Diamond Foundry
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Synthetic diamond manufacturing |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Founder | Martin Roscheisen, Jeremy Scholz |
| Headquarters | San Francisco , United States |
| Products | Lab grown diamonds |
Diamond Foundry is a manufacturer specializing in lab grown diamonds, headquartered in San Francisco, California, USA. The firm highlights that its synthetic diamonds are equivalent in quality to natural ones while promoting enhanced environmental responsibility by eliminating the need for conventional mining practices.
History
Established in 2012 by entrepreneurs Martin Roscheisen and Jeremy Scholz, Diamond Foundry has secured approximately $315 million in funding from investors such as Fidelity, Sun Microsystems, and prominent individuals including Andy Bechtolsheim, Tony Fadell, Jeff Skoll, Evan Williams, Andrew McCollum, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Jean Pigozzi.
In November 2016, the company acquired Vrai and Oro, a jewelry label created by Vanessa Stofenmacher. This brand was renamed VRAI in 2020 and subsequently expanded with the opening of a showroom in Los Angeles in 2021.
In March 2022, Diamond Foundry initiated legal action against the United States Trade Office concerning tariffs imposed on Chinese polishing services, contending that these trade restrictions adversely affect their business activities.
Technology
Employing software simulations of plasma physics, the company has developed sophisticated technology to regulate high-density plasma during diamond synthesis at elevated temperatures. Their production process utilizes chemical vapor deposition (CVD), where a small natural diamond seed is introduced into a plasma reactor for roughly two weeks. The lab-grown diamonds produced are nearly indistinguishable from natural diamonds in terms of atomic structure, molecular composition, chemical characteristics, and visual appearance—including hardness and optical brilliance—while substantially reducing environmental impact and resource consumption compared to traditional mining methods.
Awards and recognition
- Identified as one of the "25 hottest startups that launched in 2015" by Business Insider
- Featured on the 2016 "Disruptor 50 Companies" list compiled by CNBC
- Listed among the "Disruptive 25" in 2016 by Inc. Magazine
- Honored as one of "The World's 50 Most Innovative Companies" in 2018 by Fast Company