LSN : News : De Beers to close its lab-grown diamond jewellery brand

Social media star Kai Cenat launches Streamer University

Kai Cenat’s Streamer University

US – Twitch streamer and YouTuber Kai Cenat has launched Streamer University, a weekend-long experience for aspiring creators to collaborate, learn and produce content.

Inspired by Hogwarts, Cenat announced the initiative via a cinematic Instagram video stating: ‘Here, you will find a school where chaos is encouraged and content is king.’ Within minutes of the launch, more than one million applications flooded the official website, briefly crashing it.

Held on an undisclosed college campus, the programme is open to all types of content creators, not just streamers, with 150 spots available. ‘All creators will be living on a college campus for free… If you want to be a teacher or student, apply now!’ Cenat posted on X.

Originally teased during a Twitch stream earlier this year, Cenat’s goal is to offer an immersive, collaborative space. The course promises top industry creator-led workshops, with sessions covering everything from live-stream production to brand-building and creative strategy.

Cenat’s latest venture aligns with our report, The New Creatorverse, in which we analysed how content creators are evolving into multimedia powerhouses, building immersive IP eco-systems, retail ventures and employee-driven content to secure longevity and bypass tech gatekeepers in a saturated market.

Strategic opportunity

Host immersive, in-person brand residencies or talent incubators for emerging creators, offering education, tools and collaborative space – positioning your brand as a long-term cultural ally in the evolving creator economy while establishing relationships with up-and-coming creators

De Beers to close its lab-grown diamond jewellery brand

UK – De Beers Group has announced the closure of Lightbox, its lab-grown diamond jewellery brand, signalling a strategic retreat from the synthetic jewellery market.

Introduced in 2018 as a disruptor brand with transparent pricing and clear differentiation from natural diamonds, Lightbox will now wind down operations, with De Beers in talks to sell remaining inventory and assets. The closure aligns with De Beers’ Origins Strategy, launched in May 2024, which aims to drive demand for natural diamonds for a new generation of consumers.

Al Cook, CEO of De Beers Group, said: ‘The persistently declining value of lab-grown diamonds in jewellery underscores the growing differentiation between these factory-made products and natural diamonds. Lightbox has helped to highlight the fundamental differences in value between these two categories.’ In our Great Wealth Transfer report, we highlighted that for affluent Gen Z and Millennials, investments and spending now revolve around purpose and impact.

Read more about consumers’ emotional and psychological journeys through the luxury sector in our New Codes of Luxury report.

Lightbox loose lab-grown stones, UK

Strategic opportunity

In response to evolving consumer values, consider optimising operations to concentrate on core business areas that offer stronger profitability and reinforce brand equity

Stat: Financial mansplaining endures for a majority of British women

Aspiration, US

UK – Gender bias in money matters is pushing British women out of financial conversations, according to new research commissioned by digital wealth manager Moneyfarm.

The study reveals that nearly 60% of women have been ‘mansplained’ to about finances, with two-thirds saying they have been interrupted or talked over by a man who assumed they would not understand a personal finance issue. One in four women reported being told how to budget by a man, and a third had received unsolicited lectures on how investing works.

British men ‘mansplain’ personal finance to women an average of 11 times per month, with husbands, partners and male colleagues cited as the most frequent offenders. As a result, many women admit to avoiding financial conversations with men altogether to avoid frustration and condescension.

While more fintech platforms are evolving to become gender-intelligent, Moneyfarm’s findings reveal how deep-rooted cultural assumptions still alienate many women from financial dialogue – and by extension, decision-making power – in both the home and the workplace.

These findings echo insights from our FemFin: Female-forward Finance report, which explores how women disruptors are not only challenging outdated narratives but also pioneering a systemic shift – reshaping financial tools, platforms and services to better reflect their values, priorities and lived experiences.

Strategic opportunity

Recognising women’s spending power, brands must rethink tone, language and interaction design to remove barriers and create financial spaces where women feel informed, respected and empowered