Plum Diamond
About Plum Diamonds
Run by women passionate about quality, Plum Diamonds believes couples deserve to get the Dream Ring without making a bunch of environmental, economic, and aesthetic trade-offs.
We craft premium, made-to-order lab grown diamond rings and wedding bands in our own certified-sustainable manufacturer.
Plum Diamonds works with recycled metals and lab grown diamonds, which are easier on the planet and its people. Mined diamonds are not only tainted by eco-offenses and global conflicts, but they can also cost more than a new car. Instead of making couples feel a twang of guilt every time they gaze at their diamond, Plum helps them feel great about their ring, now and forever.
We challenge the "tradition" of the mined diamond ring; instead, we celebrate personal values and priorities with lab grown diamond engagement and wedding rings.
We also believe in taking care of our couples and their communities; all rings come with free servicing and sizing for life, and a portion of every purchase is donated to the shopper's cause of choice.
About Me
Hi! My name is Kristy Cullinane, co-founder of Plum Diamonds.
When I got engaged in my early 30s, my boyfriend (now husband) Mike and I were just not content with the mined diamond status quo when it came to my ring. I made clear and Mike agreed that a "Conflict Diamond" was off the table. Having already been in the jewelry business for 7 years, I was an educated consumer. I knew mined diamonds weren't as rare as we're told, and the environmental and ethical issues around the entire mined diamond industry just didn't sit right with me.
We didn’t know about lab diamonds at the time, and we got engaged with a family heirloom. Despite the sentiment, wasn't something that I wanted to wear every day.
Fast forward to now, and —back in the jewelry business in Chicago's Loop —I’ve watched thousands of couples choose lab grown over mined diamonds, and they’re the right choice for me, too. Lab grown diamonds are better aligned with my values, and I love how they make better jewelry because you can get higher quality, higher carat weight at more reasonable prices.
Plum Diamonds rings are available online, where you can have fun customizing your ring design and then choose the perfect lab diamond. We focused on classic, foolproof design and simple customization. I wanted to make online ring shopping a pleasure, and I'm also available downtown Chicago to help clients in person. Plum's roots are in custom jewelry manufacturing — we've been doing it offline for 35+ years — and we can work with clients individually to customize their Dream Ring.
Staying Sustainable
We only use lab diamonds and produce all ring settings in our own certified-sustainable manufacturer, which is an industry leader and a member of the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC). The RJC is the global leader in responsible sourcing and sets strict ethics and sustainability standards that members are regularly audited against.
RJC certification is recognized globally and exhaustive in what it covers in terms of sustainability and ethical sourcing. We've been audited by 3rd parties every 1-3 years since 2015.
These regular RJC audits ensure we follow strict ethical and environmental standards in sourcing raw materials, manufacturing and disposal, as well as health and safety, human rights, working conditions, and more.
100% of our gold and a large portion of our platinum is recycled, sourced from RJC-certified refineries.
Lab-grown diamonds are a more environmentally-friendly option than mined diamonds, which result in awful consequences to the environment including water usage and pollution, biodiversity destruction, air and soil contamination, and wildlife displacement.
We work with diamond growers that demonstrate exceptional commitment to sustainability such as making efforts toward carbon-neutrality and earning SCS-007 accreditation. And when we know exactly what a client is looking for, we can source that specific diamond and even choose a diamond grower based on what's most important to the client.
Learn more about Plum Diamonds' ethical jewelry sourcing and the lab grown diamonds impact on the environment.
