Raluca Anghel, Brandon BorrorChappell, Tyler Demauro, Vincenzo Dimino, Ruthie Friedlander, Mina El Hadraoui, Marion Fasel, Anthony Federici, Lucy Fox, Wanyi Jiang, Lisa Levinson, Jill Newman, Joshua Peskowitz, Maggie Morris, Andrew Werner, Lynn Yaeger
THE CUT ISSUE
When I told one of my favorite contributors that the theme for Winter 2025/2026 would be the cut issue, they were quick to let me know they thought it was a terrible idea. Boring. That was when I knew we had a winner. The different facets of the natural diamond have centuries of scholarship and poetry, but when we start talking about a diamond’s cut, we tend to get more scientific than romantic. However, the word cut has many meanings, and each of them can apply to the stories diamonds hold. Take, for instance, our cover star Michelle Monaghan. Smoldering hot, whip-smart, altruistic, and a survivor: this is truly a unique cut of a person. She is so unique that her stylist, Karla Welch, and her team call her The Unicorn.
All the subjects covered in this issue capture a different meaning of cut. Some of these are highbrow, as in the case of a history of how humans have cut the diamond. Others are more earthy, such as our feature with Jay Ellis, selected for
SAM BROEKEMA Editor-In-Chief
his talent but also that he looks cut from marble. Cut can also refer to what someone makes, and Jill Newman delves into the myriad ways that the communities in diamond producing countries are supported. This extends to the natural world, with an important example in the Honey Bee, whose numbers are protected by the efforts of mining company Petra.
It would be easy to confine the reference to a certain cut experienced by Marie Antoinette. But, history has shown a depth of character previously erased in the apocryphal epigram, “Let them eat cake.” As a patron of the arts and a mother, the diamond cuts in the collection of the famous queen, such as the historic Marie Thérèse pink diamond named for her young daughter, display a sensitivity of taste and remind us that she grew from a teenage monarch into a courageous woman who faced her fate with dignity. Another queen’s jewels detailed in this issue are those of Elizabeth Taylor, whose friendship with fabled designer Lorraine Schwartz was cemented over the cuts of the diamonds they both loved.
Fred Leighton’s jewels have adorned stars such as Kirsten Dunst, Julianne Moore, and Meryl Streep, and the woman behind the scenes of these cinematic moments shares an exclusive director’s cut. Designer Anita Ko shares the recipe for her coveted diamond style and those of her devoted celebrity following. Artist and fellow jeweler Ana Khouri welcomes us into her world and shares how her work encapsulates her experiences as a human. Fine arts photographer Benjamin Bouchet lensed the most extraordinary cuts of high jewelry shown during Paris Haute Couture. The twist is that these one-of-ones have no place in a safe as they look just as good worn to lunch as at the galas that Covid killed.
Thrilled to present counter arguments to any dusty coverage of the inspiring diamond cut. And lastly, which of our gift guide favorites will make the cut to update your diamond style this sparkling season?
ON THE COVER: Michelle Monaghan wearing Retrouvaí earrings, Anita Ko necklace, and Norman Silverman necklace, photographed by Olivia Malone.
Michelle Monaghan wearing Single Stone earrings, a Norman Silverman necklace, a Khepri necklace, and a Harwell Godfrey ring. Photographed by Olivia Malone. Editor portrait by Vincenzo Dimino.
CONTRIBUTORS
Maggie Morris
Maggie Morris is a writer and multi-disciplinary creative. Through both her writing and design work, she aims to reveal the details and nuance that reflect authenticity. When off screen, she travels to write about disappearing handicrafts and far out destinations. She studied Anthropology at Wesleyan University and received a creative writing award from UCLA for her in-progress book. She lives between New York and Los Angeles.
Marion Fasel
Author of The Adventurine on Substack, Marion Fasel is an esteemed jewelry expert, curator, trend forecaster, and historian who has written several books including the newly released The History of Diamond Engagement Rings: A True Romance
Lynn Yaeger
Lynn Yaeger has been writing about fashion, jewelry, and culture for over two decades. She began her career at the Village Voice. Now a contributing editor at Vogue, Yaeger has written for publications, including The New York Times, WSJ Magazine, and more. In 2019, Yaeger won the coveted CFDA Media Award. In her off hours, she can be found haunting the world’s flea markets, searching for antique toys and vintage jewelry.
Daniel Jack Lyons
Daniel Jack Lyons is an American artist and anthropologist whose work focuses largely on marginalized youth, whether occupying spaces on the periphery of society or in the face of conflict. He has exhibited work internationally, most recently in Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Milan, Amsterdam, Warsaw, London, and Mozambique. His work has appeared in numerous publications including the New York Times, i-D, the New Yorker, and Vogue Italia.
Jill Newman
A jewelry authority, editor and storyteller, Jill Newman has been immersed in the industry for 30 years. Her assignments have taken her to diamond mines across Africa, cutting workshops in India and Belgium, and jewelry ateliers around the world. Jill is the Natural Diamond Council’s Editor at Large and her work also appears in media outlets including The New York Times, Robb Report, and Galerie Magazine.
Lizzy Oppenheimer
Lizzy is a creative cirector and executive producer living in New York. She has had an expansive career working in editorial and advertising, developing award-winning photography and video projects for more than a decade. She is currently the Managing Director of Petty Cash, the Creative Director At Large of Only Natural Diamonds and the Editor-in-Chief/Creative Director of Nicotine Magazine
Jermaine Daley
Jermaine Daley is a New York–based fashion stylist and editor whose work bridges Caribbean vibrancy with contemporary polish. His storytelling thrives on the tension between boldness and restraint, with color and texture at the core of his visual language. A career highlight is his contribution to The New Black Vanguard at the Cleveland Museum of Art, where his installation Magic Hour expanded the exhibition’s exploration of fashion as an evolving art form.
Wanyi Jiang
Wanyi Jiang is an artist and creative director from New York and has been in the publishing world for almost two decades. She loves all things magical and sparkling (like natural diamonds) with a healthy dose of vintage animation and John Steinbeck printed on cream stock paper with ridged edges. In her free time, you’ll find her watching old Broadway recordings of Phantom of the opera and humming MJ tunes.
The Art of Re-Cutting DIAMONDS
By Shelley Brown
From the heart of Rue de la Paix in Paris, the Rubel & Ménasché re-cutting workshop continues the tradition of a rare skill: restoring brilliance to diamonds. Created in 2006, it embodies the spirit of a Maison that, for over 70 years, has continually evolved to serve both historic partners and new clients.
In a world shaped by tradition, Rubel & Ménasché places innovation at the center of its approach, introducing new perspectives and practices, particularly in the field of re-cutting, while remaining faithful to the excellence of the craft. Over the years, the workshop has become a benchmark for the jewelry and watchmaking world.
In 2013, the French State awarded the Maison the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (Living Heritage Company) label—since renewed twice—in recognition of this commitment to excellence.
CUTTING TO THE PIECE
What distinguishes the workshop is its practice of “cutting to the piece,” a technique that adapts and re-cuts stones to integrate seamlessly into the setting, harmonize with one another, and reflect the designer’s vision.
Each diamond is treated as a unique case, placed in the creation for which it is destined. Whether adjusting facets, restoring a damaged stone, or correcting asymmetry, experts work with precision to balance two imperatives: preserving the diamond and revealing its light.
This bespoke approach allows the Maison to execute the most ambitious creations.
A CULTURE OF KNOWL EDGE-SHARING
Behind this expertise is a team of cutters from diverse backgrounds—some transitioning from other careers, others trained in gemology or lapidary. All share the same passion for diamonds and are trained in-house alongside master cutters. Knowledge-sharing is critical: passing on techniques, understanding constraints, and cultivating an eye attuned to the subtleties of light and proportion.
Success in re-cutting depends not on individual talent, but on a team capable of meeting the standards and the expectations of great Maisons.
WHERE INNOVATION MEETS MASTERY
Since its creation, the workshop has contributed to emblematic high jewelry pieces. Some projects demand true research and development: reworking stones, inventing new processes, and adapting techniques to realize the most audacious ideas. Among these innovations is the “invisible” setting, where stones are assembled without visible mounting, forming a continuous ribbon of light. This requires extreme precision in cutting and adjusting each stone and exemplifies the workshop’s role in not only execution but also advising, supporting, and devising unprecedented solutions.
At times, this spirit of innovation leads to the creation of entirely new cuts, developed exclusively for specific projects. These new inventions fuel creativity and demonstrate the workshop’s ability to combine technical excellence and a pioneering vision.
Each piece is treated with the awareness that it may appear on a catwalk or at a global presentation; an understanding that reinforces both rigor and commitment.
SHAPING THE FUTURE OF THE CRAFT
Rubel & Ménasché views the workshop not as a closed space but as one open to dialogue and exchange. Partners are regularly invited to “feel the material,” witness the cutters at work, and appreciate the silent concentration their craft demands. At the same time, the workshop looks to the future through research and development, innovative collaborations, and the training of new generations of artisans.
These initiatives extend its mission, perpetuate its passion, and affirm its commitment to creators—serving the art of the invisible, the discreet hands that shape and elevate every diamond.
Courtesy of Rubel & Ménasché.
1 2 3
Treasure Hunt
Designers are turning ancient relics into contemporary, cool
jewelry.
Designer Silvia Furmanovich lights up when talking about her recent adventures and discoveries in Kyoto. While exploring the city’s antique quarter, she uncovered a magnificent set of 18th-century clam shells, each a miniature masterpiece painted with delicate scenes in gold leaf and pigment. They were kaiawase shells, she explains, pieces used in a Japanese memory game from the Edo period, in which players matched the images on the shells.
Back in her São Paulo atelier, she set the shells with diamonds, gemstones, and gold in earrings that preserved their artistry in playfully elegant designs. “I approach each antique object with deep respect for its
By Jill Newman
history but also with a desire to reimagine it for today,” says Furmanovich, who has traveled the world, often with her son Andrey, in search of historic artifacts and age-old crafts. From the Silk Road to remote parts of Egypt, she has returned with treasures: decorative Asian snuff bottles, intricate Italian micro mosaics, Rudraksha beads from India, and masterfully carved Japanese netsuke carvings. She is among a growing number of designers seeking something deeper than conventional luxury – artists who want to spotlight ancient skills and cultures in their jewelry, creating pieces that tell stories.
Designers are creatively combining relics
with diamonds, bringing them to life with sparkle, light, and enhancing their preciousness. It’s a perfect pairing: modern, radiant diamonds deliver a sense of glamour and novelty, while older cut stones with a softer twinkle evoke a sense of mystery, like found treasure.
“At first, clients are drawn to the jewelry for its aesthetic,” says Sylva Yepremian, owner of Sylva & Cie, a Los Angeles-based jewelry company, who loves to share the relic’s history with her clients. “When they hear about its history, it becomes an emotional connection.”
“It’s not about simply resetting old artifacts; it’s reimagining them in modern
Courtesy of Bulgari.
ways," says French jeweler Marc Auclert, whose grandfather was an antiques dealer. “I’m not looking for a vintage feel but for a radical expression with a tension between the storytelling of the antique and the modern mounting,” he says.
From a young age, Auclert collected antiques, even working at the Paris flea markets before moving into jewelry, where he worked for De Beers and Chanel, before establishing his own Maison Auclert. He sources intaglios, cameos, and coins from the Greek, Hellenistic, and Roman periods, along with Egyptian and pre-Columbian artifacts. His unconventional settings include a first-century BCE gold Celtic coin surrounded by diamonds in a bold ring that underscores the contrast between the warm, patinaed yellow gold coin and the high-sparkle stones.
THE HUNT
Every designer will tell you the best part of scavenging for artifacts is the hunt. Whether exploring faraway cultures, meeting quirky antique dealers, or rummaging flea markets, they are seeking not just old relics but also uncovering ancient artistry and learning new ways to express themselves. On a visit to an antiques dealer in London earlier this year, for instance, Yepremian found a box of antique seals and intaglios that someone had collected over a lifetime. “I fell in love with them, bought the whole lot, and began transforming them one by one.”
She set the relics on chunky oxidized gold chains, with antique diamonds, Tahitian pearls, and patinaed gold beads. But not all the artifacts are for sale; she couldn’t resist keeping some for her personal jewelry collection.
“I’m taking age-old material and infusing it with an edge – making it more whimsical, more rock ‘n’ roll with oxidized metal and
other elements,” she says. “I’m taking the preciousness out and making it wearable for every day.”
Another jeweler captivated by ancient artifacts is Glenn Spiro, whose latest “Materials of the World” collection features 17th-century Baoulé gold artifacts. These finely etched, hand-worked gold tiles, made by the Baoulé African tribespeople, have survived for hundreds of years to land in his lavish designs. The London-based jeweler combines them with antique diamonds and other stones, such as ancient amber beads, in large-scale pendants that convey a dramatic effect. He celebrates the boldness of the tribal designs but in a strikingly contemporary way.
Archaeologist-turned-jeweler Loren Nicole sources artifacts largely from European antiquities dealers, like the roaring Lion Pendant from ancient Greece. “I was drawn to the lion for the sculptural quality and the fierce roar,” says Nicole, who is based in Southern California. Rather than embellish the lion, she created a simple 22-karat gold frame with four diamonds that “celebrates the antique form but gives it a new life and purpose.”
Another empowering piece is an ancient Persian bronze arrowhead, which she placed on a handwoven gold chain with champagne diamond accents. No doubt, the bronze arrowhead is a conversation starter. It’s clearly an old relic with gravitas, but on a slinky gold chain, it looks stylish and chic with everything from a white blouse to jeans and a t-shirt. 5 4 6 7
While jewelers such as Elizabeth Locke, Gurhan, and Coomi are known for featuring intaglios and micro mosaics in their designs, the concept is gaining popularity and evolving. New interpretations are bolder, more high-contrast, and more playful.
A great example is Antonia Miletto’s recently completed necklace with four large cameos from different eras, each depicting a female portrait, set in ebony frames with diamond accents. “I like to imagine them engaged in a gentle conversation across time,” says the Venice-based designer.
Rather than focus on the classical design motif, she chose to add a sense of playfulness. “I love changing their scale, adding some sparkle and setting them in my favorite woods – reimagining these old pieces in new form,” says Miletto.
Turkish jeweler Gurhan Orhan and his wife, Fiona, have traveled the world collecting carved intaglios, lava cameos, coins, scarabs, guilloché enamels, reliquary pieces, and bronze artifacts from private collectors, hidden markets, and museum-like stalls for his designs.
“Each artifact is set into a piece that feels both soulful and striking—made to empower the woman who wears it,” Orhan says. As more people seek authenticity, something lasting, and jewelry with meaning, these ancient relics become those precious talismans. They’re a link to the past that has endured for centuries and been remade for a new generation.
1. Coomi
2. Silvia Furmanovich
3. Gurhan
4. Sylva & Cie
5. Maison Auclert
6. Antonia Miletto
7. Loren Nicole
8. Glenn Spiro
For Keeps
By Anna McFillin
Justine Lupe wearing a Jessica McCormack earring. Photographed by Jackie Kursel.
Natural diamonds carry a certain magic— they’re meaningful, lasting, and never go out of style. But that doesn’t mean they have to be formal or out of reach. Whether you’re shopping for a loved one (or treating yourself—we fully support that), the right piece should feel personal, stylish, and fun to wear.
Jewelry staples like classic studs, tennis bracelets, and stackable rings will always be a win. But we’re equally drawn to the unexpected—ear cuffs, colorful anklets, whimsical hand chains—that bring diamonds into everyday life in surprising ways.
Every piece in this guide is effortlessly cool and refreshingly affordable, with nothing over $1,500– proof that standout sparkle doesn’t have to come with a steep price tag, or a second thought.
Natural diamond jewelry isn’t about trends or rules, it’s about personal expression. Retrouvai’s Compass Lapel Pin is a subtle statement-maker that adds just the right amount of sparkle to any look. Pin it to a tailored blazer or fasten it on a fabulous coat, proving diamonds can effortlessly elevate everyday wear.
For a refined hint of shimmer, Ritique’s Wire Wrap Diamond Necklace instantly elevates with its stylish, lightweight, clasp-free design and is perfect for day-to-night wear. “What makes it special is its subtle sparkle: delicate yet impactful,” says Ritika Atwal, designer of Ritique. “It’s understated, yet it makes a statement. Layer it beautifully with any of our lariat necklaces for an elevated look.”
If you’re after something classic, Mateo's bezel set diamond bracelet offers timeless appeal with a modern twist. And for those who love to layer, TYPE Jewelry’s Leggo Pendant is the ultimate stacking piece, perfect for building a necklace combo.
Earrings and rings make especially meaningful gifts and often become part of someone’s signature style. French jewelry designer Yvonne Léon offers a fresh, alternative vision of jewelry, one that honors tradition but isn’t afraid to bend the rules. Her designs embody the rare, the unexpected, the precious—true mantras for a modern woman’s self-expression. Her Signet Ring, for example, proves why the pinky ring has never lost its edge; bold without being loud, steeped in history yet strikingly modern. Worn solo, it exudes quiet confidence; stacked, it instantly adds character.
Alison Lou’s Bubble Huggie delivers twice the charm—a classic diamond huggie paired with a customizable Bubble Letter Charm, complete with its own natural diamond. Bonus: slip the charm onto a chain for an entirely new way to wear it.
No piercings? No problem. Renna Jewels’ Bubble Ear Cuff delivers bold, diamond-studded energy without the pain—or the healing time—that comes with a piercing. “Our Bubble Ear Cuff is so versatile,” says designer Renna Taher-Brown of Renna Jewels. Taher-Brown brings her California roots to the West Village, channeling a laid-
back, bohemian style that echoes through her jewelry designs and how she styles her pieces herself. “It looks great stacked, but it’s also easy to wear on its own. Sometimes I don’t even wear earrings—just a single ear cuff.”
Jewelry doesn’t just hold sentimental value, it carries energy. Luis Morais’s Diamond Drill Bit Tiger’s Eye Bracelet is a perfect example. The drill bit symbolizes the journey of digging deeper into yourself and facing life’s challenges, while the tiger’s eye, known for its calming properties, paired with natural diamonds represents strength and resilience. “The mix of earthy beads with the diamond detail on the drill gives it a cool contrast. It feels effortless but elevated, which is part of the brand’s DNA,” says Morais. He recommends stacking it with other beaded, cord, or hardware bracelets for a layered look.
Consider Dezso’s Polki Diamond Coquito Charm on a neon cord, designed to be worn as either a bracelet or anklet. Dezso’s pieces channel an endless-summer energy and serve as a year-round reminder of warmer days. For a cool bohemian touch, add Jacquie Aiche’s Three Diamond Hand Chain to the mix.
As you discover pieces that reflect your personal style or resonate with someone special, caring for them thoughtfully can make all the difference. Trove’s jewelry boxes work beautifully as a gift in their own right, or as an elegant way to present a new jewel. They’re a natural companion to the pieces you’ll reach for time and again. And if you find yourself holding onto these gifts a little longer than expected, well, we completely understand.
Let’s Go, Boys
Pomellato
Rainbow K
Mindi Mond
SHAY
MARLI
HOWL
Silvia Furmanovich
Tiffany & Co.
Jay Ellis wearing a Martin Katz lapel pin and a SHAY ring. Photographed by Daniel Jack Lyons.
For the last eight months, many of us have been questioning how much can truly change in that time. It turns out, a hell of a lot can change in just six days—or even six hours. In times of uncertainty, we tend to be more conservative in our purchasing decisions. While this is a perfectly natural inclination, life still must be lived, and joy is worth seeking out.
