Editors

Forget the 4 C’s. Meet the 3 S’s.

EditorsFeb 08, 2019

Forget the 4 C’s. Meet the 3 S’s.

A Silicon Valley startup wants to shake up the way consumers think about diamonds, and it’s got nothing to do with lab-grown stones.

20190208_SparkleCut-header.jpg
Sparkle Cut, a new company led by an innovative group of Silicon Valley investors and entrepreneurs, wants consumers to think differently about how they buy diamonds. (Image courtesy of Sparkle Cut)

How many times has the average engagement ring owner looked at their diamond through a jeweler’s loupe?

Personally, I haven’t once, and a new Silicon Valley-based startup is banking on the idea that most brides won’t.

Sparkle Cut, founded and run by a group of tech venture capitalists, is selling diamonds that have undergone a proprietary technique of the same name in which micro-grooves are cut into the lower pavilion of the stone.

“It allows the light that would normally leave the bottom of the diamond to be sent back up through the table,” explained Sparkle Cut CEO Jo Lawson when I met with her in January.

The result is a diamond that sparkles more than one would imagine based on its lab report.

“We think the 4 C’s are valuable because it’s a baseline. But … that baseline needs a jeweler’s loupe.” – Jo Lawson, Sparkle Cut CEO

The nano-cuts, which are approximately 1/50 the size of a human hair, are invisible not only to the human eye but also under 30x magnification. They don’t affect a stone’s carat weight, nor any of its graded characteristics.

I had the chance to see about a dozen Sparkle Cut stones in person—all J and K color, 1- and 1.5-carat round brilliant diamonds set in finished engagement rings— and they do appear to be much brighter and lighter, more consistent with the G-I color range.

“Our claim to fame is that we can take any diamond, no matter what the 4 C’s are, and make them look more spectacular,” said Lawson.


Sparkle Cut launched in November and is focused on playful, tongue-in-cheek marketing and bright visuals to attract a modern engagement ring customer.

“We’ve found that brides care about size and sparkle. To keep the cost reasonable for a really highly graded, sparkly diamond means you typically have to sacrifice size.”

To battle this conundrum, Sparkle Cut wants consumers to focus on a different set of diamond-grading criteria, its trademarked 3 S’s—size, shape, and sparkle.

Lawson elaborated: “We love tradition and we think the 4 C’s are really valuable because it’s a baseline. But what we want to teach people is that that baseline needs a jeweler’s loupe and what they need to trust is how they feel about the ring. Seeing is believing. When I show people these diamonds they’re so surprised at how much they sparkle, (regardless of their grade).”

Sparkle Cut officially launched in November, selling directly to consumers on SparkleCut.com.

The site currently sells loose diamonds, finished diamond engagement rings via its online ring builder and diamond stud earrings.

All the stones are round brilliants between about 0.5-1.5 carats and most are in the J-K range, which the company says is the sweet spot for leveraging the most improvement and increased value with the sparkle cut technology.

The average retail price for an item on the site is between $3,000 and $10,000 but sales so far have ranged between $750 and $35,000, as Sparkle Cut allows for special orders for larger diamonds and settings not available on the website; the company also will apply the sparkle cut technology on a diamond that a consumer already owns.

This emphasis on customer service is indicative of how the company is approaching online-only sales—they want to make the experience as personal and high-touch as possible. Every piece sold comes with a lifetime warranty and can be returned in the first 40 days after purchase, no questions asked.

As the technology—which is native to the biotech and semiconductor industries develops, Sparkle Cut will move into fancy shapes, which Lawson predicts will be “super disruptive,” since they traditionally aren’t able to match the sparkle of a round brilliant.


Sparkle Cut’s website, in which consumers can build their own engagement rings, as well as purchase loose diamonds and finished diamond stud earrings, features 360-degree views of its stones, where you can even see a stone’s inclusions. Lawson said the inclusions are reminders of the stones’ “incredible formation journeys.”

Sparkle Cut hand-selects its diamonds from dealers in India before applying the sparkle cut technology in Florida, where it's legally headquartered. All of its stones are graded by either GIA or IGI.

Lawson said that other companies have tried similar techniques in the past, but none worked like Sparkle Cut. “There are others that do similar things,” she explained. “They cut around the pavilion, but you can see the cuts with the naked eye.”

GemEx, the company that quantifies and measures a diamond’s light performance, gave several Sparkle Cut diamonds its highest possible score.

"We scientifically measure the amount of sparkle a diamond generates,” explained GemEx CEO Randall Wagner. “A number of Sparkle Cut’s diamonds have achieved our highest sparkle rating, and many of their other diamonds are not far behind.”  

