[MANILA BULLETIN] Are lab-grown gemstones better?

Established in 2023 by Katriana Batu and Juni Rollan, Pristine Paradigm merges sustainability with luxury through its dainty jewelry pieces featuring man-made gemstones. The inspiration behind the creation of the Davao-based brand can be traced back to Katriana’s rural upbringing and her grandmother’s penchant for collecting jewelry.

“It is funny because she is 72 now, and she was the one who told me about lab-grown gemstones. I had no idea that lab-grown gemstones existed,” Katriana recalls. “It was in late 2022 and early 2023 [that I learned about them], and at the time, I was also working on our farm in Davao Oriental. Even before Pristine Paradigm, I was already into sustainability and the environment.”

Since its inception, the brand has produced jewelry designs using man-made gemstones sourced from abroad. These lab-grown gems are handcrafted into jewelry pieces by Davao-based artisans. After operating online for some time, Pristine Paradigm’s pieces made their way to Manila for an event marking the brand’s anniversary. The curated collection includes lab-grown diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and moissanite, among others.

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