Lightbox Selling Lower-Quality Stones for $600/ct.

RAPAPORT... Lightbox has been selling lower-quality lab-grown diamonds at a reduced price of $600 per carat for many months, the De Beers-owned company confirmed this week.The Lightbox Basics line has been "around for a while" and was originally branded as Lightbox Outlet, a spokesperson told Rapaport News in an email. It offers white lab-grown diamonds with SI clarity, "faint" color and "very good" cut set in sterling silver. Loose stones in those categories have also been available since February, she added."When one of our white stones grows with even the tiniest bit more color than usual, we make a big deal of it," the company website explains. "That's why we're happy to offer these still-beautiful stones at 25% off." The price excludes the cost of a setting.The brand did not publicize the launch widely; in October 2021, it published posts on Facebook and Instagram introducing the line.The standard Lightbox line offers "near colorless," VS1-VS2 stones with "very good" cut and has carried a fixed price of $800 per carat since Lightbox's 2018 launch. Last year, the brand also brought out a higher-quality range called Finest, featuring "colorless," VVS1 to VVS2 stones with "excellent" cut at a price of $1,500 per carat."True to Lightbox's mission, to make the sparkle of a diamond available to more people, more often, Lightbox Basics offers a still-beautiful stone at a lower price, giving consumers the opportunity to get the most sparkle for their budget," the company spokesperson said Wednesday.Separately, Lightbox recently launched a broader array of fancy-shape loose stones in the standard Lightbox range. It's now selling cushions and baguettes in sizes ranging from 0.50 to 1.50 carats, in addition to the princesses and round brilliants that had been available since Lightbox introduced loose stones last fall.Image: Jewelry from the Basics range. (Lightbox/Instagram)