How Dorsey Sold the Instagram Girl on Lab-Grown Gems
The four-year-old brand has reached eight figures in revenue with a whole-hearted embrace of lab-grown stones and a more casual, everyday approach to jewellery. Dorsey’s Rivière necklaces have gained a loyal following on Instagram. By Diana Pearl
Five years ago, Meg Strachan had a bold vision: capitalizing on the nascent market for lab-grown diamonds by infusing them with fashion appeal. Established in 2020, Dorsey solely focused on lab-grown stone jewellery. Initial investor interest was non-existent, but Strachan was simply ahead of her time. Today, lab-grown diamonds constitute over 17 percent of the global diamond market, according to diamond research firm Edahn Golan. Major brands like Pandora, Prada, and even jewelry titan De Beers have joined the fray, with De Beers experiencing a one-third drop in mined diamond sales last year.
Dorsey’s rise to prominence on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok has been instrumental in this shift. Vogue, The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal have spotlighted Dorsey’s signature rivières—tennis necklaces in diverse shapes and colors. Celebrity endorsements abound: Justin Bieber wore a necklace on tour, while Bella Hadid and Hailey Bieber are regulars. Notably, Alex Cooper flaunted a Dorsey tennis bracelet on the cover of WSJ. Magazine.
The direct-to-consumer space has seen an influx of brands targeting younger consumers disillusioned with Cartier or Tiffany. Dorsey’s unique blend of vintage-inspired design and the affordability of lab-grown stones has differentiated it from the pack. The brand’s earrings and bracelets often mistaken for heirlooms cost a fraction of their mined-diamond counterparts. Influencer Grace Atwood cites the $300 Crawford earrings as a crowd-pleaser among her peers.
Strachan’s journey wasn’t cushioned by investor largesse. When she raised $1 million in September 2021, outbound funding requests were unnecessary. Dorsey’s revenue now sits in the eight-figure range, with a profitable trajectory marked by doubling sales each year. Adopting a growth marketing approach, Strachan maintained fiscal discipline, limiting marketing spend to 15 percent of gross revenue. This groundwork ensured profitability from the start.
Pandemic-era consumers sought sparkle for Zoom calls, boosting sales. The brand’s Instagram visuals feature Strachan in pieces paired with high-street or vintage fashion—an approach mirrored by its customers who sport jewelry with athleisure or casual summer dresses. Dorsey relies on organic growth rather than paid partnerships, gifting products to influencers and regifting to high-performing partners. This strategy resonates with an audience looking for eye-catching, yet affordable jewelry.
Looking forward, Dorsey plans to expand into custom bridal pieces while iterating on best-selling products like the rivière necklace. Strachan’s stance on lab-grown stones challenges traditional norms. Dorsey’s ethos resonates with a shifting market that increasingly values the ethical and practical advantages of lab-grown over mined diamonds. As Strachan puts it, “The consumer is going to decide it doesn’t matter,” underscoring lab-grown’s steady march towards mainstream acceptance.