Prices are rising, both due to raw materials, valued in their own right, and a challenging tariff environment. But jewelry purchases have never been purely rational or bound to a schedule. Jewelry celebrates milestones, people, and passions. It shouldn’t matter if it’s designated as “men’s” or “women’s”; instead, it should affirm the wearer’s sense of self.
This is not meant to advocate for a consequences-be-damned money-burning attitude, but rather a set of semi-rational strategies for finding lasting happiness in purchases made even amid shifting landscapes. Pieces acquired to last a lifetime often become more attainable when considered through the lens of cost-per-wear.
STRATEGY
ONE: GO TIMELESS
When purchasing a piece of jewelry for yourself or a loved one, the hope is that it will be worn for many years and eventually passed on to another. These future heirlooms might be classic, but they must also be timeless. What’s the difference? For an item to be timeless, it is automatically a classic—but classics are not necessarily timeless.
Classics often refer to exact replicas (or originals, if you are into vintage) and are therefore defined by the era in which they were first produced. It’s relatively easy to find a classic at various levels of quality and material. Timelessness, however, comes by the hands of skilled artisans and inspired designers.
Timeless pieces might be the signatures of a specific house, such as Pomellato’s Cantene Ring or a classic so subverted that it becomes a signature in its own right, like MARLI's Tip-Top Diamond Bracelet or HOWL’s Havana Ring. If this definition of timeless brings Jean Schlumberger’s Bird on a Rock for Tiffany & Co. to mind, you’re right on the money, and maybe a piece from their new collection is worth looking into.
STRATEGY TWO: GO UNIQUE
Maybe the first thought that comes to mind when you hear “timeless” is: “I don’t have time for all that.” And that’s valid. Jewelry should bring joy to the wearer, and if that joy comes from the number of double-takes per wear, then this is your path. Go as bold and unique as you can with every purchase.
Eye-catching pieces aren’t for everyone; they really should be for one. Finding the right maker in the right place can take time. It might come through mixing materials (like Sauer’s Vitra Necklace or Chanel’s Symboles Medal) or embracing imperfect forms. Ultimately, what matters most is whether it makes you feel two or three inches taller the moment you put it on. A word of caution: craftsmanship is critical when chasing uniqueness. Unusual designs made with impeccable skill will be admired, while poorly made ones may leave friends asking if you have “something on your shirt.” Lead with your heart and be patient. You have the rest of your life ahead of you.
STRATEGY THREE: GO CUSTOM
The only way to truly guarantee uniqueness is to work with a designer on a custom piece. Among all luxury items, jewelry is, by its very nature, mutable. Many high-end jewelers already create one-of-a-kind pieces to showcase their skills or aesthetics, so the “custom” item for you may already exist. But if you want to take it further, there are countless ways to explore what you truly want.
This prospect is exciting for some and intimidating for others. If you fall into the first camp, the process might begin with a stone, as I did with my wife’s engagement ring (by Mociun in Brooklyn, New York), or with a designer’s aesthetic, such as London’s Castro Smith or Brazil’s Silvia Furmanovich. Working with a designer means respecting their process and taste, so take this path only if you want a piece that reflects their style, while still carrying your personal touch.
You might meet someone on holiday and commission a piece that forever connects you to that moment, or you might travel specifically to see a particular designer. The first step is deciding whether this undertaking is worthwhile to you, and why. Excellent custom jewelers can be found in many cities, so you may not have to look far; however, finding the right person still requires research and a bit of soul-searching.
Hopefully, the end result will be cherished by you and those who come after, ensuring that a little sparkle is carried on to the future. 9 10 11 14 12 13 15 16
The Shape of Things to Come
The dynamic shield shape diamond is flying into engagement rings By Marion Fasel
Reporting on trends is far from an exact science. Yet we do have our methods. When it comes to engagement rings, it goes a little something like this: First, we spot a style across a handful of jewelry collections. Then we gather evidence about the style’s success. This information can come from designers, retailers or brides. The look is an absolute lock if a celebrity gets engaged in the style we are watching and proceeds to give it high-profile exposure by sharing it on social media or showing it off on the red carpet.
Taylor Swift’s antique cushion cut diamond is the perfect example of the trend pattern in full effect. Selena Gomez worked the same magic for the marvelous marquise shape diamond. These women heightened the profile of off-the-beaten track diamond shapes and made them wildly desirable. An example of the cy-
cle being sustained over an extended period is the oval-shaped diamond engagement ring. Many celebrities have chosen this style, including Hailey Bieber, Simone Biles, and Lady Gaga.
I wanted to review our behind-the-scenes process because the shield-shaped diamond engagement ring took a slightly different path to reach these pages. It’s been exciting for all of us at this publication, who watch diamond engagement rings so closely, follow the unusual shape rise in popularity to trend level. Let me explain.
Unlike the other gem shapes I just named, the shield shape has never historically been the focus of engagement rings. However, it has played a creative role in jewelry. During the Roaring Twenties, shields experienced perhaps their greatest period of popularity. The shape, which resembles a warrior’s shield in the same kind of artistic way a baguette cut diamond looks like the French bread, punctuated chandelier earrings, pendant necklaces and wide diamond bracelets.
Now, 100 years later, the shield shape is stepping into the spotlight as a star of engagement rings. Jemma Wynne is one of a handful of visionary jewelry labels championing the look. “We’re drawn to anything that’s Art Deco,” explained Stephanie Wynne, who creates the Jemma Wynne collection with Jenny Klatt. “Finding special and different things that not everyone will have in an engagement ring is really important to us.”
Shield-shaped diamonds are also somewhat rare because the rough diamonds they are cut from must be a specific shape. The five-sided girdle, or center, of the stone is unusual. It has a flat top, a pointed bottom, and short and long angles on the sides.
Shields can be found in a variety of proportions. There are long, lean shields. There are styles that resemble the profile of a round brilliant-cut diamond. And just about everything in between.
The light emitted from shields isn’t bonfire-level. “It’s a watery, subtle sparkle,” explains Wynne. “There’s an elegance to the light that’s totally different with the long facets. The light is similar to that of an emerald cut.”
Similar to other fancy Art Deco shapes, such as the marquise and emerald cuts, designers now set shield-shaped diamonds in engagement rings in more experimental ways. They are often po-
“There's an elegance to the light that's totally different with the long facets.”
sitioned on their side in an east-west setting. Sometimes, they are mounted at an angle, called akimbo. A few designers have set the flat side of a shield shape against the band of a ring and the point up creating a dramatic look. Others set the band of the ring in the middle of the diamond shape, almost giving it the appearance of an angular heart shape. Designers have also placed two small, shield-shaped diamonds with their flat tops together in a setting creating a modern take on the historic Toi et Moi two-stone engagement ring style.
When designers set shield-shaped diamonds in rings with the point down and the flat side up, they reveal its true superpower— and its only current celebrity connection.
While a shield shape diamond has not been chosen for an engagement ring by a pop star or an actress, the silhouette was all over the summer blockbuster Superman. On Superman’s chest and on the back of his cape shield shapes frame the S. The superhero-scene-stealing dog, Krypto, had the shield shape on his cape and a shield shape S charm on his collar. Of course, Supergirl sports the shield too.
In the world of Superman, the shield is the House of El’s family crest on the planet Krypton. It symbolizes hope. The newly added mantra about Superman’s kindness in the movie highlights how rare this quality is today and why it should be valued. Historically in the real world, the shield represented protection.
All of this symbolism creates a beautiful message for an engagement ring. Add to that the absolutely unique look of the diamond shape, which brides are interested in today, and the shield shape becomes truly special.
From top: Rings by Brent Neale, Single Stone, Azlee.
Skin Diamonds
Pavé precision down to the millimeter
By Alexandra Cheney
Picture a carpet of sparkle, an illusion of endless shimmer of not one or two, ten or twenty, but hundreds of diamonds – not a prong or bezel in sight. And yet the almost liquid smooth surface, a second skin of stones that covers a pendant, snakes around a bangle or sits within a ring, hails from a centuries old technique known as pavé.
Across the market, jewelry houses large and small are refining micro-pavé into distinct house signatures. Heritage names like Pomellato, Graff, and Vhernier are sharpening their own high-jewelry languages while family-run ateliers such as Sidney Garber and Maison H lean on calibrated stones, advanced scanning, and tight tolerances to achieve that uniform albeit flexible field of light. Independent stalwarts like Ippolita, Grace Lee and Katkim draw bold silhouettes all the while reducing metal, lowering profiles, and amplifying brilliance.
“This is not your grandma’s pavé,” said Grace Lee, adding, “I would call it a modern take. You don’t just wear it when you go to dinner. Some clients wear my jewelry to the gym, much to my dismay, but they can because functionally it’s so seamless and fluid.” Demi Globe, her signature piece is a 14-karat domed pavé gold ring that’s 9 mm at its widest point. Rising off the finger like a bubble, the Demi Globe (from $7,880) is delicate yet practical, elevated but everyday.
That philosophy informs Lee’s updates to the classic four-prong vocabulary. “The first part is a mathematical formula: to hollow out the ring and get the settings as low as possible without hitting the finger while also being able to stack rings. One one-hundredth of a millimeter (smaller than the diameter of a single strand of human hair) will change what it looks like and how it sits. Second, pavé with natural diamonds adds another level of dimension while giving a material that’s almost as seamless as using just gold. I can get intricate and it won’t look messy. It’s how I make pavé more interesting for the now consumer.”
As The Jewelers’ Review noted in 1893, “From Oriental and Italian jewelry the Bohemians learned the Pave method.” According to JCK, the article explained the gem mounting and setting process (without the need for the teeth of a prong setting). “This proved not only to be durable but allowed the utmost variation of form, so that the invention may be considered the foundation of the present industry.” That craftsmanship has been passed down and adapted, yielding multiple pavé methods.
Heritage houses like Vhernier, Graff and Pomellato continue to champion proprietary pavé approaches developed over decades and
incorporated into some of their most popular lines. At Vhernier, for example, all uniform pavé is made with their two-prongs setting, as doing so with four prongs would “compromise the fluidity of the design.” The result is “velvety surface … that is at once sculptural and sensual,” reads a Vhernier brief.
In the decade since Graff adopted the atomic precision of 3D printing to develop Snowfall, a line of watches and jewelry meant to mimic the natural flurries after which they are named, the house has continued to push their prototyping. One of their latest collections, Snowset, leans on the pavé snow setting that originated at Jaeger-LeCoultre in 2002, where gem-setters used mixed diamond sizes packed tightly to blanket the metal like fresh snow.
Both timely and timeless, micro-pavé is more than a venerable technique. The word drawn from the French for “to pave,” pavé dates back more than 200 years. Today’s iteration merges automated cutting and advanced natural-diamond scanning with ever more precise techniques. The result is a setting that maximizes radiance and amplifies the visual impact of smaller stones that continue to captivate jewelers and clients alike.
Maison H Jewels, the Dubai-based husband-and-wife team of Fatima and Hisham Mahomed, spent years conceptualizing their “Skin” collection. “We took the name seriously and created a second skin of diamonds,” says the lady Mahomed, who designs all the Maison’s collections.
From a subtle wave to a curlicue, the organic, diamond-covered shapes of the Skin rings and earrings (from $8,000 to $18,000) “are meant to mimic the appearance of molten gold that has delicately flowed and solidified on your skin,” she added. The sense of movement and ease owes much to the family’s familiarity with natural diamonds.
scan each natural diamond and batch-sort for color and clarity.
Within the “Skin” collection, diamond sizes range from 0.9 mm to 1.15 mm, while gold thickness runs from 1.5 mm to 2 mm. Within each individual piece, however, the diamonds are uniform in size, with only a three- to-four-percent variance in gold weight.
“For me, micro-pavé, skin diamonds, above all must be brilliant, comfortable and just have a wow effect,” said Mrs. Mahomed.
Likewise for Ippolita Rostagno, founder of Ippolita, that breathless moment arrives in executing “something very simple but extremely difficult.” While that may read as a contradiction, Rostagno elaborated: “The Coral reef bangle is the perfect example because the design intent was to make it feel and look like Italian coral, very thin, not like Asian coral, and also feel smooth and delightful to the touch. To do that, the diamonds had to be particularly small. Normally, you do four prongs, a stone, and then sitting next to another stone four prongs, but that becomes very visible, which isn’t good.” The pavé bangle starts at $6,995. To minimize prongs, she devised a shared prongs mapping system so the stones nestle without the eye noticing. “If you don’t know or appreciate the beauty of the workmanship, it’s like, wow, this is more expensive looking than the bigger stones. The more you teach people about the process and the product and the design intent, the more they appreciate micro-pavé,” she said.
While an absolute fixture in high jewelry, micro-pavé also has range. Because the diamonds and gemstones used are often too small to be secured by prongs, it’s possible to achieve a variety of price points with this setting.
In the diamond business for four generations, the Mahomeds built Maison H after decades of polished-stone sales and contract manufacturing for nearly a dozen brands. Diamond procurement remains part of their offering. “We use a whole lot of technology, from the rough to the polish to the mounting. We have a process where we identify the thickness of gold and what’s required to make it stand out,” said Mrs. Mahomed.
“Historically, in one single piece, you had four to five sizes in micro-pavé,” said Mr. Mahomed. “Instead, we’ve created this very fluid, silky effect. With calibrated, sized diamonds there’s not a single rough edge. In fact, if you rub any of our pieces against a piece of silk, they won’t catch.” In addition to polishing diamonds to calibrated measurements, the Mahomeds also
“Micro-pavé defines fine jewelry and allows for a strong silhouette,” said Katherine Kim, of Los Angeles-based brand Katkim. Her single-ear options—including the Petite pearl pavé ear pin, Lorraine pavé earring, and Crescendo flare pavé ear cuff—begin under $2,000. Because micro-pavé accounts for about half her designs, Kim confirmed that any solid-metal style she offers is also made in micro-pavé. “That setting is part of the DNA of the brand, it’s unlimited and who doesn’t want a piece of jewelry full of diamonds?”
In other words, pavé has long proven it’s not the size of the natural diamonds, it’s how you set them.
Grace Lee ring; Sidney Garber necklace; Maison H Jewels earrings. Opposite page: Vhernier necklace.
Courtesy of KATKIM.
Director’s Cut
Behind the scenes of iconic films with Fred Leighton jewelry
By Rebecca Selva, as told to Sam Broekema
“Call Rebecca at Fred Leighton!” While it was truly surreal hearing Julianne Moore utter my name and this command on the hit Netflix series Sirens, it also sounded very familiar. I love getting calls. I love being involved with cinema and I love doing what I do. Yes, call me any time!
In my career as Chief Creative Officer of Fred Leighton, we have enjoyed a longstanding relationship with Julianne. It was at her request that Sirens’ brilliant costume designer, Caroline Duncan, called me. I said, “Sure! It’s certainly not difficult, and it’s for Julianne!” So, “Call Rebecca” is something I hear quite frequently.
For that scene, the Sirens team had requested jewelry for a special presentation to Julianne’s character, Michaela Kell, who would be reviewing options for a gala. I said, “No problem.” A presentation? I certainly know how to do that! I prepared what I thought one should show a lady of Michaela’s standing. It was an impressive collection of Fred Leighton and Kwiat jewels – antique diamonds, classic contemporary diamonds, and, of course, emeralds for Julianne.
What was surprising on the day was that I was actually standing behind Julianne on set as she made the “Call Rebecca” command. Honestly, at that moment I was mostly worried about getting the 19th-century kokoshnik-style diamond necklace around her neck. Julianne was very tall at that moment, as she was wearing platforms, and I was further challenged to get the necklace on her without getting in the way of the shot! Thankfully, mission accomplished!
Caroline Duncan had briefed me on Julianne’s character and what the show was about: Michaela’s power, the idea of sirens, with allusions to Greek mythology. One of the best things I have learned is how to interpret what an editor or a stylist is looking for and to go with this feeling. I immediately understood what Michaela’s everyday jewelry should be: gold that is rich and warm in color, jewelry that is effortlessly chic and glamorous, pieces with a connection to mythology and astrology. Among the pieces selected were a Van Cleef & Arpels 1960s Gemini pendant and chain, and Etruscan revival earrings. We definitely established the vibe. Julianne wore these pieces throughout Episode 4. She herself loves jewelry and has a great appreciation of it. In the presentation scene, she was so at ease
speaking about emeralds and yellow diamonds. She is a formidable actress, and she knew the character would be nothing if not specific about her jewelry.
RED CARPET REVEALS
Beyond the amazing visibility in placements such as in Sirens, it is very exciting to see our jewelry become part of building a character. We have this same approach to the red carpet. We are excited to see our jewelry be part of a beautiful and exciting look, but it’s foremost about and a celebration of the person who wears it. The jewelry has to sing to the person. And the person always walks in first. Always, always. That is our way, and an essential part of our collaborations.
One of the loveliest red carpet moments was with Kirsten Dunst for her first Oscars red carpet in 2002. We worked with her talented stylists, Nina and Clare Hallworth. Kirsten had just filmed Spider-Man. She wore a gorgeous pink Cristian Dior Haute Couture dress and our antique diamond jewelry – most notably, a diamond thistle brooch by Boucheron. This piece is now in one of the world’s most important collections of antique jewelry. It’s a rare and splendid jewel and she wore it nestled in her hair.
Everything about Kirsten’s Oscar’s look was perfect for her, she was both fresh and exquisite. That night, as always, Joan Rivers put the spotlight on the jewelry. Joan knew and collected jewelry, and she asked about it! I remember her speaking to Kirsten on the red carpet, and I think it’s when Kirsten said, unforgettably, “I’m wearing Freddy Leighton. And it’s vintage!” I screamed. She charmed Joan and everyone with her smile and genuine excitement. Joan smiled and said, “Yes!” enjoying the moment. She, herself, also loved jewelry and Freddy Leighton!
WHEN FREDDY MET MARIE
Like diamonds, relationships form naturally over time, and you never know where they will lead. I had worked with Sofia Coppola for the red carpet. Meanwhile, she had seen these amazing antique diamond earrings, which we had presented at one point to Kirsten. The earrings had sumptuous pendants with stars and crescent moons. One day, Sofia came to visit Fred Leighton. We chatted. She said that she was doing a film about
Lupita Nyong'o wearing a diamond headband and rose-cut diamond earrings designed by Selva, at the Oscars in 2014.
Kirsten Dunst wearing late 19th-century diamond earrings in Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film Marie Antoinette
Julianne Moore as Michaela Kell in Sirens, wearing vintage jewelry. Above: 19th-century kokoshnik-style diamond necklace.
Marie Antoinette, with Kirsten as the young Queen of France. She had loved these earrings and asked if we were interested in lending them for Kirsten’s character. “Of course,” I said, “Absolutely!” So our collaboration on Marie Antoinette began with a pair of magnificent diamond earrings. They had all the magic and the fantasy that you want to bring to such a film. The earrings appear at a pivotal scene in the film where the Queen meets her lover at the ball, her eyes covered in black tulle. The earrings will soon be displayed in the exhibit “Marie Antoinette Style” at the V&A in London. The client who owns them has generously lent them for the exhibit.
In creating the jewelry wardrobe for Marie Antoinette , I looked at 18th Century paintings by Fragonard, the pastel color palette, and the jewelry of the period. However, none of the jewelry I selected was period. 18th century jewelry? It’s long lost, or broken apart, and altered in its journey. I selected jewelry from the early 19th century which still conveyed the magic of the era. It was so inspiring to see it used in this context, where it became part of Marie Antoinette’s jewelry in this gorgeous film.