One of Sparkle Cut’s best endorsements, though, is Lawson herself.


Jo Lawson

She spent a decade at Apple running global teams across communications, customer experience, and retail. After founder Steve Jobs died she moved to Movado where she launched the company’s wearables division.

Sparkle Cut brought Lawson out of retirement because she recognized, just as she was trained to at Apple, that the technology benefits the end user in a non-traditional way; rather than training consumers how to pick the most “ideal” diamond according to industry standards, Sparkle Cut aims to deliver consumers the diamonds they want at better prices.

“I come in from the technology and luxury goods side of it, but I’ve never been in diamonds,” Lawson said. “My first question is always: Do customers care and how does this help a customer? Because if customers don’t care, I don’t have to spend time on it.”

It’s an attitude that relies on innovation, rather than following industry formulas, a value shared by the company’s co-founders who recruited Lawson: Pat Hopf—a venture capitalist and entrepreneur executive who specializes in early-stage companies disruptive to their industries, such as the Sleep Number bed—and Mark de Naray—Sleep Number bed’s former CEO who grew the business from less than a million in sales to more than $160 million.

“We don’t even know how to follow the formula,” Lawson told me. “The founders and original investors really believe in the product. We’re starting from solving a problem that exists, which is that everyone wants a more sparkly diamond. So we’re addressing something that’s really valuable to the customer, contextualizing it and letting them learn that what they value is what they should pay for.”

Though Sparkle Cut takes a non-traditional approach to assessing diamonds and amplifying their shine, the company is ultimately building upon the same emotional and cultural base that all fine jewelry relies upon—that a diamond’s formation deep in the earth over millions of year is miraculous and that jewelry is sentimental, meant to mark some of life’s big occasions and be passed down through families.

“What really excited me about Sparkle Cut was how we’re applying technology to a traditional, ethically mined diamond,” Lawson said. “Lab-grown diamonds are obviously highly technical but were using Sparkle Cut technology with naturally mined diamonds, just making them a little bit more beautiful.”

Lawson said that the company plans to host trunk shows and in-person Sparkle Cut events in the future. It’s also open to wholesale and white-label possibilities or letting industry members purchase the technology to give all of their diamonds the sparkle cut.

“One of the reasons I was compelled to join the company is because this has long legs. There are lots of directions this proprietary cut could go.”

Ashley Davisis the senior editor, fashion at National Jeweler, covering all things related to design, style and trends.

The Latest

Beck pieces created for residency at Trove
CollectionsMar 18, 2025
Beck Debuts New Collection as Trove’s Latest Designer-in-Residence

Rebecca Zeijdel-Paz created more than 75 new pieces for the residency, which will be on display at Trove’s store in New York through April.

National Jeweler columnist Peter Smith
ColumnistsMar 18, 2025
Peter Smith: The Importance of Culture in Hiring

Smith explores why a qualified candidate might still not be right for the job.

Finks Jewelers Emmy award
Events & AwardsMar 18, 2025
Fink’s Jewelers Is Now a Regional Emmy Winner

The company and its marketing agency, Loudr, were recognized for the “Make You Dance” marketing campaign.

Supplier Spotlight -Recorded-Webinar.png
Brought to you by
Watch: GIA Field Gemology at the One-Hundredth Expedition: A Look Back and to the Future

Supplier Spotlight Sponsored by GIA

Citizen premiere
WatchesMar 18, 2025
Citizen Announces New Modern Luxury Watch Category

The “Series8” and “Attesa” collections will be grouped under Citizen Premier.

Weekly QuizMar 14, 2025
This Week’s Quiz
Test your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
Take the Quiz
Borsheims Assistant IT Manager David Fager
MajorsMar 18, 2025
Borsheims Names New Assistant IT Manager

David Fager, a former systems engineer at the retailer, was promoted to the role.

The 2025 Gem Awards
Events & AwardsMar 17, 2025
Gem Awards Honor All Facets of the Industry

From retailers to designers and the media, the fine jewelry industry recognized one another’s work and looked to the future.

Facets-of-Fire-Difference-You-Can-See.jpg
Brought to you by
Natural Diamonds Should Mean More

Natural diamonds mean more than lab-grown, but when every cut is ideal, they all look the same. Customers want more—Facets of Fire delivers.

Eleanor H. Yeh GIA jewelry design
Events & AwardsMar 17, 2025
GIA Names Winner of Emerging Jewelry Design Talent Award

Eleanor H. Yeh is the recipient of the eighth annual Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award for Excellence in Jewelry Design.

