<p>When I think about diamonds, a few words come in my mind instantly. Shiny, glamorous, precious, rare and expensive.</p><p><br></p><p>Buying diamond jewellery used to be a luxury for most people in India. People would save for years and buy on special occasions like family weddings, anniversaries, birthdays &amp; festivals.</p><p><br></p><p>But, times have changed. And diamond trade is going through a phase of evolution. A wave of disruption caused by lab grown diamonds (LGDs).</p><p><br></p><p>LGDs are an exact replica of mined diamonds with a contrasting difference - their cost. Cost of LGDs are lower by 80-95% compared to mined diamonds.</p><p><br></p><p>Riding this wave, is Solitario - a luxury lab grown diamond brand with presence in India, Dubai, Malaysia among others.</p><p><br></p><p>The brand promotes sustainable practices with the aim of making luxury diamonds more accessible to a wider audience.</p><p><br></p><p>This podcast was a crash course for me on LGDs and I had an absolute blast hosting Anurag. We spoke on a range of topics like:</p><p><br></p><p>(3:13): TRICKS OF THE TRADE - How does a mall work? </p><p><br></p><p>(8:03): The Engineering DNA - how can do they everything?</p><p><br></p><p>(14:06): Joining Solitario + creating the offline launch strategy</p><p><br></p><p>(20:05): GOING GLOBAL - launch in Dubai @ Burj Khalifa &amp; other countries + how mall zoning helps in building an aspirational brand.</p><p><br></p><p>(27:16): A crash course in lab grown diamonds [CVD / HPHT]</p><p><br></p><p>(33:50): Potential of the LGD Market</p><p><br></p><p>(36:03): Quick take on Distribution / Marketing strategies - Target audience, Exclusive Brand Outlets (EBOs), Multi Brand Outlets (MBOs), Indian customer profile, Global customers</p><p><br></p><p>(40:11): Current challenges for growth</p><p><br></p><p>(42:52): Leadership Team @ Solitario (Ricky + Vivek Oberoi)</p><p><br></p><p>(46:17): RAPID FIRE Qs</p><p><br></p><p>You can check out Solitario&#39;s luxury collection <a href="https://thesolitario.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">here</a></p>