LEGENDS ONLY
And then there’s Sex and the City, the show and movies, where we dressed Sarah Jessica Parker’s character, Carrie Bradshaw. Sarah Jessica is a lover of jewelry and Fred Leighton, and we love Sarah Jessica! We have had an incredible journey with her over the past 27 years. Patricia Field, the show’s legendary costume designer, loved everything that was interesting, extraordinary, and beautiful; as did Sarah Jessica, and she still does. It was amazing to be part of iconic moments with our jewelry: our diamond briolette earrings in Carrie’s second break up with Aidan, and our antique diamond feather brooch on Carrie’s Vivienne Westwood bridal gown in Sex and the City: The Movie
very exciting because that’s how I think one should wear such a fabulous period necklace. That’s the message we are always communicating: wear and enjoy it.
The coup de grâce is the dramatic scene in Paris, in the car, when Andy resigns. Miranda was wearing 1950s diamond and sapphire bead earrings by Cartier that had belonged to the Duchess of Windsor. Major. So fabulous and perfect. That’s when I do my job.
SURPRISES
When putting together a selection for a movie or red carpet, I think in the same way as when I am asked to prepare for a client: I think about what might speak to their style and interest, but also what might be new to them and “a surprise.” I like surprises, something that makes one pause, see something differently, and say “Ohhhh, wow. I didn't know about that. I didn’t think about that. I didn’t think that this would be for me, but it’s so interesting.” What makes my work exciting is the constant discovery: discovery of beautiful pieces, their story, of connections between pieces and to clients, of how they can be worn, and sharing this.
Another legend we have worked with is Meryl Streep. Meryl is very involved in the jewelry selection for her characters. I loved working with her and costume designer, Jacqueline Durran, for Little Women I was able to attend a fitting and see Jacqueline’s inspired work. Among the pieces selected for Meryl’s character, Aunt March, was a beautiful antique diamond cross pendant. It found itself worn instead by Amy at the ball. I remember getting the call and being asked, “Would you mind if we lent this to Florence Pugh?” I said, “Absolutely not!” I love when jewelry makes an appearance in a different way. She wore it on a beautiful silk ribbon. It was perfect. It would be remiss not to mention The Devil Wears Prada, with Meryl. The opportunity to provide the jewelry for her character, Miranda Priestly, to work with Pat Field, and to be part of the magic with two legends was incredible. One of the most amazing pieces Miranda wore was a rare 19th century necklace which had been gifted by Edward VII, then the Prince of Wales, to his mistress, the actress Lillie Langtry. It was an Archeological Revival necklace with enamel, so rare and beautiful. Miranda wore it to the office, with a white shirt. Seeing that styling was
We have continued to work with Sarah Jessica Parker in And Just Like That, and have collaborated with someone who is becoming a legend in costume design herself: Molly Rogers. I’ve had so much fun working with Molly over the past three seasons of And Just Like That, both for TV and press. She calls that surprise piece “Rebecca’s wild card!” I love hearing that. There have been a few wild cards that have made the cut. Most recently, a fantastic 1920s hammered silver bib by Jean Després. Sarah Jessica wore it during the European press tour. I’m excited to see Molly’s work in The Devil Wears Prada 2. Maybe there will be more surprises!
WHAT’S NEXT
Now, what’s next for Fred Leighton? Well, we’re moving this Fall! It’s a big move and it’s time. I have loved greeting clients and friends at our current location at 773 Madison. We’ve been here for 33 years, but it’s time for a bigger and better space. This new space, a six-story brownstone on 63rd and Madison, will showcase Fred Leighton, and its parent company, Kwiat, as two important and distinct jewelry brands. We will have a beautiful dedicated space to entertain and host talks about subjects that are interesting and enhance the understanding of jewelry. Jewelry is material culture. It was created by the time it lived in but is connected to other times. There is so much to talk about.
One of the jewelry talks that I would love to do is about men’s jewelry. I am dying to get past cufflinks, and talk about men’s jewelry in history and NOW. Men have historically worn great jewelry, and I would love to give some historical context to this. Brooches on men on the red carpet have recently gotten a bit of attention, and I love seeing men reclaiming this creative wear of jewelry.
So, let’s get some exciting jewelry on men in the movies. I’m ready for the call!
Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw, wearing diamond briolette earrings in Sex andtheCity
Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly, wearing vintage Cartier earrings in The Devil Wears Prada
Florence Pugh as Amy March, wearing a diamond necklace in Little Women
Street Style Cuts Deep
Natural diamonds are meant to shine every day.
By Hannah Militano
During awards season, our favorite celebrities captivate us with their bespoke gowns and audacious diamonds from the most storied of luxury jewelry houses. But lending red carpet jewelry is quite the production when you consider brand ambassador contracts, meticulous insurance protocols, and exact styling requirements. Often, A-listers borrow these dazzling diamond jewels, returning them when the clock strikes twelve, like something straight out of Cinderella. And yet, as spectacular as the red carpet may be, it isn’t where true personal style shines brightest – it’s on the street.
When it comes to the most impactful street style moments, individuality is always at the heart of a well-curated look, and jewelry is the skeleton key to unlocking your most authentic sartorial self. Parisian jewelry designer Marie Lichtenberg tells Only Natural Diamonds, “The street is where the soul shows.” She says, “I love a red carpet – it’s a show. But there’s something visceral about a woman wearing her diamonds while hailing a cab, or midcoffee-run. It hits different.”
Jewelry has the power to completely transform an ensemble. A vehicle to express yourself, lucky talismans, protective amulets, or
From top: Jessica McCormack necklace; Zoë Kravitz wears Jessica McCormack diamonds in New York City.
treasured mementos add a deeply personal element that catches the eye and completes a ‘fit that’s uniquely you. New Zealand-born jeweler Jessica McCormack describes seeing her diamond designs incorporated into street style as “really rewarding.” She says, “To be honest, it’s how I love to see it most! While red carpet appearances are certainly special, there is something very meaningful about seeing diamonds worn authentically in someone’s everyday life.”
Some of the most stylish women in Hollywood today could teach a masterclass in democratizing diamonds and redefining everyday jewelry. Stars like Rihanna, Hailey Bieber, Dakota Johnson and Zoë Kravitz are constant sources of street style inspo, perfecting the art of pairing serious diamond jewelry with looks that feel chic, effortless, and—dare I say—laissez-faire.
New York-based jeweler Briony Raymond tells OND, “On the red carpet, it’s curated and expected – but on the street, it feels more authentic, more reflective of someone’s personal style. I love when pieces are worn with that ease and confidence; it shows that fine jewelry isn’t reserved for special occasions, it’s meant to be lived in.”
Whether they’re a sentimental gesture from a loved one, a sacred family heirloom, or simply a gift to yourself, natural diamonds are undeniably special. But that doesn’t mean they should be reserved for special occasions, relegated to a safe, or carefully stowed away in your jewelry box. Lichtenberg offers her two cents, “My pieces are not meant to wait in safes for ‘special occasions.’” She says, “They are the special occasion.”
Natural diamonds are the hardest natural substance on Earth, highly resistant to scratches, chips, and abrasions, making them
durable enough for your daily jewelry rotation. “That’s the whole point, isn’t it? To defy the rules we didn’t write,” says Lichtenberg. “Diamonds aren’t just for gala nights and velvet boxes.” Don’t stifle the magic. At the end of the day, your diamonds are meant to be worn and adored.
Danish jewelry designer Sophie Bille Brahe shares, “I love seeing my jewelry featured in street style moments – it feels more personal and expressive.” She explains, “There is something special about how people incorporate pieces into their everyday look, making them part of their individual style. My vision has always been to design jewelry that goes beyond passing trends – timeless pieces that can be part of someone’s story and can be cherished for generations.”
McCormack shares a similar sentiment. “Street style reflects how people truly live, move, and express themselves, so when our pieces become part of that narrative, it speaks to their versatility, which is very much intentional.” She says, “It also affirms my belief that jewelry should not be confined to formal events and should be loved and worn every day.”
A beacon of carefree cool-girl style, Zoë Kravitz knows the power of diamond jewelry. Before appearing on Late Night with Seth Meyers this summer, Kravitz stepped out in New York City wearing a custom Saint Laurent look, featuring a tailored black vest paired with black pinstripe low-rise trousers. True to her reputation for impeccable accessorizing, she elevated her outfit with a black bandana, sport-mode sunglasses, and Jessica McCormack diamond jewelry. “I will always love how Zoë styles our pieces— she really makes them her own,” says McCormack. The actress completed her look with a dainty diamond ear stack, including Gypset hoop diamond drops and the Lost Boys Carré-Cut Diamond Cross Gypset Hoop earrings.
But the star of her look was very far from “dainty.” She effortlessly sported the 20-carat Oval Eclipse diamond pendant, suspended from a black cord, wrapped around her neck as a choker. “The diamond she wore is truly exceptional,” says McCormack. “20 carats with a beautiful D color and wonderful clarity – to style this immense stone with a headscarf and low-waisted trousers is just so perfectly casual and cool – and shows us that even the best and biggest diamonds can be worn every day,” she explains. “The look created for Seth Meyers, with the diamond on the cord, was so unique and memorable – we’ve all fallen in love with it.”
From left: Rihanna wears a Briony Raymond Aurora Diamond Initial Pendant and Diamond Cross in New York City; vintage 19th-century Victorian Diamond Cross from Briony Raymond.
From top: Hailey Bieber wears her diamond pendant by designer Alex Moss in Los Angeles; diamond bubble
“B” pendant by Alex Moss.
After being introduced through mutual friends in 2020, Kravitz quickly became both an admirer and a loyal client of the brand. What began as a creative connection soon evolved into an official partnership, with the actress named Jessica McCormack’s first-ever brand ambassador in May 2024—just as the British luxury jeweler was expanding into the U.S. This spring, the brand celebrated another milestone with the opening of its Madison Avenue boutique in New York City.
“Zoë is a true creative, and I have such admiration for her perspective and her artistic vision,” McCormack explains. “There’s an ease with which she wears jewelry that aligns perfectly with the way I design – pieces that become part of you, that feel deeply individual. Her style is distinctive, self-assured, and always compelling; she has the ability to make even the most intricate diamond piece feel cool, modern, and entirely her own. She is not only a client but also a friend, and in many ways, she represents everything I hope for in the way women wear my designs.”
McCormack can count more A-list actresses as fans. Dakota Johnson is known to wear her Jessica McCormack diamond and blackened gold button-back pinky ring, as well as a Ball n Chain diamond pendant necklace, often paired with various iterations of the diamond Gypset hoop earrings.
Another bauble that’s been heavily featured in Johnon’s jewelry rotation is the Verdura “Night” Band Ring. Crafted in 18-karat gold and bulbous blue enamel, the ring is set with round brilliant-cut natural diamonds, resembling the starry night sky. The jewel was inspired by the iconic cufflinks Verdura created in 1939 in honor of his friend, composer Cole Porter. Now, the “Night & Day” design is one of the jeweler’s most beloved creations and a consistent addition to Johnson’s signature ring stack.
The actress recently stepped out for a summer stroll around Midtown Manhattan, wearing $123,858 worth of natural diamonds. Johnson paired a caramel suede Khaite jacket, Gucci shades, and classic blue jeans with Ophelia Eve’s Emerald Victorian Slider Necklace and Sophie Bille Brahe’s sparkling Collier de Amis diamond necklace. Crafted in 18-karat certified recycled yellow gold, the latter combines marquise, round, and heart-shaped diamonds, totaling 12.29 carats.
“To me, fine jewelry should never feel restrictive. Diamonds are meant to be worn, lived in, and enjoyed,” Bille Brahe explains. “Rihanna and Dakota Johnson both embody the essence of a dream girl for me. They each have an innate sense of style, effortless coolness, and confidence. It’s been a long-standing dream to see them both in my designs.”
It’s safe to say that no one does street style quite like Rihanna. With her signature more-is-more mentality, the multihyphenate superstar often piles on the jewels in her everyday life—layering diamond necklaces over a hoodie and jeans just as effortlessly as she does when dressing to the nines for a night out.
The style maven has been spotted wearing jewels like Sophie Bille Brahe’s 5.25-carat diamond Collier de Venus necklace and Messika’s diamond Cascade necklace while out and about with her partner, A$AP Rocky, making date night a glittering affair.
Ahead of the 2025 Met Gala, Rihanna revealed her pregnancy in quintessential New York street style. Shielding herself from the
Dakota Johnson wears jewelry by Sophie Bille Brahe and Ophelia Eve in New York City.
Sophie Bille Brahe Collier de Amis Necklace; Verdura Night Band Ring.
rain outside the Carlyle Hotel, the star wore a light grey Miu Miu sweater set that revealed her burgeoning baby bump, diamond stud earrings, and a Messika Precious Flow High Jewelry necklace and ring. Draped over her arm was a brown fur stole adorned with an array of natural diamond brooches from Joseph Saidian & Sons Jewelry, Lang Antiques, and a Victorian “En Tremblant” piece from Briony Raymond.
“It was such an extraordinary moment,” recalls Briony Raymond. “That piece is over a century old, crafted to articulate with every step, and to witness her give it new life in such a personal, history-making moment was incredibly moving.” The New Yorkbased jeweler says, “Rihanna has always been a fashion icon, but to see her choose an antique jewel to announce her pregnancyon the streets of New York before the Met Gala, no less - was a powerful reminder of how these pieces transcend eras. It felt like the perfect meeting of past and present, and a moment I’ll never forget.”
One prized jewel that remains a staple in Rihanna’s rotation is her diamond and gold Scapular necklace by Marie Lichtenberg. True to her maximalist sensibilities, the Fenty mogul layers it with even more diamonds, often doubling up on different iterations of the style. “Seeing Rihanna, the high priestess of cool, draped in my jewelry? It’s beyond fashion,” says Lichtenberg. “It’s exactly how the jewels were meant to live: in movement, in contradiction.” Lately, Rihanna is rarely seen without her go-to Scapular necklace, always paired with her yellow gold Renato Cipullo “R” pendant. The singer seems to be building a collection of diamond initial necklaces, including her custom Briony Raymond Aurora Diamond Initial Medallion.
“Rihanna is the ultimate street style star,” says Raymond. “She has this fearless way of making every look her own. To see her choose one of our pieces in that context underscores how jewelry can carry its own presence, no matter what it’s paired with. It’s a testament to her ability to elevate the everyday and to the versatility of great design.”
Rihanna’s penchant for “R” pendants could just as easily be self-referential as it could be in homage to her growing family. Her partner, A$AP Rocky’s birth name is Rakim Mayers, while her children, RZA and Riot, have just been joined by a new little sibling. Rihanna gave birth to her daughter, Rocki Irish Mayers, in September.
Not only does the diamond-engraved initial necklace come with the perks of personalization, but it’s also the most stylish way to convey a sentimental or meaningful message. You can opt to wear your own initial or a loved one’s, inscribed in nat ural diamonds.
Hailey Bieber, for instance, rarely steps out without her diamond bubble “B” initial pendant, a signature piece she wears day and night. Designed by New York–based jeweler Alex Moss in collaboration with Bieber herself, the pendant has become a true pièce de résistance. Moss credits Bieber with sparking the idea for the playful bubble letter, which he envisioned as an inflatable balloon before bring ing it to life in diamonds.
Given the high profile of Bieber’s pendant, the necklace may be one of the most recognizable personally owned celeb
rity jewels outside of an engagement ring. Carrying the initial of both her maiden name, Baldwin, and her married name, Bieber, the Rhode founder’s monogrammed bauble reached viral status almost instantly, becoming an instant internet sensation.
Last summer, Gigi Hadid purchased some personalized diamond rings for her closet girlfriends from Cece Fein Hughes, featuring hand-enameled portraits of their pets. For Taylor Swift, Hadid had the bespoke jewel include an image of her cat, Benjamin Button, and for Kendall Jenner, her Doberman-Pinscher, Pyro. Hadid even owns one of Cece Jewelry’s pieces herself. Hadid has the Dreamer ring, featuring brilliant-cut natural diamonds and a hand-enameled portrait of a mermaid looking off into a fantastical horizon.
“I believe diamonds have an extraordinary ability to elevate even the most understated looks,” says McCormack. “Incorporating them into casual ensembles, like with jeans and a t-shirt, creates a striking look that feels both modern and refined. My design philosophy has always centered on making diamonds wearable and versatile, without compromising on quality or craftsmanship.”
Diamonds and denim are a girl’s best friend. These precious pieces go the distance, seamlessly fitting into every facet of your life and style. There’s no formula to follow, no rulebook required. Whatever your chosen uniform, flip the script by adding a touch of luxury to even your most effortless looks. And above all, don’t skip your daily dose of diamonds.
Gigi Hadid wears layers of gold and diamond charms, including a sparkling cartouche necklace, in New York City.
Gigi Hadid's CeCe Jewellery Dreamer Ring.
London Jewelers Turns 100
How the Udell’s turned one small store into a retail dynasty.
By Jill Newman
When Candy and Mark Udell opened the Rolex boutique in an historic cedar-shingled house in East Hampton in August, it was a major event that drew friends, celebrities, and clients from near and far. Once again, the Udells raised the retail bar: The welcoming home on Newtown Lane is surrounded by gardens, with a concierge, lounge, bar, and intimate viewing rooms. If anyone knows how to bring a retail experience to life, to make it personal, luxurious, and fun, it is the Udell family. As the owners of London Jewelers, it’s a skill they have honed for 100 years.
That personal touch, the sense of home and family, is ingrained in the Udells, something that started with Mark’s grandparents and parents, something they proudly uphold today.
“In retail, you have to keep evolving,” Mark says. It’s a mantra that keeps him constantly on the lookout for what’s next, and an ethos that has paid off again and again.
The secret to London Jewelers’ success, however, isn’t found in its exceptional jewelry and watches or prestigious clientele – though they are impressive. Instead, it rests in the values established by founder Charles London: delivering exceptional service, embracing community, and prioritizing family. Each subsequent generation thoughtfully expanded on his vision, transforming a single storefront into a pillar of the jewelry and watch world – a testament to the power of the family jeweler.
While the Udell name commands respect throughout the industry –Candy and Mark, along with their children Scott and Randi Udell-Alper, and nephew Zachary – not everyone knows the inspiring heritage behind the family’s glamorous stores, star-studded events, and gorgeous jewels and watches.
The story begins in the 1920s, when a young Polish immigrant, a whiz at fixing watches and clocks, arrived on Long Island’s Gold Coast, where America’s titans of industry, including the Whitneys, Vanderbilts and Astors, built their palatial mansions. Mr. London became their trusted tradesman, visiting their homes weekly to maintain the intricate clocks.
It didn’t take long for him to garner a local following, who encouraged him to open his first watch and jewelry store in 1926 in Glen Cove, Long Island. Within a few years, he saved enough money to bring his wife and children to America.
From a young age, his daughter Fran was drawn to the business and worked alongside her father, learning the trade. When she married Mayer Udell, she convinced him to join her in the family business. “My grandfather taught my father everything he knew about watchmaking and jewelry repair and engraving, and my father had a skill for it,” Mark says.
Fran was the heart and soul of the business. Warm and welcoming, she often greeted clients with an embrace, creating bonds that transcended mere transactions. “That kindness is still remembered in Glen Cove today”, Mark says. “I still meet people in town who say, ‘Your mother was amazing. When I didn’t have enough money, she trusted me to pay her over time’.”
Fran and Mayer turned London Jewelers into the neighborhood’s most trusted source for jewelry and watches. Soon, their children, Mark and Ira, were in the store helping after school and on weekends. From a young age, Mark was drawn to the excitement of the business but had his own vision of how to build it. After college in Miami, he returned to Long Island with his new wife, Candy, and big ideas. First on the list was securing distribution for the mighty Rolex brand. His persistence paid off, and after he landed Rolex, then came Patek Philippe, and a succession of prestigious brands.
