Our Story
An experienced diamond manufacturer and seller with decades of experience under his belt, Ouri Shifman was astonished to find that lab grown diamonds (LGDs) are as beautiful, if not more so, than mined diamonds, which he has dealt with for the past 36 years. While the look is exactly the same, the price is far better, making lab grown diamonds highly attractive and a far better investment for consumers.
“I was born into the world of diamonds and inherited the passion for diamonds from my father, Nahum Shifman, may his memory be a blessing. My name is Ouri Shifman, and I am going to share my fascinating story of diamonds with you."
One of my earliest memories is of how, one day, my five-year-old cousin, curious to see why my uncle and father were looking so intently at a lot of sparkling small polished diamonds that had been spread out all over our dinner table for sorting, grabbed a handful and let it spill on the floor.
It was the first of many times during my long association with diamonds that I found myself crawling on my hands and knees on the floor to find diamonds that had been dropped.
Some 36 years ago, I joined my father in his diamond manufacturing business. He taught me all about how to turn a rough stone into a sparkling, beautifully polished diamond. It’s not an easy task! For years, I sat at the polishing wheel, learning and improving my skills to polish all the facets of a diamond perfectly. During that time, my father also taught me all there was to know about rough diamonds: how to inspect, evaluate, and buy them; how to get the best yield and quality out of them, and how to sell them. I couldn’t have wished for a better education!
In 1990, my diamond journey brought me to Los Angeles, where I’ve built my home. Since then, my travels have brought me to many diamond mining nations on the African continent and Russia to buy rough stones and to Belgium, Israel, and New York to cut and polish them.
Until a new world opened up to me...
A few years ago, I was introduced to rough diamonds that are grown in a highly advanced laboratory. These diamonds, which are called “lab grown diamonds” (LGDs), are produced using highly sophisticated technologies.
Intrigued, I purchased some of these rough diamonds to cut and polish them. The results amazed me! Polished LGDs most often look better than mined diamonds of comparable size, color, and clarity. The retail price is also significantly better.
Don’t get me wrong; I still love natural or ‘old fashioned’ diamonds and their uniqueness, and I will continue to buy, manufacture, and sell them too. However, I see a clear trend toward LGDs in the consumer market, for a simple reason: LGDs are diamonds in all their aspects, period.
My partners and I have launched a line of solitaire rings and bridal jewelry set with top-quality lab grown diamonds.
I will gladly share all my knowledge with you and help you find the diamond ring that you like most and that fits your budget the best. Let us be your diamond jewelry concierge! You will not regret it!