On diamond cutting, creative freedom and the opportunity to experiment.
When we think about diamonds, we tend to think in familiar shapes. The round brilliant, the oval, the emerald, the cushion. They're so established that it's easy to forget each one has its own history, shaped by generations of craftspeople experimenting with how to bring out the beauty of a diamond.
Early diamonds were often polished to follow their natural crystal form. Over time came table cuts, rose cuts and the old mine cuts that would eventually influence the modern cushion. As techniques and technology advanced, cutters began to better understand how light travels through a stone, refining proportions and facets to create the brilliance we recognise today.
A little room to experiment
One of the things I find most exciting about lab-grown diamonds isn't simply their accessibility. It's the creative freedom they offer.
Diamonds are an amazing material, whether formed beneath the earth or grown in a laboratory. But historically, the value and scarcity of natural rough diamonds have made experimentation expensive. There has always been a balance between creating the desired shape and preserving as much of the original stone as possible.
Lab-grown diamonds have been able to change that.
With greater access to diamond material, we have more freedom to explore unusual proportions, experiment with shapes and develop ideas that might not have been commercially practical before. It means we can approach a diamond not just as a beautiful material to set into a piece of jewellery, but as something we can design in its own right.
Introducing the Barrique
The Barrique began with an interest in bringing together two familiar diamond shapes: the oval and the cushion.
I've always loved the softness of an oval and the structure of a cushion. I especially love a cut corner cushion however these can be hard to find. I wanted to explore what might happen if we combined those qualities, introducing cut corners and adjusting the proportions to create something that sat somewhere between the two.
Its name came from the barrique, a small French wine barrel. Once you see the softly curved, elongated shape of the barrel, you can see the connection in the diamond's silhouette.
In August 2026 the Barrique Cut™ was first cut. An original diamond shape conceived and designed here at Kate & Kole.
An evolution, not a revolution
At Kate & Kole, we've always believed that good design comes from curiosity. Looking at familiar things a little differently, questioning why something is the way it is, and seeing whether we can make something new.
Sometimes that means rethinking how a piece of jewellery functions. Sometimes it's finding a different way to bring materials together. And sometimes, it's designing the shape of the diamond itself. The Barrique is one of those experiments, and one we're really proud to share.
Lab-grown diamonds are giving us the opportunity to be a little more playful, a little more inventive, and to continue exploring what fine jewellery can be.