When Candy and Mark opened a second store at Wheatley Plaza on Long Island, they began showcasing jewelry and watches as collections, including David Yurman, in what they said were the first shopin-shop concepts. In 1984, they made a life-changing decision when they opened a boutique in Americana Manhasset, Long Island’s luxury shopping destination. This single location has since evolved into nine London-owned storefronts, including Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, TWO by London, and London’s watch store. They had a knack for opening locations in the right places: They opened a location in the Hamptons and storefronts in New Jersey’s prestigious The Mall at Short Hills, including locations for Van Cleef & Arpels, Rolex, Panerai,
and Vacheron Constantin.
Over the years, the Udells solidified their standing as one of this country’s premier independent jewelers. As they grew, it was only natural that the third generation would join too. “Our children grew up watching their parents and grandparents build the business,” Candy says. “They saw the hard work, the love and passion for the business –and they naturally felt it too.”
Both Randi Udell-Alper and Scott Udell worked for other companies in the industry before joining the family enterprise. Early on, Randi showed a talent for design. “I gravitated toward working alongside my mom because we’re both creative, and that applies to everything we do,” Randi says. Scott developed a passion for diamonds and gemstones and spearheaded the TWO by London engagement ring concept. “Finding the perfect stone and making a beautiful design for it and ultimately watching the joy that it brings to the client, is an incredible journey,” he says. However, both are involved in every aspect of the business.
Zachary Udell, son of Ira and the late Allyn Udell, started off working in the store like everyone else. His grandfather, Mayer, recognized his interest in watches and taught him the traditional methods of fixing clocks and watches. He’s the resident watch specialist.
“There’s nothing better in life than working with your kids,” Candy says. “They have the passion like Mark, and I have the passion, and we’re blessed to have them by our side every day. We are living our dream.”
London Jewelers has thrived, all thanks to generations of family committed to building a business based on passion, trust, service –and always, family first.
From top: Candy and Mark with Mark’s parents, Fran and Mayer Udell, in front of London Jewelers at 23 School Street; Candy and Mark dressed for a night on the town.
Candy and Mark with daughter Randi at the Glen Cove store. Photos courtesy of London Jewelers.
Charles London in front of the original store at 23 School Street in Glen Cove, Long Island; The Udell family at their Manhasset flagship store.
Queen of Cuts
A
t-shirt, jeans & diamonds: Anita Ko’s formula for success
By Jane Asher
Anita Ko, jewelry designer to the stars and self-proclaimed diamond lover, has a breezy quality about her—an effervescence, if you will. She is poised and elegant but knows how to have a good time in good company. This elegant yet playful spirit is reflected in her jewelry. Ko’s creations are the epitome of style and sophistication, and when stacked, layered, and thoughtfully styled, they add a certain je ne sais quoi to any ensemble.
Ko has long been the go-to jeweler for the cool girl who knows a little bling can go a long way. “What is chicer than a t-shirt, jeans, and a great diamond necklace?” muses the designer. Ko has always been creating pieces for the cool girl, which makes sense given that they were her earliest inspiration. “A major inspiration for me was seeing all the cool Bel-Air ladies as a child, wearing all their incredible dynasty jewelry at the Bel-Air Hotel,” she recalls. With her mood board complete, Ko dreamed up jewelry that was bold yet wearable, which could be styled in statement-making layers or stand out on its own.
THE ANITA KO COOL GIRL
A Los Angeles native, Ko cites both the people and the lifestyle of the coastal city as her original muses. “I grew up by the beach, so just that element of wearing casual clothing that shows a little bit more skin,” she tells Only Natural Diamonds—a perfect pair with sparkling diamonds, of course. “In today’s day and age, we all have our basics, and it’s our accessories that really tell the story of who we are.”
From Hailey Bieber to Ariana Grande, Ko’s clientele certainly emulates that casual, cool confidence. “The Anita Ko customer loves jewelry,” Ko explains. “She’s someone who wants quality, luxurious pieces that she can wear every day and make part of her life.” Bieber is often spotted layering Anita Ko necklaces with a simple t-shirt and jeans. Like a second skin, Ko’s designs blend seamlessly into any wardrobe, from boho-casual to preppy button-downs. “I create high-end pieces that don’t necessarily have to be locked away in a safety deposit box,” she says. “That luxurious touch is always really important to me.”
Mixed-cut diamond tennis bracelets by designer Anita Ko, courtesy of Anita Ko.
THE EARLY YEARS
Ko began her career in jewelry design, creating pieces for herself and, eventually, for her peers. “My father would take me to his friend who had a jewelry manufacturing company so I could make my own things,” she recalls from her childhood. “When I got into it in my twenties, I just started making pieces that I wanted to make for myself,” she explains. Everywhere I went, friends, even strangers, would say, ‘I love that piece of jewelry, I love that necklace.’”’ It was that encouragement, along with the support of her family, that led her to consider jewelry design as a viable career path.
“At that time, there weren’t a lot of independent jewelry designers,” Ko says, “I was able to give that personal touch as a peer.” After all, who better to buy jewelry from than a fellow fashion girl, creating the pieces she wanted in her own collection? “I love when women tell me that they bought a piece to mark a milestone in their life and they wanted to remember it by,” she adds of her loyal customers. “It really helps me to connect with the client.”
“THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT A NATURAL STONE THAT HAS ITS OWN STORY, ITS OWN PERSONALITY.”
A LOVE AFFAIR WITH NATURAL DIAMONDS
Ko understands the importance of investing in pieces that are not only luxurious and wearable but also hold their value over time, like natural diamonds. “I didn’t get into this business to make cheap things,” she says of the surge in popularity of synthetics and diamond alternatives. “There’s something about a natural stone that has its own story, its own personality.”
For Ko, much of the creative process is about the thrill of the chase—finding natural diamonds with life and personality that also fit her idea of perfection. “That’s kind of what drives me,” she shares, describing the excitement of sourcing diamonds. Take heart shapes, for example, one of her favorite cuts: “There are so many different variations with hearts. Some hearts are too fat; some hearts are too short. I’m always scouring for the ones that have perfect symmetry because so many of them don’t.” And when she
From left: Anita Ko photographed by Justin Coit; Anita Ko Domed Baguette Diamond Zoe Ring.
does find the perfect one, magic happens.
Ko also names marquise shapes and baguettes as other favorites. “I love baguettes because they create a light reflection that’s like a prism, which is different from how other diamonds are cut for brilliance,” she muses. “I like to graduate a lot,” she adds of her design style. “I’m looking for great centerpieces and then smaller stones that can graduate.” At the heart of it all is making sure the final design is wearable, “with a t-shirt and jeans,” true to her L.A. cool-girl style.
LOS ANGELES ROOTS
Being a Los Angeles native is a significant part of Ko’s story, and earlier this year, she was deeply affected by the Los Angeles wildfires—losing everything after her Malibu home burned down. “I have to rebuild my life completely, but I’m determined to create something better than I had before, because I don’t really have a choice,” she shares, her voice filled with emotion. “I’m the child of immigrants and the grandchild and great-grandchild of people who lost everything in the wars and had to recreate their lives, so I will, too.”
Having to rebuild certainly put Ko in a bit of a rut, but often the best ideas are born from the need to re-set. “When you’re in a rut, you have to constantly be open and try to be open, which isn’t always easy,” she shares. “You never know when inspiration will strike, so you just have to be kind of looking all the time, traveling, reading books.” For Ko, going back to the beginning is often the first step in rekindling that creative flame. “When you’re starting, you’re just completely open and filled with all these great ideas that you might draw up or take notes on, but you don’t actually produce,” she explains. “I like to go back to my archives and see where I started and trace the progression to where I am now, and that helps me find direction.”
ON THE RED CARPET
One of the proudest moments of Ko’s career came in the form of going back to basics and zhuzshing up an older design—by adding bigger diamonds, of course. “I loved seeing Scarlett Johansson at the Oscars wearing my Olivia earrings in a larger scale,” she shares. “I sell them in my everyday line with much smaller diamonds, but I got to see them in real life with huge, top-quality stones.” The earring features a line of four round, brilliant-cut diamonds hanging from a larger round diamond stud, accented with a pear-shaped drop at the bottom.
Johansson wore the earrings to the Academy Awards in 2020, just before COVID-19 lockdowns shut down the country. “Seeing it on her, walking the red carpet, and seeing the life and the movement of the stones, that really was a proud moment for me.”
From top: Anita Ko Diamond Saturn Ring; Anita Ko Diamond Vivi Drop Earrings; Scarlett Johansson at the Oscars, 2020; Ariana Grande on The Voice, 2021; Hailey Bieber at the MTV Video Music Awards, 2021; Charlize Theron on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, 2025; Zoe Saldaña for People magazine, 2025; Anita Ko Mesh Marquis Diamond Earrings.
Deco Mania
Neil Lane reflects on a century of Art Deco diamonds. By Lynn
Yaeger
Neil Lane and I have many things in common: an intense love of jewelry that borders on the fanatical; the ability to talk for hours about, say, a particularly kooky diamond clasp; and, not least, a shared imagination so vivid that we have no trouble envisioning the two of us strolling around Paris in 1925, visiting the legendary Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes —the Art Deco design extravaganza that pretty much blew everyone’s mind when it opened 100 years ago.
What a wonderful time Neil and I would have had, ogling the rare jewels on display in Paris back in the day. Every French designer worth his or her salt contributed their stellar work to that exhibition, outdoing each other with their flair and savoir faire. But all is not lost! The Paris show may have closed a century ago, but Lane, an internationally known TV personality, jewelry historian, and renowned vintage jewelry aficionado, has lent a selection of his rare treasures to Radiance and Reverie: Jewels from the Collection of Neil Lane, currently on view at the Toledo Museum of Art (through January 2026). More than 150 extraordinary pieces from his private archive are on hand, including some of the very jewels that debuted in those Paris vitrines a century ago.
Happy birthday, Art Deco! In honor of the style’s hundredth anniversary, I ring up Lane to discuss what makes this jewelry so seductive and so distinctive. “That exhibit in 1925 revolutionizes everything, it sets the future! What people saw was mind-boggling—the unexpected gorgeousness of everything!” Lane fairly crows. “Look–we go from flappers to dappers!” he laughs. “For the first time, we see design as the focus of everything–from angular to abstract. They used all these cultural influences, the Egyptian influences from the opening of King Tut’s tomb in 1922, the pyramid shapes!”
And the cuts! Neil, tell me about the cuts! “People had never seen Asscher cuts, triangles, the mix of them–maybe an Asscher cut with a half-moon, a round with a square, patterns that had never been seen before. And the technicality–they didn’t have lasers, but the cutting was so much more advanced than in the 19th century: so many facets and brilliant cuts in these pieces. It’s about razzle and dazzle, but it’s subtle in many ways too. The diamonds made the patterns, and the design mirrored the architecture,” he says. And indeed, these pieces were almost like miniature Chrysler buildings, like petite Empire States, but they didn’t just transform the skyline; they also lit up your jewelry box.
And speaking of jewelry boxes—when Lane is asked what particular treasure in his massive collection is nearest to his heart, he admits it is hard to pick just one or two…or six…or twelve. But then he calls out a Cartier brace-
From top: Neil Lane and Debi Mazar wearing a Suzanne Belperron cuff, c. 1933, courtesy of Debi Mazar Archive; Boucheron bracelet, c. 1923; Belperron cuff, c. 1933, worn by Mazar.
let that is on view at the Toledo show. “I got it from a dealer I knew from the Rose Bowl flea market, it must have been 40 years ago. It has French-cut diamonds and round diamonds in a geometric pattern, and it became the nucleus of a collection I was putting together. It has a Persian influence. It’s not the most valuable or the least valuable thing I have, but it tells a story to me.”
It wasn’t just storytelling or amazing cuts that changed jewelry-land. There was a new insouciance, an almost reckless joie de vivre, in the way these pieces were worn. If Edwardian style was classic and elegant, 1920s jewelry was born to be wild. “Why would you have one bracelet when you could have four?” Lane muses. “I think of it as layering… the twenties introduced a whole new way of wearing diamonds—diamonds up the wrists, diamonds hanging down.” And there was a refreshing unstuffiness in the way semi-precious stones were combined with diamonds: “It’s the first time you see coral and onyx and lapis in high jewelry—it’s amazing!”
Take, for one spectacular example, an important jewel by Boucheron, first unveiled at the 1925 exhibition, and now on view in Toledo–an extremely large, stylized bowtie brooch that Lane describes as “a tour de force of lapidary work. It’s coral and carved jade and onyx and trimmed in all diamonds.” How would you wear this? We wonder aloud. On your shoulder as you took center stage, dancing the Charleston? At your waist, hiking up your already dangerously abbreviated skirt?
Or maybe you would prefer a lapel watch by Van Cleef & Arpels, whose diamonds fairly drip and dip? Or a Chaumet rock crystal and diamond necklace, to swing from your pretty neck? Or a Mauboussin sparkler featuring three diamond-encrusted globes, mysterious as undiscovered planets? And just imagine the tales a certain diamond bracelet could tell, if only it could talk. Would it brag about its French hallmarks and its fabulous pattern? In any case, this baby, once owned by Mae West, is one of the widest diamond bracelets Lane has ever seen. West’s character, Diamond Lil, wears it in the 1933 film She Done Him Wrong, and it is also connected to another iconic celebrity. “I have a giant portrait of Madonna,” Lane says, “and she is wearing it, when she was channeling West.”
Neil and I could talk all day—every day– about our favorite Art Deco pieces. But perhaps we should let West have the last word. In her very first movie, 1932’s Night after Night, her glorious jewels are famously admired by a hat check girl. “Goodness, what beautiful diamonds,” the girl exclaims. West’s famous response perfectly encapsulates the sauciness and the daring that defined the Deco era, and that captivates Lane and me, all these years later. “Goodness,” West informs her, “had nothing to do with it.”
“THE DIAMONDS MADE THE PATTERNS, AND THE DESIGN MIRRORED THE ARCHITECTURE”
From top: Neil Lane behind his counter at Aquarius in Beverly Hills; Boucheron Escalier Bracelet, c. 1934; Art Deco bracelet owned by Mae West; Raymond Templier bracelet, c. 1932, owned by Blanche Templier; Boucheron Bow Tie Brooch, 1925, created for the Arts Décoratifs exposition universelle in Paris. All photographs courtesy of Neil Lane.
The Prosperity
Pipeline
Diamonds Fuel Development Dreams
Across Southern Africa and Canada’s Northwest Territories there’s an empowering narrative.
By
Jill Newman
In the remote Northern Tuli Block in Eastern Botswana, Lembie Tlhalerwa, co-founder of Kwenantle Farmers, cultivates white maize, sugar beans, and lucerne across sprawling fields. Between managing daily operations and 120 employees, she connects via Zoom with her advisor thousands of miles away in Silicon Valley. This unlikely partnership has helped transform her farming enterprise from a modest 120 hectares to an impressive 1,800 hectares in just a few years, and now she’s embarking on an ambitious export plan.
“I can dream bigger than I ever imagined,” says Tlhalerwa, whose grandparents, like many Botswanans, were subsistence farmers.
She’s a long way from Silicon Valley but bridging the gap is part of the Stanford Seed Transformation Program, a groundbreaking partnership between De Beers Group and Stanford Graduate School of Business. Rather than uprooting entrepreneurs and sending them half way around the world, the program brings CEOs and Stanford faculty to Africa for an 11-month course. The initiative is designed to help local entrepreneurs like Tlhalerwa scale their businesses, accelerate the region’s economic diversification, and connect with seasoned advisors and interns.
Today, Kwenantle Farmers is one of the country’s most influential agribusinesses. “Through the Stanford Seed program, I learned as an entrepreneur you need to be able to change your perception of your own business and your mindset to be successful,” she says. “Despite our growing revenue, we still had the mentality of operating a farm. If we kept on the same trajectory, we wouldn’t be here today.”
Lembie is one of over 100 entrepreneurs in Botswana and South
Africa who completed the program, and their companies have collectively created more than 3,500 new jobs.
The diamond industry often conjures images of huge enterprises that dominate local economies, but the reality is a significant portion of rough diamond revenues (80 cents for every dollar worth of diamonds extracted by De Beers) stay within the countries from which the stones were sourced. The profits help fund education, healthcare, and empower small, independent enterprises across Southern Africa. These local businesses form the backbone of their communities, and when they succeed, entire regions prosper.
Over the past decade, diamond companies have accelerated their investments in wide ranging initiatives outside the mining business, from supporting small farms to recycling work boots to make children’s shoes. The fact is the diamond mines have a finite lifespan and companies like De Beers recognize the importance of diversifying the economy to prepare for the future. When you look at the long list of projects, what’s most impressive is how each venture caters to the specific needs of singular communities.
The investment process begins with community engagement, learning what’s needed in the individual provinces, and developing solutions that address concerns where people live. This grassroots approach creates sustainable community development and proves that industry success and local empowerment can work hand in hand.
“At De Beers, we take a partnership-based approach to supporting livelihoods,” says Libbi Lee, the company’s chief sustainability officer. “Every community has unique strengths and challenges, so we focus
As part of the De Beers-backed Tokafala program, Keleitshwaretse Mothadiwa was trained and mentored with the skills needed to earn a steady income, gain independence, and, in turn, support their families and communities.
Previous spread: Kwenantle Farms is one of several success stories resulting from the Stanford Seed Transformational program, an initiative supported by De Beers to help local businesses thrive.
on holistic initiatives that respond to local priorities. Our goal is to build long-term solutions, by strengthening local capacity, developing suppliers, and helping small businesses and entrepreneurs grow through mentoring, networking, and training.”
“In this way, the benefits of diamonds are felt directly in communities, helping them become stronger, more resilient, and able to thrive well beyond the life of a mine,” says Lee.
Through the Tokafala program, Olekile Mekodi was given the training and machinery to establish her own business producing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for employees at the Jwaneng mine.
These initiatives are also looking ahead, creating jobs for a future when the mines are depleted. “Today, for every job we create at our operations, we help support the equivalent of more than two jobs offsite, and by 2030, our ambition is to grow that to four,” says Lee. The group has more than 20 livelihood partnerships and recently launched the Diamonds for Development Fund, designed to accelerate economic diversification and strengthen livelihoods across Botswana for the next decade and beyond.
At a time when greenwashing abounds it can be hard to separate fact from fiction, but the facts tell a story of how mining companies are reinvesting profits in the countries in which they operate through creative and personalized programs. Here’s a look at the diamond industry’s impact in Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, and Canada’s Northwest Territories (NWT).
BY THE NUMBERS
$1.74 billion spent in 2024 by De Beers Group on goods and services from local suppliers in the countries where it sources diamonds.
3,400 new jobs created across Southern Africa since 2018 outside of the diamond industry through the De Beers-enabled Stanford Seed program, which offers training and mentoring.
377,000 acres restored and managed for conservation in Southern Africa, currently by De Beers, which is equivalent to protecting two acres for conservation for every one acre it mines.
BOTSWANA
In the past 50 years, Botswana, the world’s second largest diamond producer, has emerged as Africa’s great success story. The country’s prosperity is the result of an extraordinary partnership between De Beers Group and the Botswana government, a collaboration that has created one of the world’s most responsible and equitable mining industries.
The strategic alliance ensures that diamond profits directly fuel the nation’s development, with revenues going to fund education, healthcare, infrastructure, and skills training programs. The impact is substantial: diamond industry’s annual revenue now comprises 25 percent of Botswana’s GDP, according to a report by Natural Diamond Council, demonstrating how natural resources can become a foundation for prosperity.
Over the past decade, De Beers has worked closely with government, local stakeholders, and outside agencies to help diversify the
nation’s economic dependence on diamonds and create more opportunities particularly for those underrepresented in the workforce including women and youth.
