Courbet (company) explained

Courbet
Type:Société par actions simplifiée
Founder:Manuel Mallen
Marie-Ann Wachtmeister
Industry:Jewelry
Revenue:2 million euros (2019)[1]
Num Employees:20 (2020)[2]
Location City:Paris
Location Country:France
Homepage:https://www.en.courbet.com/

Courbet is a French jewelry business founded in 2018 by Manuel Mallen and Marie-Ann Wachtmeister.

Courbet uses only lab-grown diamonds and recycled gold, which comes mainly from old smartphones and laptops, in order to create their jewellery.[3]

The firm's manufacturing sites run on sustainable energy and are located in Russia and the United States. Since November 2019, Courbet also buys diamonds produced in France by the French business Diam Concept.[4] [5]

History

Courbet was founded in 2018 by entrepreneur Manuel Mallen and designer Marie-Ann Wachtmeister, and has Chanel among its shareholders.[6]

The Courbet showroom is in Place Vendôme. It is named after the French painter Gustave Courbet, who participated to the Vendôme column’s destruction in 1871.[7]

In May 2019 the firm opened a corner in the Printemps Haussmann department store.[8]

In June 2019, Courbet sold a ring with a 9 carats diamond which was then the biggest lab-grown round shape diamond ever made.[9]

In November 2019, Courbet started the « Ponts des Arts » collection made of French made diamonds, in collaboration with the startup Diam Concept founded by Alix Gicquel.[10] [11] Each piece of the collection has a lock on it, referring to the love locks on the pont des Arts in Paris.[12]

In May 2020, the company raised 8 million euros thanks to the farm investment firm Raise Ventures, and the Chinese communication agency Hylink. This fund raising aimed to develop online sales, research and diamonds manufacturing in France.[13] It also supported the firm's development in China, in particular, the opening of a subsidiary in Shanghai in May 2021.

Courbet also received the Butterfly Mark from the independent organisation Positive Luxury, certifying that the brand is operating in line with the highest standards of sustainability across the entire value chain.[14]

In 2021, Courbet asked for a carbon report, and obtained a result of 20 kg per carat for diamonds cut and produced in France.[15]

Notes and References

  1. Manuel Mallen, joaillier 2.0, Les Echos, September 3, 2020
  2. Manuel Mallen (courbet): « Sans le bien, le beau n'est rien », Stratégies, July 10, 2020
  3. Des diamants de laboratoire et de l'or recyclé débarquent place Vendôme, BFMTV, June 23, 2018
  4. Un joaillier parisien lance une première collection avec des diamants de laboratoire français, Nouvel Obs, November 5, 2019
  5. Joaillerie - Le filon des diamants de synthèse, Le Point, December 11, 2019
  6. Soutenu par Chanel, Courbet lance ses diamants de synthèse à la conquête de la Chine, Les Echos, March 17, 2021
  7. La bonne mine des diamants synthétiques, Libération, November 29, 2018
  8. Courbet : le diamant de synthèse comme « Alter-native », Guide joailliers, May 16, 2019
  9. La vérité sur les diamants de synthèse qui bousculent la joaillerie, Challenges, June 20, 2019
  10. Courbet signe le tout premier diamant français, Madame Figaro, November 6, 2019
  11. Bijoux: ce joaillier crée la première collection à base de diamants de synthèse made in France, Challenges, November 7, 2019
  12. Les Diamants De Culture De Courbet S’Invitent Dans La Joaillerie Française, Forbes, December 8, 2019
  13. Le joaillier Courbet mise sur les diamants de synthèse et la vente en ligne, Les Échos, June 19, 2020
  14. https://www.positiveluxury.com/our-members/courbet/ Courbet
  15. La bonne mine du diamant de synthèse, L'Opinion, December 1, 2021