The Independent tries Lily Arkwright’s diamond ring

The Independent tries Lily Arkwright’s diamond ring to see if lab-grown gems are a girl’s new best friend!

Leading the way in the UK for socially responsible engagement rings, Manchester-based online jeweller Lily Arkwright produces lab-grown and moissanite diamonds that promise to rival the real deal. As well as specialising in moissanite gems (a sparkly and colourless lab-grown gem that’s cheaper than diamonds), the brand are famed for its cultured diamond engagement rings that can cost anywhere between £730-£4,500.

With millennials and Gen Z combined being the main purchasers of diamonds for engagement rings, as well as 70 per cent of the former group considering buying a lab-grown alternative, it’s clear that the jewellery industry is heading toward the lab-grown direction. Naturally, we wanted to try a gem for ourselves.