One groundbreaking initiative is the De Beers-backed Tokafala program. What began a decade ago to help small local businesses thrive and facilitate economic diversification, has cultivated more than 12,000 jobs outside mining, and more than 50 percent of the businesses are female led.
Ogona Simon, a former stayat-home mother, is an example of how Tokafala is changing lives. “I received training in financial literacy, record keeping, developing a business model, writing a business plan, and other valuable skills,” says Simon, who founded the Tuition Center, which provides remedial education services. Her start-up allowed her to afford her own home and her children’s school tuition.
It's small initiatives like these, which train and mentor single owner enterprises, that are empowering women and delivering independence. It’s not just single owner business benefiting, but there is a spirit of paying it forward, says Simon, who is passing on her knowledge to other women in the community.
In the remote Mokubilo village, the Lucara Diamond company helped establish an integrated farm in 2019 to improve the nutritional well-being and economic stability of the community. Today, the female-led workforce supplies its community, neighboring villages, and supermarkets with a variety of vegetables and eggs. It’s just one of 19 villages where Lucara supports training women with skills to earn money and improve their quality of life.
In another ongoing venture, De Beers Group has contributed $8 million to date and helped over 3,000 women across southern Africa access transformative business support through a partnership with UN Women and local governments called EntreprenHER. Established in 2017, the program is designed to help female micro-entrepreneurs access funding, business training, networking and mentoring support, and learn essential skills in areas such as accounting and leadership. It's not just about startups. De Beers is also helping established businesses in sustainability and technology accelerate their growth through the Trailblazer Accelerator in partnership with WomHub. It’s another way the diamond giant is championing local businesses and economic diversification.
BY THE NUMBERS
$1.8 billion revenue generated in 2024 from Debswana Diamond Company’s sales (a 50/50 joint venture between the Botswana government and De Beers Group). Figures from a report published by Natural Diamond Council. 80 cents of every dollar generated from Debswana’s diamond extraction is reinvested in the country annually.
$1 billion annual sales turnover of Okavango Diamond Company (ODC), a state-owned enterprise, according to a report by Natural Diamond Council.
89,856 children attended free secondary school in 2022 in Botswana compared to just 100 in 1966, according to a report from Natural Diamond Council.
More than 2,000 girls have participated in the Debswana STEM Girls Program.
Since participating in
SOUTH AFRICA
In South Africa, diamond sales generated $731 million for the economy in 2024, according to South Africa’s minister of mineral and petroleum. Beyond the mines, De Beers has launched several initiatives designed to train and support small businesses and create job opportunities. One of the country’s many inspiring enterprises is Taking Care of Business (TCB), founded by Tracy Gilmore, COO, and Tracey Chambers, CEO, in Cape Town in 2010. TCB takes discarded and overstock fashion, appliances, homeware, and fabric, which are then repaired and sold through a network of more than 2,000 traders and small business owners annually.
The business simultaneously reduces waste (it processes over 2 million items annually) and creates self-employment opportunities.
“My passion is finding opportunities for unemployed South Africans,” says Gilmore. But it wasn’t until she participated in the De Beers powered Stanford Seed program that she was able to broaden the business and grow at “leaps and bounds,” she says. “Since Stanford Seed, we have expanded our reach and are supporting thousands of micro-entrepreneurs and generating millions in revenue.”
While TCB teaches South Africans to sew and mend clothing and fix appliances, it also educates them in finance and life skills to help their businesses thrive. “Once they have a skill, no one can take it away from them,” Gilmore says.
Among the participants was Ntokozo Alicia Dlomo, who was raised in a family of eight and struggled to find work to support her own children. After TCB training, she started selling clothing in her community. “I never thought I’d be a business owner, but with TCB’s support, I was able to turn my life around,” she says. “The skills I gained–business management, money management, and entrepreneurship–were transformative. I learned how to be my own
Care of
BY THE NUMBERS
$731 million in diamond sales generated for South Africa’s economy in 2024, according to South Africa’s Minister of Mineral and Petroleum.
$4.7 billion in South Africa’s diamond exports in 2023
guidance to grow her farming business from 120 hectares to 1,800 hectares in a few years.
$19.1 million paid in taxes and royalties in South Africa in 2024 by Petra.
$67 million paid in taxes and royalties in South Africa in 2023 by De Beers.
$847 million paid in taxes and economic contribution combined in 2023 by De Beers.
boss, how to make smart financial decisions, and how to manage my business effectively.”
In another area of South Africa, where Petra Diamond operates the Cullinan and Finsch mines, the communities are thriving thanks to the company’s creative philanthropy and partnerships. A wide range of initiatives encourage the locals to participate in recycling programs to reduce waste and earn income. Projects include recycling the mine worker’s boots to make shoes for the Leeuwfontein Primary Farm School. In the Finch region, it established Litter4Tokens, where locals can exchange their recyclables for a Petra recycling coin, which can be used as currency at local retailers. In the first six months, over 8,000 tokens were issued. The mining company also supports the local Sizanani Children’s Home for young adults and children with disabilities through donations of essential wheelchairs, therapeutic mats, blankets, and more.
the De Beers funded Stanford Seed Transformation program, Lembie Tlhalerwa, owner of Kwenantle Farm in Eastern Botswana, gained skills and
Taking
Business (TCB) has helped thousands of South Africans earn an income by repairing and reselling discarded items. Founder Tracey Gilmore credits the De Beers backed Stanford Seed Transformational program with helping her refine the business allowing enormous growth.
NAMIBIA
In Namibia, the country’s mining company Debmarine is an equal partnership between De Beers and Namibia’s government, and 80 cents of every dollar earned stays within the country. As the country’s largest taxpayer, Debmarine contributed $545 million to the economy in 2024, according to an Anglo American report. The profits permeate everything from education and healthcare to infrastructure and training. In addition to numerous environmental initiatives, the mining company is focused on helping women attain career skills, income, and independence.
At the cornerstone of this goal is EntreprenHER, the program powered by De Beers Group, UN Women and local government that is supporting women with the skills to run their own businesses. One example is Elise Iilhuwa, who began creating and selling organic indigenous food in her Katutura neighborhood out of necessity when she learned she had dangerously high blood pressure and glucose levels and needed to change her diet. In 2016, she established the Namashisha Investments business to market her products, but it wasn’t until she attended EntreprenHER that her business flourished.
“I learned budget, price my products, and market them,” she says. Now she’s distributing to other African nations and helping support Namibian women start-ups. With her newfound income, she can support her three children and a soup kitchen that feeds local children. “I’m also helping educate Namibians on healthy eating.”
BY THE NUMBERS
$1.09 billion value of Namibia’s diamond exports in 2022.
80 cents of every dollar generated by NAMDEB Diamond Corp. (a
50/50 partnership with the Namibian government and De Beers Group) stays in the country.
20% of Namibia’s export earnings are diamonds annually, according to a report by the Natural Diamond Council.
CANADA NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
In far Northern Canada, diamonds are mined in Arctic tundra where indigenous peoples have lived for thousands of years. From the beginning, De Beers and Rio Tinto have embraced the region’s local community and culture, ensuring they prosper alongside the diamond industry. The Canadian Northwest Territories’ diamond mining industry has generated $21.8 billion and $8 billion went to indigenous-owned businesses, according to a report published by Natural Diamond Council and based on data from the Government of the Northwest Territories.
At the core of the diamond company’s investments is education and training. Rio Tinto offers residents of the NWT scholarships and funds youth education with a focus on preserving Indigenous culture.
Among the key achievements supporting and improving regional life is the Tibbitt-Contwoyto Winter Road, which is critical to the operation of the Ekati, Diavik and Gahcho Kue diamond mines. The three mines financially support the road and majority operated Indigenous companies—Tłı̨chǫ Investment Corp., Denesoline Corp., Nuna Logistics, and Det’on Cho—helped construct the road and ensure its security year-round. It doesn’t just support the mine’s work, but it benefits the local and Indigenous peo-
ple, cutting down their travel time to cultural areas and hunting grounds, and giving them more time with family.
The numbers speak for themselves: diamond companies are investing considerable sums in the countries where they operate. But it’s more than a story of dollars and figures, it’s about partnering with local communities, engaging with women and youth, and tackling the hardest issues with salient solutions that are transforming lives.
BY THE NUMBERS
$21.8 billion revenue from NWT’s diamond mining has contributed to the economy since 1996.
$15.2 billion went toward NWT businesses since 1996.
$610 million went to NWT businesses in 2023 alone.
28% the amount diamonds contributed to the GDP in 2022.
70,000 books provided to youth in Indigenous communities.
In Canada’s remote Northwest Territories, Tłıchǫ, supported by De Beers, is improving life for the local indigenous community through building a new winter road and installing solar panels.
XXX: The Human Craft of Cutting Flawless Diamonds
By Brandon Borror-Chappell
William Goldberg in the cutting workshop, photographed by Nina Barnett.
Opposite page: Antique Georgian diamond ring, c. 1800–1820, with an old mine cushion-cut diamond over 6 carats, courtesy of Briony Raymond; Laura Brown’s engagement ring by Canturi Jewels.
I don’t possess much technical knowledge about diamond cuts, but I know that when my wife, Laura, and I are on an airplane, I like to look at the light pattern that the engagement ring I got her scatters on the wall next to her (she always takes the window seat). The dancing pattern that hypnotizes me is the refraction of hundreds of years of evolving craftsmanship.
That realization sent me in search of the human side of cutting natural diamonds: how people come to this work, what it means to them, and what it reveals about us. Along the way, I spoke with Willy Lopez, master cutter at William Goldberg; Briony Raymond, designer and estate jeweler; and Stefano Canturi, the visionary behind Cubism-inspired jewelry.
A CRAFT PASSED DOWN
As I wound my way down through the streets of Manhattan, closer and closer to William Goldberg Way in the Diamond District to visit the eponymous atelier, I thought about the twists and turns of my own life. As best I can recall, I never encountered any kind of magic portal that might have led me into the jewelry business. For Willy Lopez, the path into diamond cutting was almost inevitable. “Usually, you get into the business through a family member,” he
told me. His father, trained through a U.S. initiative called Operation Bootstrap, became a diamond cutter in the 1940s before moving to New York in 1947.
As a child, Willy occasionally visited his father’s shop and loved the tools, though he never considered it a career path. His older brother had tried cutting and disliked it. But in 1970, after quitting a job in Brooklyn, he decided to dip his toe into the family business. Willy first encountered synthetic substitutes such as YAG and cubic zirconia. “You take something that looks like nothing, like a piece of rock candy, and turn it into something beautiful,” he said. “When I moved on to natural diamonds, it was much more difficult, but I liked the creativity and the techniques.”
Eventually, he found his way to William Goldberg, the house known for the Ashoka cut and some of the world’s most extraordinary stones. “Bill’s slogan was, ‘The magic is in the make,’” Willy remembered. “He wanted people to look at a stone and for it to say, ‘Buy me!’”
WHEN THE STONE SPEAKS
For Lopez, Goldberg was the perfect fit. Whenever he spoke about “Bill,” his eyes glistened a little and his voice warmed and
softened. William Goldberg died in 2003. What a way to persist— in the craftsmanship he passed down to his protégé, cutting everlasting natural diamonds with the same taught sensibility. “He wouldn’t tell me what to do. He could look at a diamond and say, ‘It’s missing something.’ And it was up to me to figure it out. That made me a better cutter.”
Willy describes the work almost like sculpture. “You cut little facets in the skin of the rough and look inside. The diamond tells you what you should do with it. The natural shape, the imperfections, the grain—if you take a stone that should be a pear and cut it into a marquise, you’re wasting it.”
It reminded me of Michelangelo’s quote: “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” Willy smiled at the comparison.
Of course, some diamonds carry a special kind of awe. Willy has handled some of the world’s most famous stones, including the Moussaieff Red and the Pumpkin Diamond. He recalled receiving the rough for the Pumpkin in 1992. “It didn’t look like it was going to be much,” he said, rubbing his cheek and staring off over my shoulder. “But when I cut into it and took off some of the skin… You know, when you see a sunrise, when the orange light comes shooting over the horizon? That was a beautiful stone.”
DISCOVERING A DIFFERENT PATH
If Lopez grew up with the tools of a cutter, Briony Raymond ar-
rived by a different road. She had fallen in love with Paris while studying art history, and to stay there, took a job in finance. “I could do it, but I didn’t love it,” she said. “What I realized was that I loved helping people understand the value of what they had. I loved forming those relationships. And I thought, maybe there’s a more fun way to do that.”
After her father’s passing, she returned to New York and secured a position at Van Cleef & Arpels. “My love for jewelry and diamonds at that point was all osmosis, just my obsession with aesthetic beauty. I didn’t have commercial training, so I approached it like this: I know nothing, you are the experts, please teach me.”
That wide-eyed humility, she believes, was her secret weapon. “I became completely obsessed, learning all about diamonds, gemstones, and workmanship at this elite level. My perspective evolved from, ‘I love that, that’s beautiful,’ to ‘I know why this matters to a collector.’”
WHAT A CUT REVEALS
Raymond sees cut as a language of personality. “A cushion cut— pillowy, sparkly, tinkly—that’s someone who likes to make an entrance,” she explained. “An emerald cut, with its long, linear facets, reflects light in and out like a rhythm. A brilliant cut is a riot of twinkle and scintillation. One dazzles; the other holds the eye.”
Even subtle details matter. Raymond explains, “If a stone is cut to be bottom-heavy, with more weight hidden underneath, that’s
The Pumpkin Diamond, a 5.54-carat fancy vivid orange diamond. Courtesy of William Goldberg.
quiet and understated. A shallower stone with a larger table is louder and more extroverted. I’m a more-is-more kind of girl. I just love a big, beautiful, sparkly natural diamond.”
Raymond’s heart, though, belongs to antique stones. “The big faceting patterns from the 1870s to the early 20th century have this delicious, twinkly yumminess,” she said, laughing at her own food metaphor. “They were cut by hand, often imperfect, a little asymmetrical. But that imperfection shows the hand of the cutter.” I wondered if it was at all like listening to an old-timey song recorded with old equipment. “YES! It’s so transportive, so charming, so intoxicating.”
THE DIAMONDS THAT STAY WITH YOU
When asked about favorites, Lopez immediately named the Hope Diamond—one he hasn’t yet touched but dreams of holding. Raymond didn’t hesitate either: a 16-carat antique emerald cut diamond, probably from the 1920s, currently in her care. “It has deep cut corners, like something Elizabeth Taylor would have worn,” she said. “It’s absolutely my favorite stone I’ve ever had.”
For her, the joy lies as much in the history as in the beauty. “Here’s this stone, cut and set 200 years ago. It’s been the prized possession of six different people, imbued with their love and dreams, and now I get the privilege of stewarding it.”
QUIET POWER
That same sense of restraint and history underpins the work of Stefano Canturi. “What I love about diamonds is that no two are ever the same,” he told me. “You’re working with something born billions of years ago, and when it’s cut, that’s when its soul is revealed. For my designs, I look for character, geometry, and elegance. That’s why I lean toward carré and baguette cuts—they’re quietly
powerful—architectural but sensual too. An emerald cut has that same kind of allure. It doesn’t sparkle for attention; it holds your gaze. The women who are drawn to these cuts have a quiet strength and timeless style.”
JEWELRY AS INTIMACY
Raymond, meanwhile, speaks of the intimacy between jewel and wearer. “Jewelry is worn against your skin. It’s a talisman, a way of communicating how you want to be seen,” she said. That’s why she feels equal gratitude whether her pieces are worn by Rihanna or by a first-time collector. “There’s no shortage of beautiful jewelry out there. So, whenever anyone chooses something we’ve made, I feel endlessly grateful. It never gets old.”
That philosophy has carried her from Paris classrooms to the ateliers of Van Cleef, and on to her own clients that span celebrities, collectors, and families alike. Her “superpower,” she says, is knowing how to listen. “I get to know someone, figure out what suits them, and I get so much pleasure from that.”
REVEAL YOUR BRILLIANCE!
Diamonds, in their raw state, are rough and unyielding. Yet through patient attention, cutters and jewelers coax out their hidden light. What struck me most in speaking with Lopez, Raymond, and Canturi is that none of them views the work as imposing their will. Instead, they speak of listening—whether to the rough stone itself, to centuries of craft, or to the desires of a client.
Maybe that’s why, even on an airplane wall, the light from Laura’s ring feels bigger than sparkle. It’s billions of years of earth, centuries of artistry, and the devotion of people who believe that every diamond— like every person—has brilliance waiting to be set free.
The Moussaieff Red Diamond, also known as the Red Shield, a 5.11-carat fancy red — the largest known deep-red diamond to date. Courtesy of William Goldberg.
Buzzing
HOW DIAMONDS ARE PROTECTING THE BEES BY GRANT MOBLEY
Brilliance for
A Honey Bee collects nectar from lavender blossoms.
When most people think of diamonds, they picture red carpets, glimmering jewels, and moments of romance. But behind every stone lies a story far more profound than carats and clarity—a story about livelihoods, ecosystems, and a future that diamond mining companies like Petra Diamonds are helping to improve.
This is the brilliance not captured in the 4Cs: a diamond's ripple effect from mine to finger. From job creation and education to biodiversity conservation, Petra Diamonds shows that responsible diamond mining can transform entire regions—sometimes in unexpected ways, like saving the bees.
DIAMOND MINING AS A CATALYST FOR CHANGE
Petra Diamonds operates three major mines across South Africa and Tanzania, and the scale of its positive footprint is remarkable. In 2024, Petra generated nearly $400 million in economic value, with more than 93% of total procurement directed to local suppliers—fueling local businesses, transportation companies, food providers, and security services.
Jobs are the foundation of this impact. Over 95% of Petra's workforce comes from local communities, and the company pays wages that far exceed regional averages, helping those communities thrive well beyond the mine gates. In addition, Petra invested millions in direct social and community projects last year, spanning education, healthcare, skills development, and infrastructure improvements.
But Petra's approach goes deeper than salaries and services. Driven by the principle of "shared value," the company roots the benefits of natural diamonds firmly within the communities where it recovers them. This philosophy drives initiatives like the groundbreaking Bongi Bees and Goodie Bees projects.
WHY BEES ARE AT THE HEART OF THE STORY
At first glance, diamonds and bees couldn't be more different. Yet they share a common thread: both are integral to sustaining life and livelihoods in remote areas.
Globally, bee populations are facing an unprecedented crisis. Since the 1990s, researchers have recorded 25% fewer bee species worldwide, according to analyses of global occurrence data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
In the United States, the picture is equally alarming. Between April 2024 and April 2025, bees lost roughly 56% of their colonies—the highest losses ever recorded by the national survey led by Auburn University and the Apiary Inspectors of America.
The stakes are enormous. Three-quarters of the world's flowering plants and about 35% of global food crops depend on animal pollinators, meaning that one in every three bites of food we eat relies on bees and other pollinators. According to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), that dependence translates into an annual economic value of US$235–577 billion in global crop production supported directly by animal pollination.
These findings point to a mounting risk of irreversible biodiversity loss if current trends continue.
"THE
SUPPORT GOES
BEYOND A MERE CONTRIBUTION. IT IS AN INVESTMENT IN GROWTH AND SUSTAINABILITY."
This is where Petra's environmental stewardship comes into focus. Acknowledging that mining operations inevitably interact with surrounding ecosystems, Petra has invested heavily in projects designed to help restore balance, and bees have become a focal point of that mission.
BONGI BEES: A HIVE OF HOPE
It began as an experiment: Petra tested honey production inside its mine using a mobile container equipped for honey extraction. When the pilot program ended, Petra could have sold the valuable equipment. Instead, the company donated it to Bongi, a passionate local beekeeper just 12 kilometers from the mine.
