Lab Grown Diamond is Tribute to Modi
July 18, 24
(IDEX Online) - A lab grown company in Surat, India, has created an 8-carat diamond, engraved with the face of prime minister Narendra Modi.
It's a tribute to the country's leader, who was re-elected last month. He has championed India's lab grown industry and famously presented Jill Biden - wife of the US president with a 7.5-carat lab grown diamond on a visit to the White House last June.
Two months later his commerce minister Piyush Goyal reiterated the government's support for lab growns, insisting they were "equivalent to natural diamonds".
The Modi diamond (pictured) was cut from a 40-ct rough stone grown by SK Diam, which said it took 20 craftsmen to complete the month-long job. It went on display last week at show hosted by the Surat Diamond Association.
"We thought that this diamond is eco-friendly, so, going by PM Modi's vision, we decided to dedicate this diamond to him," said a spokesman for the company.