 Joseph Cavalcante Tous managing director
MajorsMar 17, 2025
Tous Names U.S. Managing Director, VP

Joseph Cavalcante takes on the dual role as the Spanish jewelry brand looks to expand further into the U.S. market.

Continental Buying Group logo
Events & AwardsMar 17, 2025
CBG Expands Las Vegas Show to 3 Days

The trade show has also upgraded its venue to the Caesars Forum Conference Center.

Stafford’s Diamonds closing ad
IndependentsMar 14, 2025
Stafford’s Diamonds in Ohio to Close After 40 Years

The Dayton-based jeweler, which has been in business since 1985, was formerly known as Stafford Jewelers.

Alan Zimmer
Events & AwardsMar 14, 2025
JVC Reveals Recipient of Stanley Schechter Award

Reeds Jewelers CEO Alan Zimmer will be presented with the honor at JVC’s annual luncheon.

Sorellina’s Aries Zodiac Pendant
CollectionsMar 14, 2025
Piece of the Week: Sorellina’s Aries Zodiac Pendant

The piece, celebrating birthdays from March 21 to April 19, debuted with Sorellina’s new line of astrological pendants.

Tanishq Atlanta store
MajorsMar 13, 2025
Tanishq Opens 2 New Stores in the U.S.

The Indian jewelry brand recently opened stores in Atlanta and Seattle.

Woman wearing Brilliant Earth jewelry
FinancialsMar 13, 2025
Brilliant Earth’s 2024 Sales Struggled Amid Engagement Recovery

CEO Beth Gerstein shared its most popular price points, what’s trending in non-bridal fine jewelry, and its holiday performance.

Chopard Insofu emerald collection
CollectionsMar 13, 2025
Chopard Unveils High Jewelry Collection Created From 6,225-Carat Emerald

The 15 pieces were crafted from the “Insofu” emerald, discovered in Zambia in 2010.

Chris Anderson
MajorsMar 13, 2025
Jewelers Mutual Names New CFO, Treasurer

Chris Anderson is joining the insurance provider as the new chief financial officer and treasurer.

Jewelers of America’s new natural and lab-grown diamond brochure
Lab-GrownMar 13, 2025
JA Offering Some ‘Counter Intelligence’ on Diamonds

Jewelers of America is distributing a brochure for retailers to use when discussing the differences between natural and lab-grown diamonds.

A rough diamond and a polished diamond
SourcingMar 12, 2025
5 Factors That Will Impact the Diamond Industry in 2025

The industry is changing as it grapples with new realities around distribution, supply, and the need for consistent, effective marketing.

New Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council Chairman Kirit Bhansali
SourcingMar 12, 2025
Q&A: New GJEPC Chairman Kirit Bhansali

Bhansali discusses the potential impact of U.S. tariffs, demand for diamonds by market, and the “cautious confidence” in India right now.

Limelight Lab Grown Diamond store in India
Lab-GrownMar 12, 2025
Beyond Jewelry: Possibilities in the Lab-Grown Diamond Sector

As lab-grown diamond brands pop up across India, academics are researching how to grow demand outside of the jewelry industry.

Diamonds Do Good honoree Govind Dholakia at medical camp
SourcingMar 12, 2025
Indian Leader, Retailer Among 2025 DDG Honorees

Govind Dholakia and Tanishq will be recognized for their contributions to the industry at the Diamonds Do Good Awards in Las Vegas.

Marla Aaron Liberty London Shop-in-Shop
IndependentsMar 12, 2025
Marla Aaron Migrates to London

The New York City-based brand has opened its first U.K. location with a permanent shop-in-shop at Liberty in London.

Medieval sapphire bishop ring
AuctionsMar 12, 2025
A Medieval Bishop’s Sapphire Ring Is Going Up for Sale

A metal detectorist discovered the ring that is believed to have belonged to a bishop in the late 12th to early 13th century.

JA New York sign
Events & AwardsMar 12, 2025
JA New York Announces Education, Live Demo Lineups

Organizers looked to new partnerships and interactive experiences to enhance the spring show, set for March 16 to 18.

Jewelers Vigilance Committee annual luncheon 2025 logo
Events & AwardsMar 12, 2025
Bogolo Joy Kenewendo to Speak at Annual JVC Luncheon

Kenewendo, Botswana’s minister of minerals and energy, will discuss the future of diamonds.

×

This site uses cookies to give you the best online experience. By continuing to use & browse this site, we assume you agree to our Privacy Policy