That single act of empowerment has since blossomed into something extraordinary. Bongi now operates a licensed honey station, outfitted with professional-grade extractors, stainless settling tanks, and protective beekeeping gear, all supplied by Petra. Lulu Letlape, managing director of Bongi Bees, says she has transformed from an informal harvester into a trained entrepreneur running a university-level operation. Her station also doubles as a training hub for local women, creating new pathways to financial independence.
Petra continues to support her growth by upgrading infrastructure every few years, ensuring Bongi can meet rising demand. "The support goes beyond a mere contribution,” Letlape says. “It is an investment in growth and sustainability."
GOODIE BEES: TURNING PASSION INTO PROSPERITY
In another corner of the Cullinan Diamond Mine community, Petra equipped Mngonezulu Elliot Machete's Goodie Bees project with professional honey-processing tools, including a spinner, a complete settling tank, a decapping station, and a sachet packaging machine.
The results have been transformative for Goodie Bees. Annual honey production has nearly tripled, soaring from 1,340 kilograms to 3,600 kilograms, equivalent to nearly 5,000 large jars. The project now packages honey efficiently for wider distribution, and has even won gold at a national honey competition. Goodie Bees is now pursuing food-safety certifications and developing innovative honey derivatives like granules for natural flu relief.
Machete recalls: “Before the intervention and funding, harvesting was traditional and worked against the bees. It destroyed combs, forcing the bees to spend more time repairing damage, and outsourcing the process was costly. With the proper machinery donated, we’ve saved time, and production is now efficient.”
Opposite page, from top: A Honey Bee feeds on honey in a comb at the National Beekeeping Institute; Lulu Letlape, managing director of Bongi Bees, courtesy of Petra.
A BIGGER PICTURE: BEYOND THE HIVES
Petra's beekeeping projects are just one thread in a much larger tapestry of environmental and social investment in the regions where it recovers natural diamonds. Each year, millions of dollars are invested in biodiversity conservation across all mine sites, with nearly 7,000 hectares of protected land under Petra's care.
Petra’s support for local schools and training programs reaches thousands of students, while partnerships with regional health services provide screenings, clinics, and health education to more than 8,000 residents annually.
By connecting environmental health, food security, and economic opportunity, Petra Diamonds creates a model in which the prosperity born from natural diamonds is as enduring as the stones themselves.
BUZZING BRILLIANCE
When you look at a natural diamond, you see its sparkle. But when you follow its journey, you find something richer: buzzing apiaries, thriving schools, resilient communities, and restored ecosystems.
Petra Diamonds reminds us that a diamond’s beauty doesn't end in its facets. Its true brilliance lies in what it builds—the livelihoods supported, the ecosystems protected, and yes, even the bees saved.
In the end, natural diamonds are more than symbols of love. They are also investments in a sustainable future where both people and the planet can thrive.
The History of Diamond Cutting
THE CAPTIVATING HISTORY OF DIAMOND CUTTING
FR OM ANCIENT INDIA TO MODERN INNOVATIONS.
By Grant Mobley
Since their discovery, natural diamonds have captivated humanity with their unparalleled hardness and mysterious beauty. Their extreme resistance to shaping and polishing filled them with folklore and superstition. Because of their unique properties, humans were unable to cut diamonds until the first successful techniques emerged hundreds of years after their discovery.
Historical texts indicate that by the 6th century, Indian lapidary workers, and by the 10th century, Islamic jewelers used diamond dust to polish other gems; however, diamonds themselves remained uncuttable. An Indian text from the 13th century, the Agastimata, is the first to mention diamond cutting, stating: "The diamond cannot be cut using metals and gems of other species, but it also resists polishing; the diamond can only be polished using other diamonds."
Supporting this timeline, noted jewelry historian Jack Ogden reports having seen 13th-century Islamic jewelry featuring simple table-cut diamonds. These would likely be the first known cut diamonds, marking the beginning of the story of diamond cutting and the development of cutting techniques.
Although the Romans valued diamonds for jewelry as early as 100 BCE, they could use only uncut or rough diamonds. The Roman philosopher Pliny described diamonds as the most precious of all possessions in his book Naturalis Historia in AD 79. Despite the Romans' obsession with the gem, historical evidence suggests they likely had access only to imperfect diamond crystals, as India – the sole source of diamonds until the 18th century – reserved the best for its native market. The decline of the Roman Empire led to the disappearance of diamonds from European jewelry, as Roman merchants ceased to bring them from India. Nevertheless, diamonds remained popular in Indian and Islamic cultures.
European diamond cutting began in Venice around 1330, following the opening of the first trade routes to the East since the fall of the Roman Empire. Venetian merchants now had access to diamonds, and it is likely that they also learned the rudimentary cutting techniques practiced by Islamic merchants and brought them to Venice. Although perfectly shaped diamond crystals were still rare in Europe, one could argue that the scarcity of “ideal” rough stones prompted Europeans to begin cutting diamonds and further advance the techniques.
The advent of continuous rotary motion in tools during the 15th century revolutionized diamond cutting, moving beyond superficial polishing of the rough crystals and “cleaving”, or breaking, the diamond along its weakest points. This innovation allowed cutters to grind facets more efficiently, expanding the possibilities for creative designs. The Portuguese conquest of Goa in 1510—soon to become India’s main diamond port—significantly increased Europe’s access to high-quality diamonds for the first time.
Europe's economic center shifted to the North Sea, and as a result the first diamond-cutting communities emerged in Paris, Bruges, and Antwerp. The cutters were mostly Jewish, as it was one of the few professions in which they were not barred from participating at the time. By the end of the 15th century, cutting had advanced beyond the limitations of the rough, marking the true beginning of the art. The 16th century witnessed a shift from mere polishing to genuine faceting, resulting in the creation of new cuts. Longer rectangular stones were forerunners to the baguette cut, while the most popular cuts were more refined versions of the table and point cuts. Many earlier cuts also received additional facets to enhance their appearance.
Most importantly, the rose cut emerged during this period and gained popularity for its flat-bottomed design with a crown covered in diamond-shaped facets. Belgian and Dutch cutters specialized in this cut, turning thinner bits of rough into the new standard rose cut. As its popularity grew, the rose cut evolved, with the dome becoming higher to accommodate bulkier rough.
Simultaneously, diamond cutting in India also advanced. Indian techniques, while differing in materials and methods—such as the use of wood versus steel—shared similarities with European practices. The Mughal cut became prominent between the 16th and 18th centuries, characterized by a large flat base, organic outline, and a sloping array of smaller facets. Unlike most Western cuts, Indian cutters shaped the Mughal cut to follow the natural form of the rough, making it better understood as a style than a specific shape.
The 17th century brought a new vision of what diamonds should look like. The opulent candlelit dinner parties of the era demanded more brilliance, leading to the development of the brilliant cut. Early versions took on different outlines depending on the shape of the rough diamond. Most importantly, cutters designed these stones with pavilion-based proportions, concentrating most of the weight in the lower part of the gem. This approach allowed more light to
Opposite page, from top: Joseph Asscher working on the Cullinan diamond, 1908; De Clercq Roman rough diamond ring, 3rd–4th century AD, courtesy of Les Enluminures.
“THE BRUTING MACHINE, INVENTED IN THE EARLY 1870S, MADE POSSIBLE THE FIRST TRULY ROUND BRILLIANT CUTS, KNOWN AS OLD EUROPEAN CUTS.”
Diamond cutters in New York City, 1870s.
“THIS PAVILIONBASED STYLE ALLOWED MORE LIGHT TO REFLECT THROUGH THE TOP, CREATING THE SIGNATURE SPARKLE WE RECOGNIZE IN DIAMONDS TODAY.”
reflect through the top, creating the signature sparkle we recognize in diamonds today. This pavilion-based style is now the foundation for most modern cuts.
The Mazarin cut, invented by French Cardinal Mazarin in the mid-1600s, was the first true brilliant cut, featuring 17 crown facets. The Peruzzi cut, developed in the 1700s, improved upon the Mazarin with 33 crown facets and became known as the triple-cut brilliant. Like the Mazarin cut, the Peruzzi cut was cushion-shaped and served as the inspiration for the old mine cut.
King Louis XV of France commissioned the marquise cut in the mid-18th century to reflect the shape of his mistress Marquise de Pompadour's mouth. This cut, along with others, represented variations of the brilliant design suited to different rough shapes. Despite these innovations, jewelers continued to favor table cuts, point cuts and rose cuts well into the 18th century. As diamonds from India grew scarcer, they began recutting older stones en masse to enhance brilliance and maximize sparkle. That recutting is why so few diamonds cut before this period still exist in their original form.
As Indian diamond mines neared exhaustion, prospectors discovered the first diamonds in Brazil in the early 18th century. The area was fittingly named Diamantina. By 1730, the steady production of Brazilian diamonds had become a reality. Individual miners found many small deposits around Brazil during the 18th century, significantly boosting the global supply of rough diamonds. Once reserved for European nobility because of their limited supply, diamonds became accessible to a broader public, fueling growth in the diamond-cutting industry. The old mine cut, an evolution of the Peruzzi cut, gained prominence during this period.
The rise of a prosperous middle class in Europe and the United States during the 19th century led to a surge in the popularity of diamond jewelry. But as Brazilian supply dwindled by the mid-19th century, diamond prices rose, and European cutting centers, particularly in London, Antwerp and Amsterdam, faced challenges.
Fortuitously, the discovery of the Eureka diamond by a 15-yearold boy in South Africa in 1867 marked a pivotal moment for the diamond industry. The find sparked the South African diamond rush, revived the Dutch and Belgian diamond-cutting industries, and provided diamonds at a time when it seemed the world's supply had come to an end.
The South African diamond rush also drove significant innovations in diamond cutting. The bruting machine, invented in the early 1870s, made possible the first truly round brilliant cuts, known as Old European cuts. The motorized diamond saw, invented by a Belgian in 1900, revolutionized diamond shaping. American cutter Henry Morse perfected the round brilliant cut using scientific principles of light performance, and Marcel Tolkowsky later published the definitive work on diamond cutting, establishing the brilliant cut known today.
In addition to perfecting the round brilliant cut, master cutters of the 20th century used new technology and knowledge to create modern cuts—most notably the Asscher, designed by Joseph Asscher in 1902 as the first diamond cut to be patented. Other familiar cuts, including the emerald, oval, princess and radiant, also emerged in the mid-20th century.
The European diamond-cutting centers where much of this innovation had taken place over the last 400 years, were predominantly Jewish-owned and operated. Sadly, they experienced devastation during World War II and never fully recovered. But with the help of Jewish immigrants and refugees, new cutting centers emerged elsewhere, most notably in Israel and India. Today, India leads the world in diamond cutting — a fitting role for the country that first discovered and likely first cut diamonds.
The history of diamond cutting is a story of innovation, artistry and resilience. From India to Venice and beyond, the brilliance and beauty of natural diamonds, shaped by centuries of craftsmanship, continue to captivate and provide livelihoods for millions.
The evolution of diamond cuts.
“THE HISTORY OF DIAMOND CUTTING IS A STORY OF INNOVATION, ARTISTRY AND RESILIENCE.”
from top: The Sancy Diamond; Tudor table-cut diamond ring, circa 1485–1603 (courtesy Berganza); Diamond Design, c. 1919; Les Enluminures table-cut diamond ring, c. 1600; Tudor table-cut diamond ring, c. 1485–1603 (courtesy Berganza).
Clockwise
The Marie Antoinette Effect
HOUSEWIVES OF VERSAILLES? WHY THE FORMER QUEEN OF FRANCE IS STILL THE ULTIMATE DIAMOND JEWELRY INFLUENCER.
By Jill Newman
Vincent Meylan held Marie Antoinette's diamond bracelets near the window, watching them sparkle and dance in the afternoon light with an almost otherworldly radiance. “They might be the finest jewelry pieces I've ever held,” said the historian, author, and royal jewelry expert, who had custody of the jewels on several occasions during his research.
It seems Marie Antoinette's jewelry cast an irresistible spell on people—even seasoned experts who have handled the world's most exquisite jewels. “To hold something that once belonged to Marie Antoi nette is to hold a piece of history,” says Rahul Kadakia, the International Head of Jewelry at Christie's. “It's deeply emotional. My immediate response was one of profound respect—not only for the jewels themselves but for the extraordinary journey they had taken to arrive at that moment.”
At Sotheby's, they've even coined a term for the excitement that erupts when the former queen's jewels come to auction: the “Marie Antoinette effect.” The phenomenon occurred in 2018, when the auction house sold a diamond and pearl pendant for a staggering $36 million—more than thirty-six times its pre-sale estimate.
“We use the term Marie Antoinette effect when bidding goes completely wild because people realize they're not simply buying a jewel or accessory—they're acquiring a piece of history,” explains Andrés White Correal, Sotheby's Chairman for Jewelry in Europe and the Middle East, who leads the house's Royal and Noble Jewels auctions.
“There's an aura surrounding these pieces, and something happens that no one can quite predict.”
Portrait of Queen Marie Antoinette of France with her daughter Marie-Thérèse and son, the first Dauphin Louis Joseph Xavier Francois, by Adolf Ulrich Wertmuller.
Opposite page: Yellow Diamond Brooch, courtesy of Sotheby’s.
“People realize they're not simply buying a jewel or accessory—they're acquiring a piece of history.”
“In France, we have two contrasting images of Marie Antoinette,” Meylan explains. “One is an awful, foolish woman who bought too many dresses and diamonds, and the other is a courageous woman who changed after she had children seven years into the marriage; she became quieter and enjoyed family life. The day she died, when she was paraded in the streets of Paris, she became an icon of dignity and courage.”
While countless royal and celebrity jewels have crossed the auction block over the years, nothing has captured the public imagination quite like Marie Antoinette's pieces. We've witnessed this phenomenon repeatedly over the past decade as several of her jewels have surfaced at auction, often commanding record-breaking prices and generating extraordinary media attention.
The queen’s jewels were stylish, timeless, and elegant, but not over-the-top as one might expect. A pair of large, breathtaking natural pearl drops and diamond earrings, for instance, are just as timely today as they were 200 years ago. She commissioned graceful diamond bow brooches, each magnificently articulated, a testament to her eye for quality craftsmanship and exceptional diamonds. A standout was the double-ribbon diamond brooch featuring a large cushion-shaped yellow diamond drop. She even had her initial M emblazoned in diamonds on a signet ring, something as popular as ever today. One of the most poignant pieces was a diamond ring featuring her painted portrait.
The enduring fascination with the infamous queen's jewels speaks to something deeper than mere material value—it's the allure of a tangible connection to one of the most captivating and controversial figures of the 18th century.
Had Marie Antoinette lived a long and happy life, would we still be as captivated by her? Perhaps not, says Meylan, who believes her rise and tragic fall contributed to the world’s endless attraction with the royal, who at age 37, was convicted of treason and executed by guillotine in 1793.
Whether you are in the camp of the queen as heroine or hedonist, she no doubt had fabulous taste. Two hundred years after her death, the attraction continues, as evidenced by the new exhibit at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum, "Marie Antoinette Style," sponsored by Manolo Blahnik, who also created a capsule collection for the occasion inspired by the fanciful footwear he designed for Sophia Coppola’s 2006 film Marie Antoinette. The exhibit features 250 objects, including jewels, clothing, and personal belongings, on view until March 22, 2026. The exhibit features the $36 million natural pearl and diamond pendant, as well as the double-ribbon bow brooch with a yellow diamond, which sold at Sotheby’s.
The queen’s legendary appetite for jewels is remarkably well-documented—miraculously, the receipts survived centuries. She personally commissioned many pieces, revealing her penchant for feminine, fashionable jewelry with a particular passion for diamonds. Her lavish aesthetic was memorably captured in Coppola’s film, a visual feast that presented the young queen in layers of satin, lace, and jewels, surrounded by dreamy pastel-hued cakes. Now a cult classic, the movie depicted her as a frivolous, trendsetting figure.
DECADENT DIAMONDS
Beyond her scrutinized life and death is a truly extraordinary jewelry collection, which has stood the test of time, with many (like the bracelets) surprisingly timeless and relevant today.
“Marie Antoinette’s taste in jewels was, quite simply, exceptional,” says Kadakia at Christie’s. “Her collection reflected both the opulence of the French court and her personal sensibility—a refined blend of elegance, modernity, and understated luxury. While the pieces were undoubtedly lavish in materials—diamonds, pearls, and the finest craftsmanship of the time—they also conveyed a certain lightness and femininity. I would describe her taste as timeless and confident.”
Marie-Thérèse Pink, a 10.38carat fancy purple-pink diamond. Courtesy of Christie’s.
Marie Antoinette’s bracelets featuring old cut diamonds.
That brings us back to the exquisite diamond bracelets, which Meylan, who researched their provenance for Christie’s and his forthcoming book on Marie Antoinette’s jewelry, describes as “magnificent and quite modern.” He discovered the receipt for the bracelets in King Louis XVI's personal papers, for which he paid Boehmer jeweler for 250,000 livre (about $4.6 million today) in 1776. The set of matching three-strand diamond bracelets feature 112 diamonds weighing a total of about 145 carats. In 2021, Chris tie’s sold the bracelets for $8.2 million, well above the $2 million to $4 million estimate.
“The diamonds are of such high quality,” says Meylan. “You could easily make 70 very nice engagement rings from these bracelets.”
Who owns the bracelets today? It’s a secret. “Whether they are wearing them or keeping them in a vault, I can’t say,” says Kada kia. “But I do know that the decision to acquire them was born of a true passion for history, heritage, and beauty—not merely for bragging rights, but to become a custodian of legacy.”
Marie Antoinette’s eye for exceptional diamonds is also exemplified by a pair of earrings now housed in the Gem Gallery at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC.
“The pear-shaped diamonds in Marie Antoinette’s ear rings are 14.25 and 20.34 carats each, which are very large by today’s standards—and enormous by the standards of the day,” says Gabriela A. Farfan, Ph.D., Coralyn Whitney Curator of Gems and Minerals at the Smithsonian Institution.
These earrings were part of the French crown jewels. Napoleon III gave them to his wife Empress Eugénie at their wedding, who later sold them to the Russian royal family. In 1928, Pierre Carti er purchased them. That same year, American socialite and heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post acquired them, commissioning Harry Winston to create new platinum settings for the historic stones. The earrings found their permanent home at the Smithsonian in 1964, when Post’s daughter, Eleanor Barzin, donated the earrings with their original settings to the museum.
“Even though we are a Natural History collection, iconic pieces of jewelry with rich histories like the Marie Antoinette earrings are excellent at engaging visitors and introducing them to gems and minerals,” Farfan notes.
A TRAIL OF JEWELS
The tale of the queen’s jewelry is a remarkable story of survival. In 1791, while imprisoned in the Tuileries Palace, she smuggled her jewelry out in a wooden chest, which was sent to Vienna in the care of Count Mercy-Argenteau. The jewels were given to the king and queen’s only surviving child, Marie-Thérèse of France, later Duchess of Angoulême. Upon her death in 1851, she bequeathed them to her niece, the Duchess of Parma. Over the next 175 years, they passed down through the royal House of Bourbon-Parma, and remarkably, most stayed within the family.
It wasn’t until November 2018 that the Bourbon Parma family finally decided to sell 100 of their jewelry treasures at a Sotheby’s sale in Geneva, including 10 pieces owned by Marie Antoinette. The sale’s value surpassed $53 million, beyond any previous royal jewelry auction, including the Duchess of Windsor’s jewels in 1987.
From top: An 18th-century Georgian diamond necklace that sold at Sotheby’s for $4.8 million, courtesy of Sotheby’s; a sketch of the necklace by Boehmer & Bassenge.
