a seasoned executive who now serves as Unsaid’s senior vice president of marketing and sales, the fledgling jewelry brand aims to “pioneer the luxury of tomorrow.”
While the company prides itself on its sustainable credentials that include being Level 3 carbon neutral, 100 percent renewable solar and hydraulic power, closed-circuit water consumption and a fully vertically integrated process for its stones, as well as the use of recycled gold and platinum, it’s really design creativity and innovation that it’s going for.
“Our mission is to bring value to what the lab-grown diamond [already] brings in terms of innovation,” particularly through new diamond cuts and inventive settings, he told WWD. “There are no lessons to be given to others. Lab-grown diamonds brings something new, but consumers can — and do — buy both.”
While it was too early to disclose sales figures, Gourgouillon described its first holiday season in Paris as “good” with sales further accelerating in the early months of the year. Now there are “sales every day” since March at Printemps and the average basket is between 4,000 and 5,000 euros.
Prices start around 650 euros for a slimline ear cuff and go up to 62,000 euros for a sizable pair of earrings with 29 carats of bubble cut diamonds on an 18-karat gold structure. The brand also retails at the Dover Street Market outposts in London, New York, Miami and, most recently, Japan.
Online sales from their own e-commerce factor in — around a quarter of Unsaid’s clients are Paris-based and the rest are spread across Europe, the Middle East and the U.S. Accounting for less than half of its clients, it shows particular promise as direct orders are strong. The aim is to grow the territory to 50 percent of sales by 2025, according to Gourgouillon.
Going forward, the brand will continue to push a “hero piece” strategy to showcase the creative potential of its star material, growing its collection count to 10. And the high-tech angle of lab-grown diamonds is also drawing in a new clientele: men.
The Meta line features a variety of diamond cuts in tension settings.
Courtesy of Unsaid
They amount to around 10 percent at present but with the rise of urban cultures and diamonds being worn in more prominent ways by men, it’s a consumer base Gourgouillon sees growing in the short order, particularly with Unsaid’s more unisex designs like its Meta line and the planned introduction of innovative materials for its settings.
Now, the brand’s already eyeing the next step — high jewelry.
Not only is the time right, with technologies now making roughs of up to 50 carats (yielding finished stones between 25 and 30 carats) available and 50-carat cut stones soon possible, but consumer appetite is already there, Gourgouillon said. The company has ambitions for the high jewelry segment to be 50 percent of its business by 2025.
Colored diamonds will also play a part in this new phase, as yellow was introduced early in the year and new hues are being developed, despite the 30 to 50 percent premium compared to white gems.
While he wouldn’t be drawn into specifics, he said the first Unsaid high jewelry collection would feature unique pieces up to 300 carats in size with innovative designs.
Hence why Paris is its focal point, with its marquee design to be revealed with a luxury fashion house in the fall and plans for a multistory flagship store in the Place Vendôme area by the end of the year.
In the meantime, the brand’s already been fielding and fulfilling requests for unique designs that are entirely custom-made, right down to the size of the stone grown to order. But that latter part isn’t what has the team excited.
“They’re not buying the diamond but the design and the Unsaid style,” the executive said. “For clients to buy pieces priced above 100,000 euros from us is a real recognition.”