Of course, the star was the queen’s pearl pendant, followed by a beautiful three-strand necklace strung with pearls from the queen’s personal collection for $ 2.3 million, a sumptuous yellow diamond brooch for $ 2.1 million, and a monogrammed diamond ring bearing the initials MA and containing a lock of her hair for $443,786, a whopping 50 times over the estimate.
The auction was a highlight of Correal’s 25-year career at Sotheby’s. His client purchased nine of the 10 items belonging to the queen, he said. “The jewelry makes people dream,” he says of the queen’s pieces. “Historically, people saw those jewels when kneeling before crown heads, and now they have a chance to own them, to hold history in their hands.”
Even historic pieces linked to the queen command absurd media attention and prices, such as Sotheby's sale of a diamond necklace in November 2024 for $4.8 million. The Georgian necklace, featuring approximately 500 diamonds and known as the Sutherland necklace, was a scandal that rocked the French court and contributed to the queen’s demise. She was falsely accused of purchasing the necklace and refusing to pay, when the reality was that a woman posing as Marie Antoinette and a Cardinal orchestrated the scandal, laying blame on the queen. Over the decades, it has been retold in books and even made into the 2001 film, The Affair of the Necklace.
Last June, Christie’s offered an extraordinary 10.38-carat fancy purple-pink diamond ring, which commanded $13.98 million. Known as the Marie-Thérèse Pink, it may have been owned by Marie Antoinette and was clearly documented as part of her daughter’s jewels. Nonetheless, the unofficial link was enough to get collectors into a frenzy. It also helped that the previous owner had Joel Arthur Rosenthal, JAR, reimagine the diamond in a new ring crowned with a diamond-studded fleur-de-lis, the French monarchy’s emblem.
Meylan says there’s still more of the queen’s jewels that could come to market, and no doubt there are plenty of collectors willing to pay top dollar. Because, as Correal says, “she was the original ‘it girl.’”
Her collection reflected both the opulence of the French court and her personal sensibility—a refined blend of elegance, modernity, and understated luxury.
From left: Capsule sketch of a Marie Antoinette-inspired style design by Manolo Blahnik for the Marie Antoinette Style exhibition at the V&A,courtesy of Manolo Blahnik; Exceptional Natural Pearl and Diamond Pendant, courtesy of Sotheby’s; Diamond and Woven Hair ring with rose-cut diamond monogram MA for Queen Marie Antoinette, courtesy of Sotheby’s.
Farmers inspecting their harvest at a GemFair reclamation site.
Elizabeth Taylor’s diamond earrings, now in the Lorraine Schwartz collection.
Opposite page: In 1959, Elizabeth Taylor wore her diamond chandelier earrings, among other jewels, to the Tropicana in Las Vegas.
Flawless Friendship
THE DECADE-LONG FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN ELIZABETH TAYLOR AND LORRAINE SCHWARTZ SHONE THROUGH IN THE DIAMONDS KIM KARDASHIAN WORE AT THE BALENCIAGA COUTURE SHOW. SCHWARTZ SHARES SOME OF HER FAVORITE MEMORIES ABOUT THE HOLLYWOOD LEGEND AS WELL AS A FEW OF HER DAZZLING DIAMOND JEWELS.
BY MARION FASEL. PHOTOGRAPHED BY DARRIN HADDAD
In July, when Kim Kardashian slow-walked through the Balenciaga couture runway show in Paris wearing Elizabeth Taylor’s diamond chandelier earrings, people rapidly lost their minds over the historic jewels with the deeply romantic Hollywood love story. Taylor was the only other person to have ever worn the one-of-akind treasures in the limelight. The jewels had not been seen at a high profile event since being sold at the Oscar-winner's landmark auction in December 2011 at Christie’s in New York. Few knew the jewelry designer Lorraine Schwartz had them safely tucked away in a vault for the last 14 years. Amidst the excitement surrounding Taylor’s vintage designs, just about everyone overlooked how the major Lorraine Schwartz diamond necklaces Kardashian paired with the earrings were also a tribute to the actress.
Balenciaga’s mononymic designer Demna came up with the idea to revive Taylor’s mid-20th-century Hollywood style for his final presentation with the House before heading to Gucci. When he cast Kardashian, his longtime friend, in the show he certainly knew about her passion for the icon. Last year, the reality star put a punctuation point on her years-long fandom when she produced and appeared in the documentary, Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar. Demna dressed Kardashian in a satin and lace number similar in style to the knee-length slip Taylor had on throughout her most intense scenes opposite Paul Newman in the 1958 film, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
For the diamonds that clearly need to be part of any Elizabeth Taylor tribute, Demna turned to Lorraine Schwartz. She came through with 11 jaw-dropping looks including the historic chandeliers. In an extravagant styling decision, Kardashian and Schwartz paired the earrings with two necklaces set with over 200-carats of diamonds, that were made for the occasion in Taylor’s honor.
way the pears are set in the earrings. I wanted to make something Elizabeth would be wearing if she were here today.”
Lorraine knows from where she speaks. Taylor and Schwartz became fast friends after meeting in 2001. At the time, Schwartz, who comes from a family of diamond experts, was at the dawn of her design career, which has made her almost as famous as her celebrity clientele. It was two-years before she started bejeweling Beyoncé, a relationship that began when she made the earrings for her solo debut album Crazy in Love. The meeting with Taylor predates Schwartz’s status as the go-to engagement ring designer for high-profile couples. It happened before her work became a staple on the red carpet.
“I wanted to do a Taylor-Burton Diamond inspired necklace, but make it different from the original. So, I set it with a 30-carat oval diamond,” Schwartz explained. “For the choker, I put diamonds around the two pear shapes in the front in order to reference the
When Taylor and Schwartz first met, the New York–based jewelry designer visited the star at her home on 700 Nimes Road in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles. “I sat with Elizabeth, which was really amazing and she was so lovely,” Schwartz remembers. “She bought diamond charm rings, bangles, hoops and all this fun stuff that at the time nobody in the market was really doing in quite the same way.” The next morning, Taylor’s personal assistant, Tim Mendelson, asked Schwartz if she could come back to the house. “Elizabeth wanted to get some gifts for the people she was working with on her White Diamonds fragrance at Elizabeth Arden,” Schwartz says. “She was very generous with everyone around her.”
A couple of months later, Taylor tapped into Schwartz’s elevated expertise in diamonds. She purchased a ring set with a 27.42-carat fancy intense yellow diamond. While this ring may have flown under the radar among the wider public, diamond connoisseurs noticed it. On the first night of the 2011 Christie’s auction, aptly named “The Legendary Jewels,” the ring sold for $2,098,500, more than doubling the high estimate of $700,000. It didn’t take long for Taylor and Schwartz to start regularly getting together for all kinds of occasions, including holidays and birthdays. For Taylor’s 75th birthday party, Schwartz wore the rosecut diamond and platinum fringe bracelet on this page that inspired one of her most lively jewelry moments with the star. "She took it from me, put it on and went around the room saying to people, ‘Who is going to buy me this bracelet?’” Schwartz explained. “No
Opposite page: Elizabeth Taylor wearing her diamond chandeliers while she adjusts her hair in front of a mirror and photographer John Bryson takes a portrait in 1959.
Elizabeth Taylor’s rose-cut diamond bracelet by Lorraine Schwartz.
Taylor-Burton Diamond–inspired necklace, set with a 30-carat oval diamond, by Lorraine Schwartz.
one did and at the end of the night, she gave it back to me. The next morning, she called me at 8:00 a.m. and said, ‘Lorraine, I know who's going to buy me that bracelet. I'm going to buy myself that bracelet!’”
When the bracelet came up on the second day of Taylor’s jewelry auction at Christie’s, Lorraine didn’t have plans to buy it, but she changed her mind as the bidding began and she thought back on the story. She was also thinking of Taylor when she bought the chandelier earrings. “Elizabeth really loved those earrings,” Lorraine explained. “Almost every time we got together, it was a three-hour session of talking about jewelry. The story of receiving those earrings was one of her favorites.”
It began when Taylor was in Paris with her third husband, movie producer Mike Todd. The couple was staying at The Ritz when they took a stroll down the arcade near the Place Vendôme where she spotted a pair of costume chandelier earrings in a shop window and went in to try them on.
Despite the fact that they were faux, the diamond loving Taylor wanted the jewels and she wanted them badly. According to her biography, My Love Affair With Jewelry, her exact words were, “Mike! Oh God, oh Mike, couldn’t I please, please, please? I can’t go home without them.” Needless to say, he bought them for her, but he clearly felt they were not up to her glamorous standards.
One day in 1957, when the couple was in New York, Taylor put on the jewels and thought they felt different. At that moment, he revealed that he had transformed her beloved costume jewelry into diamonds and platinum. While Todd knew his way to Cartier among other fine jewelers, his source for recreating the diamond chandelier earrings has remained a mystery. No one has ever come forward to claim the work.
“She wore those earrings all the time after she received them,” recalls Schwartz. “Even later in life, she would put those earrings on. At the auction, I literally felt her kicking me and saying, ‘Oh just buy them.’ Next thing you know, I was bidding and I bought them. I am thrilled to have the jewels as a special remembrance of her. At the Balenciaga show, I could also really feel her smiling and saying, "Oh, my God, I love that those earrings are on Kim."
“ALMOST EVERY TIME WE GOT TOGETHER, IT WAS A THREEHOUR SESSION OF TALKING ABOUT JEWELRY. THE STORY OF RECEIVING THOSE EARRINGS WAS ONE OF HER FAVORITES.”
Kim Kardashian behind the scenes at Balenciaga’s couture show in Paris, 2025, wearing Lorraine Schwartz High Jewelry (courtesy @kimkardashian/ Instagram).
By
MICHELLE MONAGHAN: TIMELESS & SPARKLING IN DESERT DIAMONDS
Maggie Morris. Photographed by Olivia Malone
ildflower
David Webb necklace and ring, Zahn Z earrings. Stella McCartney dress, Reformation sweater.
Natural diamond jewelry for Michelle Monaghan is never just about sparkle–it’s about memory, meaning, and transformation. Her authenticity shines through her craft, distinguishing her from the characters she brings to life rather than the glare of publicity.
up behind the counter
of
From growing
her grandfa-
ther’s jewelry store in a small Iowa farm town to the red carpet glamour she inhabits today, every piece she wears tells a story, shaping who she is and who she portrays on screen.
Michelle Monaghan has literally been shimmering in diamonds for as long as she can remember. Her most vivid childhood moments are piling on diamond rings and necklaces with her cousins in the back of her grandfather’s jewelry store. As he cleaned each piece they tried on, with his jeweler’s loupe pressed to his eye, he pointed out the special brilliance in each stone’s cut, and why natural diamonds are the most meaningful for engagements and milestones. For Michelle, this game of dress up continued at home, exploring her mother’s shoe collection and jewelry box where she would experiment with style and character – a ritual that carries over to her craft today as an actor.
Two decades later, Michelle’s own star began to glimmer. Her breakout role opposite Robert Downey Jr. in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang marked the beginning of a varied and steady Hollywood career. Her latest turn, as Jaclyn in Season Three of The White Lotus, catapulted her further into the cultural zeitgeist—a spotlight she’s set to keep with a full slate of upcoming projects: a sequel to The Family Plan alongside Mark Wahlberg; Little Brother, a Netflix comedy with John Cena and Eric Andre; and The Whisper Man, a crime thriller featuring Robert DeNiro, Adam Scott and Michael Keaton.
These projects are notably very different tonally. Reflecting the demonstrated range of her artistry. “I thrive on the constant shift,” she says. “Each genre presents different challenges and requires me to flex different muscles. Creatively, I typically make 180-degree decisions– one extreme to the next–and The Whisper Man is a testament to that. It was a career highlight to co-star with Robert DeNiro, as well as Adam Scott.”
On a Malibu ranch surrounded by farm animals reminiscent of her childhood, Monaghan radiates the same sparkle that drew her to diamonds as a girl. Like the unusual cuts of the warm-hued stones she wears here, she is a star uniquely facet-
Sethi Couture earrings, Dezso necklace. Bracelets, from top: Dezso, Bernard James. Rings, from left: Vanessa Fernández, Prounis, Ondyn, Prounis, Single Stone, Sethi Couture. Fendi shirt, and Zara shorts.
Dezso necklace, Reformation sweater and Prada boots. Opposite page: Ondyn earrings and necklace, Dezso bracelet, Bernard James bracelet, Retrouvaí ring, Single Stone ring. Vintage sweater, Reformation shorts, Hunter boots.
“I'M FROM RURAL
IOWA, BEING ON A MALIBU RANCH I WAS IN MY COMFORT ZONE. BEING ABLE TO KIND OF KICK UP SOME DUST...”
ed: shimmering, captivating, and real, never needing to blind anyone with her brilliance.
For Monaghan, jewelry is essential to character building. “I can create an entire backstory off of a watch, a pair of earrings, or a ring,” she says. “That's what's so unique about jewelry, you can evoke so much by who gave it to you and the meaning behind it. Utilizing that layer in creating a character excites me.”
Her role as Jaclyn Lemon in The White Lotus was perhaps the most dazzling yet in terms of jewelry as a storytelling tool. Mike White, notorious for sprinkling Easter eggs throughout the series, extended the practice to baubles: serpentine cuffs and talismans that whispered of dualities, of temptation, of danger. Together with costume designer Alex Bovaird and jeweler Pamela Love (one of her longtime favorites), Monaghan assembled a glittering arsenal. The necklaces weren’t just props; they were masks, smoke screens, signals. “It’s a façade, who she is,” Monaghan says. “The jewelry says so much before Jaclyn says a word.” The jewelry not worn by a character can also speak volumes. Monaghan shared that the action sequences in The Family Plan made jewelry less practical, while her character in The Whisper Man is unadorned. “She likes to blend in,” Monaghan says, “as opposed to drawing any attention to herself. She’s quite the opposite of Jaclyn from The White Lotus.”
When building a role, Monaghan has a habit of negotiating with the costume designer: rather than returning jewelry to the wardrobe department each evening, she prefers to keep it on for the duration of a shoot. “When I wake up in the morning and splash my face, I want to feel like I'm already in her skin,” she explains. “On the last day, I take the jewelry off – I never keep it – and that’s when I walk away from the character. Jewelry is incredibly transformative in that way.”
Van Cleef & Arpels earrings, Elie Saab dress, and Hunter boots.
Norman Silverman necklace and Döen dress.
Opposite page: London Jewelers necklace, rings, and earrings, Alberta Ferretti dress, and J.Crew jacket.
Anita Ko necklace, Norman Silverman necklace, Retrouvaí earring, Kiki de Montparnasse bra, vintage Ralph Lauren blazer and vintage Levi’s.
Sethi Couture earrings, Ondyn ring, Fendi shirt, Zara shorts, and Hunter boots.
Jewelry remains a family affair both for its meaning and for the stories held in each piece passed on through generations. Her uncle now runs her grandfather’s jewelry store, and her family gathers often. Recently, she watched her mother perform her own act of inheritance. Instead of simply designating who would receive which heirloom, she invited her grandchildren, one by one, to sit with her. She told the story behind each piece, then placed it into their hands. To her surprise, the children shared memories of their own of watching their Nana wear those pieces on holidays, weddings, and everyday moments. “The joy of passing on the jewelry was beautiful,” Monaghan says, “but it meant the most to my mom to hear the stories from the kids and the memories each piece brought up for them individually.”
At home, in the role of herself, jewelry still anchors Monaghan’s daily life. When we spoke just after the Emmys, she was enjoying some rare downtime after a nonstop schedule the past few years. “It’s nice to go back into my life and adorn myself with things that spark joy for me – mostly the jewelry my husband has bought me and other treasures I find along the way.” She gestures to her wrist, where a silver Elsa Peretti bone cuff gleams. “I’m exploring my silver era at the moment,” she tells me. “I really, really love a cuff, because it exudes strength. I feel strong wearing a cuff.”
Monaghan’s love of sparkle isn’t limited to jewelry though. Her home is dotted with disco balls that scatter rainbows across the living room. “There’s something magical about things that sparkle,” she says. “Whether it's jewelry or a disco ball or a beautiful dress.” This detail is as whimsical as it is revealing: her love of sparkle led her to collaborate with Julien Dossena at Paco Rabanne on a chainmail gown for the Met Ball, as well as a custom silver mesh gown for the 2025 Emmys. His pieces are more sculpture than dress, like a piece of jewelry for the whole body. She wore it like armor, a reminder that beauty and strength can shimmer in the same breath.
But for Monaghan, sparkle isn’t frivolous. It’s a way to continue to shine across time, particularly in an industry still eager to equate a woman’s value with youth. “At this stage in life, I feel grateful for my years and for the lessons they’ve taught me,” she says. Now a brand ambassador for the skincare brand U Beauty, she reflects, “I am really, sincerely not defined by my age. I feel like every decade has come naturally – with more challenges, and yet more opportunities. I've been able to grow into the woman that I am today, the best version of myself I've ever been. I feel as wise as I was at 30, but I have more wisdom at 49 than I have ever had.”
Jacquie Aiche earring, Jenna Blake ear cuff, and Döen dress.
Photographer: Olivia Malone; Creative Director: Lizzy Oppenheimer; Stylist: Karla Welch; Styling Assistant: Grace Wrightsell; Hair Stylist: Ramsel Martinez; Makeup Artist: Kate Lee; Manicurist: Stephanie Stone; Entertainment Director At-Large: Glynis Costin; Creative
ANA KHOURI CREATES JEWELRY THAT EXPRESSES WHO SHE IS AS AN ARTIST BY CUTTING THROUGH THE NOISE
BY SAM BROEKEMA. PHOTOGRAPHED BY MICHAEL OLIVER LOVE.
Ana Khouri necklace with an 8.67-carat white diamond and ring with a 2.02-carat white diamond, both in white diamond settings and 18K Fairmined gold. Diotima dress and Gianvito Rossi shoes.
AAna Khouri is on a roll. Beyond celebrated showings of her high jewelry collection at the renowned art fair TEFAF, one sees the designer’s pieces worn by the world’s most stylish red carpet denizens worldwide. Significantly, trendsetters like Chloe Sevigny and Jennifer Lawrence wear these jewels in off-duty moments to showcase their personal style. Stealth wealth progenitor brand The Row is the exclusive purveyor of her fine jewelry, which is something of a mic drop in the world of retail. Khouri’s background in fine art provides her with an outsider’s perspective on the world of jewelry. There are no rules for how she presents her jewelry or how she crafts her exquisite treasures. This iconoclasticism has collectors vying for both her jewelry and her time. Scheduling the shoot and interview with the designer’s peripatetic schedule was akin to catching a butterfly. However, just like a natural diamond, good things come to those who wait, and divine timing is everything.
“It’s such good timing,” Khouri says when we connect. “I feel like I’ve never had such a, maybe ‘following’ is not the right word, but to have so many clients who really understand what we do. They see the difference between fine jewelry and high jewelry. They see how special it is, and they understand now that we don’t make collections, as such.” While from an outsider’s perspective, Ana Khouri has long been recognized both by the jewelry and fashion industry as a great talent. She counts trendsetting celebrities such as Charlize Theron and Nicole Kidman as early fans, but the designer notes she had an unorthodox entry into the craft.
Ana Khouri identifies as an artist first, which shapes how she approaches design. Studying fine art at Fundação Armando Álvares Penteado (FAAP) in São Paulo, she learned disciplines ranging from painting to installation to photography; immediately, it was sculpture that resonated. “I had to visualize things in a way where I can touch them and feel them,” Khouri explains. “It has to be 3D for me to understand the shape; it’s always tactile.” The university provided students with the space to explore a myriad of disciplines, allowing them to discover the best way to express their creative vision.
This freedom worked perfectly for Khouri, whose work the faculty chose to exhibit. “I had a show with naked women walking around wearing sculptures made of steel. My idea was to express both the feminine and the masculine, contrasting the warmth of the body with the cold steel, and day with night. Afterward, someone came up to me and said, ‘Ana, I love what you’re doing, and I would love for you to adapt these pieces so I can wear them around my arms and my fingers.’ This resonated, and I realized I need functionality. In art, it can evaporate, it can burn. Once you start dealing with design, it has to make sense, not just the volume, but how it will open, and the weight of the piece.”
The designer did not accept this first commission, but an idea was planted, and she embraced a new emphasis on mechanics and a desire to make jewelry. She met with jewelers in São Paolo to learn how to adapt her sculptures. “I fell in love with the way I could melt the material. At the time, it was silver and later gold. I loved how metal could bend to my vision. Soon after, I began working with gems, so I went to study at GIA. I studied everything within this universe. I wanted the tools to best express my vision.”
Sculpture was still a priority for her, and eventually, the processes of making jewelry were closely linked with fine art. In Khouri’s work today, the sculpture acts as a study for finished jewelry. The texture, the thickness, the structure, everything begins in the abstract. From here, the concept for a piece of jewelry arrives. Even a texture meant for jewelry begins in the macro, often in steel, which the team scans digitally. After this, the designer turns to sculpture again to ensure that none of the inspiration has been lost. Khouri notes that many designers sketch, but this leaves the designer cold as she can’t feel the piece. “It’s a work that embodies a lot of handwork, a lot of creativity, discovering how I can produce something that is not what is out there. This is not because I want to be different but simply because I have ideas that I want to translate.”
From her first showing of jewelry in 2013, the designer wrestled with how to identify. “And then I realized that’s all bullshit, centered
Ana Khouri earrings with 3.22- and 3.17-carat white diamonds, and the Phillipa Ring with 8.8 carats of white diamonds, all in 18K Fairmined gold. Fforme coat and Khouri's own shoes.
in my mind. And that was the point. It was very much me trying to figure out what I wanted out of this world, combining art and wearing it and making sense of it.”
The latest collection emphasizes the importance of materials, beginning with the color of gold. “[Creating] brown gold was an incredible process. It was a form of chemistry. I wanted to formulate something that is just ours, in 18K. This is a challenge, because when you change the color of gold, you can lose the quality.” This was not an invention solely for the sake of newness. “The brown gold started from a desire to make something closer to nature, which can be a signature.”
A scroll through Ana Khouri’s Instagram reveals bucolic landscapes, detailed shots of a leaf, and images of the designer herself, sylphlike, in woodland settings. “I feel my full self in nature. I have an awareness that I am connected to sounds and textures. I am most connected to myself, in a way. I have this idea that we are here on this earth to remember who we are. For me, spirituality is about finding yourself within yourself.”
This desire to more intuitively express her inspiration led to much research. “While we worked out how to [make] brown gold, we realized that it was not just about having a special sauce. It is about all the steps we take to make the gold.” In these moments of research and reflection, the designer feels most energized. Though she doesn’t seek to imitate. “When I am inspired by nature, it’s not that I want to mimic a leaf, bud, or ladybug; it’s about conjuring a feeling. I think we are educated to think that we are the center of the universe, but it’s actually not about you. I think life’s purpose is to understand yourself, and to peel the layers of the onion and remember who you are.”
A sense of personal responsibility led Ana Khouri to discover the most sustainable way of working. “Because I leave a footprint as a jeweler, I needed to see how I could evolve in a way that is responsible. We all consume so much, but if you start by being a little bit more aware of your connection to everything, you start wanting to do things in a better way.” This led the designer to work with fair-mined gold and old cut diamonds. Materials and ethics, together with personal responsibility, are at the core of the Ana Khouri universe. “And that’s where I think it’s all connected to natural diamonds. How can someone even think about lab-grown? To find these amazing, rare diamonds and stones and be able to work with them, something that has come from the center of the earth. Because of the nature of creation, how it forms, it’s something we can’t mimic. That’s so rare.” This focus on the mystery of nature also led to the recent high jewelry creations, which feature several antique cuts. The perfectly imperfect is a design trope that resonates
across many media but is nowhere more perfectly realized than in the handiwork of a jeweler. The process of seeking mastery of material and inspiration resonates deeply with Ana Khouri’s design process. “One thing that is very clear is that what I do is not perfect; it can always be better. We strive to learn every step of the way, and to be alert to what we could do better…To create something that is like a vision of what jewelry is today, what do we want to use? Design tells us who we are today, informed by how we live.” It’s important to note that there is no better model of Ana Khouri’s jewelry than the designer herself. Her personal style and inspiration are part and parcel of what her clients seek.
It is telling that she is hard-pressed to name a particular style icon or to find a throughline for what might influence her work. She muses that, “I think we vibrate in a connection. Trust and know who you are, while removing all these ideas of perfection that come from Instagram or books. I may love the style of that person, but that was their journey in that time in that society. It is not yours. So, when you start to realize that you have your own energy and way of thinking, and you honor that, I think it becomes real.”
There is no relying on the beauty of past collections to feed Ana Khouri’s spirit. Each new series opens up a potential dialogue with what is to come. Khouri offers that, “I always think what’s next is going to be the best we’ve done. I’m learning that the process is the way. I want to feel like what’s next is the result of everything that I’ve been doing. Looking at the brand of Ana Khouri, of me as an artist, I think it’s when I can deepen my work, bring in more textures, more colors, dare to experiment with new materials, and honor the materials that are natural. Through all this, I want to empower women. It’s almost like it’s something deeper than something visual. I think that translates because you have to feel the pieces, you have to understand how a piece came to life, and how years of work make something unique.”
To sum up an artist, a designer, is not easy and probably not a good idea. But Ana Khouri says it well. “The thing is that I’m playing myself. I’m being myself, and I’m doing what feels right to me in this experience of life. I think that anyone who follows their most intrinsic self in a way of discovery through design, through a way of putting it all together, even if I may not like the final result, it's incredible and it’s amazing because it’s them.”
30.05-carat white diamond in a white diamond setting and 18K Fairmined gold raw necklace. The Row dress.
Ana Khouri ring with a 5.18-carat white diamond, rock crystal, and 18K Fairmined gold. Khaite dress.
Photographer: Michael Oliver Love; Stylist: Jermaine Daley; Hair Stylist: Jerome Cultrera; Makeup Artist: Linda Gradin; Manicurist: Yukie Miyakawa; Creative Production: Petty Cash Production; Lighting Director: Eliot Oppenheimer; Photo Assistant: Matt Roady; Styling Assistant: Romy Safiyah; Tailor: Maria Del Greco.
Ana Khouri rings featuring white diamonds and 18K Fairmined gold. Stella McCartney top and pants, Khouri's own shoes.
Justine
ON STYLE, AND THE DIAMONDS THAT SHAPE A LIFE. BY RUTHIE FRIENDLANDER
PHOTOGRAPHED BY JACKIE
KURSEL
Briony Raymond earrings. From left to right: Retrouvaí bracelet, Monica
Rich Kosann ring, Reza ring, Oscar Heyman bracelet. Marc Jacobs dress and shoes.
Opposite: Mason & Books ring.
Lupe
From left: Fernando Jorge ring, Nikos Koulis ring, and Jessica McCormack bracelet.
TODS dress. Opposite page: Dior earrings, Dior necklace, and Bernard James necklace.
Clarity
of presence defines the actor Justine Lupe. There is a quiet brilliance to her that recalls a precisely cut stone, reflecting not only light but depth. She is perhaps best known for her nuanced role as Willa Ferreyra on Succession and her performances in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Nobody Wants This, moves through her career with a considered grace that makes her difficult to categorize. In person (or, rather, over the phone), she transmits warmth, curiosity, and wit; on screen, she is transformative, disappearing into roles that rely on small gestures, half-smiles, and the kind of authenticity that can’t be faked.
Offscreen, you’re more likely to find the actress pairing her uniform of vintage-inspired tees and Levi’s with a pair of diamond huggies (Chanel, to be specific) than a red carpet fantasy gem. “I realized jewelry could elevate the simplest look,” she says of her recent on-set experience with fine jewelry. Think more everyday casual, less red carpet “look at me.”
For Lupe, jewelry has always been tethered to storytelling. As a child, she watched her grandmother adorn herself in ornate costume pieces that felt larger than life, “almost creating an aura that made her a bit of an enigma.” Her father, a visual artist, took a different approach: he crafted her mother’s wedding ring from her grandfather’s gold dental caps, etching delicate leaves into the band. “It’s one of the most beautiful pieces I’ve ever seen,” she says. It taught Lupe how deeply personal a piece could be – that it could literally carry a family’s history within it.
Those two influences —the enigmatic and the intimate —shaped her relationship with fine jewelry. While she has often described herself as a minimalist, her wedding set tells its own layered story: a sapphire (her husband’s birthstone) encircled by diamonds, worn stacked with a Sophie Bille Brahe diamond eternity band she requested specifically for its delicate design. “I’ve never owned many diamonds,” she admits. But these just felt right to her. “I just really like how dainty [the ring] is– and it actually matches the sapphire ring perfectly. I always wear them together.”
Lupe’s relationship with fashion crystallized during her father’s tenure at the Denver Art Museum as an exhibition specialist, where a landmark Yves Saint Laurent retrospective reframed clothing as art in her teenage mind. That personal connection between fashion and narrative has only deepened as her career has grown. “Working with stylists, I’ve come to see how every outfit tells a story, how every piece carries energy,” she explains. Jewelry, she adds, has become an “integral part” of that story.
She recalls the moment on Succession when a simple black ribbon choker helped her step fully into Willa’s skin. “It just clicked: she’s the woman who wears this choker to this event. It changed my posture, my understanding of her.” The choice later sparked unexpected discourse online—Reddit threads debating its symbolism of sex workers—but for Lupe, it was proof of jewelry’s narrative power. “Costume, jewelry, the way you’re dressed—it’s all an indicator of who your character is and who they’re trying to be.”
In recent years, Lupe’s most profound role has taken place offscreen: motherhood. She filmed the soon-to-debut second season of Nobody Wants This while pregnant and leaned into this transformation. “I was in love with my body,” she says. “There’s an intense creative energy that comes with pregnancy. I surrendered to it, and I think it served the work.”
That sense of surrender now informs how she thinks about legacy. “I'm not really attracted to ‘things,’” she says, “and we don't have a lot of family heirlooms that have been passed down.” So with that, she set out to create heirlooms on her own. She has written letters to her daughter to one day pass down, treasured photographs of her parents in their twenties, and admits she might hold onto the bright blue robe she wore while giving birth— “a Four Seasons robe from Bora Bora,” (which she may or may not have stolen). And, one day, a pair of Chanel gold and diamond hoops.
Photographs from her Chanel Mother’s Day campaign, styled in fine diamonds, strike her as the kind of image her daughter might one day cherish. They capture something timeless, with the jewelry being the accent that takes the story to the next level. It is not difficult to imagine Lupe’s daughter looking at it decades from now and seeing her not just as her mother or an actress but as a powerful woman. At this stage in her life, Lupe is grounded in cautious optimism. She speaks of her friendships, her marriage, and the joy of watching her daughter discover the world—unfiltered, curious, completely present. “There’s something amazing about a baby looking straight into your eyes and just… farting,” she says, breaking into laughter. “There’s no self-consciousness, no shame. Just pure presence.” What a reminder to just be here, to take in the magic of the simple moments.
It is this mix of humor and clarity, gravitas and levity, that defines Lupe—and makes her a fitting muse for diamonds. Like the most timeless cuts, her beauty lies not in a single facet, but in the brilliance of them all.
Anita Ko necklace, Monica Rich Kosann bracelet. Rings from left: Jemma Wynne, Nikos Koulis, Jemma Wynne. Gucci dress.
From left: Retrouvaí bracelet, Monica Rich Kosann ring, Reza ring, Oscar Heyman bracelet. Marc Jacobs dress.
Suzanne Kalan jewelry, Hermès coat and shorts, Jude shoes. Opposite page: Tiffany & Co. necklace, Lionheart bracelet. Rings from top: Day’s Jewelers, Vanessa Fernández, Tiffany & Co., Mason & Books, and ALAÏA bodysuit.
Stephen Russell necklace. Norma Kamali dress. Opposite page: Jessica McCormack earrings and bracelet, and TODS dress.
Artist: Maki Ryoke; Manicurist: Sonya Meesh; Entertainment Director At-Large: Glynis Costin; Creative Production: Petty Cash Production; 1st Photo Assistant: Alonso Eayala; 2nd Photo Assistant: Meghan Marin; Styling Assistant: Jade Smith.
M ASTER
JAY ELLIS ON THE JEWELRY THAT TELLS HIS STORY
CUT
BY JANE ASHER PHOTOGRAPHED BY DANIEL JACK LYONS
Vintage bracelet, David Webb ring, Vintage Versace jacket, Brioni shirt, Giorgio Armani pants, and Jimmy Choo shoes.
Jay Ellis looks like he could be cut from marble.
A face card that never declines and a physique made to look good in just about anything, you might assume his steely exterior matches his personality. In reality though, Jay Ellis might be the nicest guy you’ll ever meet. Personable and friendly, he’s one of those people who makes you feel like you’ve known him forever, after only a few minutes of conversation. Surely, that charisma has contributed to his impressive career, from unforgettable characters in series like Insecure and Running Point , to standout roles in box office hits like Top Gun: Maverick . On and off camera, Ellis has serious sparkle, on and off camera.
“As a kid, I just dreamed of being able to tell stories and play these characters, and anything else that happens outside of that is icing on the cake,” he shares with Only Natural Diamonds . “But when people actually identify, or they care, or they feel like they know that character, it’s really, really cool.”
Ellis’s career has taken him from sets in downtown New York City to glamorous red carpets in Los Angeles, and like any good Hollywood heartthrob, diamonds have followed. Most recently, he was cast in Mindy Kaling’s new series Not Suitable For Work as an investment banker. “I feel like this guy has bought a tennis bracelet for a lady or two before, as a gesture,” he says with a sly smile. “I feel like his watch would probably have diamonds around the crown.”
Diamonds have followed him in real life, too, most notably when he wore the Lapsana Cartier brooch to the Critics' Choice Awards in 2023. “I also wore a Cartier Tank watch, so it was
Rahaminov bracelet, Norman Silverman ring, COS tank top, and Dolce & Gabbana pants.
“Seeing my grandfather confidently rock this ring and chain, made me be like, ‘This is cool, I love this, I could wear that.’”
a very Cartier moment,” he recalls. “But it was beautiful. I remember loving it, and I remember everyone was like ‘Oh my god, what is that? Where did you get that? What is that?’” The floral-inspired brooch is named after a type of dandelion, with a design that mimics the flower’s feathers blowing in the wind. The 3.15-carat piece features half-moon, square, tapered, and brilliant-cut diamonds.
Ellis wore another exceptional piece from Cartier during this photoshoot: A rare alligator collar from Cartier’s Fauna and Flora collection, featuring a stunning 5.01-carat pear-shaped diamond drop dangling from the alligator’s mouth.
Ellis is comfortable around jewelry, having grown up with a grandfather who loved his bling. “Grandpa James always wore a gold ring with a diamond in it,” he shares. “I remember just staring at that ring all the time, thinking ‘I want that.’” Grandpa James paired his ring with a gold chain, and today Ellis finds that the older he gets, the more his style reflects his grandfather’s.
“Obviously, my mom and grandmothers had jewelry, but seeing my grandfather confidently rock this ring and chain, that made me be like, ‘This is cool, I love this, I could wear that,’” He muses. “I think a lot of the pieces I own now are because of him.”
In fact, Ellis has his own gold chain necklace that he never takes off—a custom Zameer Kassam piece commissioned by his wife of three years, Nina Senicar, for his 40th birthday to symbolize meaningful moments in his life. “The shape of the links is the same shape as the windows in the place where my wife and I met,” he explains, pointing to the design. The length of the chain also mirrors the floor of the building they were on. “On each side of the clasp there’s a P and a W, for Paula and Wendell, my parents.” Next to the clasp just before the chain links begin is a small, engraved plate. “On one side, it says amore mio , 'my
Uniform Object necklace, Bernard James bracelet, Vhernier ring, Lizzie Mandler ring, Norman Silverman ring, vintage t-shirt, and ERL pants.
Single Stone necklace and ring, Louis Vuitton shirt, COS tank top, and Casey Casey pants. Opposite page: Rahaminov bracelet. Rings top: Norman Silverman, For Future Reference Vintage, Lizzie Mandler. MSGM shirt, Dolce & Gabbana pants, UNIQLO Socks, and Jimmy Choo shoes.
Rahaminov necklace, Briony Raymond brooch. Rings from top: Norman Silverman, For Future Reference Vintage, Beladora, Norman Silverman, Lizzie Mandler, Norman Silverman.
Vintage Gucci jacket, MSGM shirt, COS tank top, Dolce & Gabbana pants, UNIQLO Socks, and Jimmy Choo shoes.
Rings clockwise from left: Norman Silverman, For Future Reference Vintage, Norman Silverman, Polacheck’s Jewelers, David Webb. Bracelets from top: Beladora, Rahaminov.
JW Anderson sweater, and COS tank top.
“It takes away fear or vulnerability. And on set, you have to drop the walls and just go do the thing, and you get metaphorically naked in front of two hundred people every day.”
love,’” he shares. On the other side are gemstones. “Each of those stones represents my family’s birthstones.” A Ruby, a Garnet, a Turquoise, two Topaz, and one Opal.
“I never go anywhere without this, ever,” he says. “It’s always on my body, even when I’m at work. I always have it on.” Like a piece of armor or a good-luck talisman, the jewelry we treasure most carries meaning beyond the value of the gold or diamonds. It becomes precious because of what it represents.
Another special piece for Ellis is, of course, his wife’s diamond engagement ring. When it came time to propose, the one thing he was certain of was the diamond: a round brilliant cut set on a traditional gold band. “I designed her ring,” he says proudly. “I had an idea of what she wanted, but we never really talked about it.”
The proposal itself was another story. “While I was filming Top Gun: Maverick , I knew that I was going to propose. I had gotten the ring, and we had the holiday break off, plus another two or three weeks in January, so we went on a trip with some friends to Bali,” he explains. “I just didn’t know how I was going to propose.”
“I’m pitching all these ideas to my cast mates on Top Gun: Maverick ,” he recalls with a laugh. “One idea was to go scuba diving, to tie the ring to my suit and propose underwater. But Monica Barbaro was like, ‘That’s the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard.’” Not to mention, a bit risky! “Danny Ramirez was like, ‘You know, barracudas like really shiny things and they’ll attack if they see something shiny.’ To this day, I actually don’t know if he was messing with me or not.”
It was Miles Teller’s suggestion that became the locale winner. “Miles told me about this beach in Uluwatu. He said, ‘It’s the most beautiful beach I’ve ever seen in my life.’” That ended up as the proposal spot, but not before Ellis brought the ring with him to every activity on the vacation, including the scuba diving excursion.
“I was very nervous, but I was also stupid,” he remembers, rolling his eyes. “I ended up going scuba diving with the ring in my backpack. I just didn’t even think about it.” A bout of Bali belly delayed the proposal plans as well, but as fate would have it, a trip to Teller’s recommended beach was the final stop on their itinerary. Watching the sunset together on that famous beach, Ellis got down on one knee and proposed with a natural diamond ring.
At home, Ellis is husband and now dad, following the birth of his two children. To the world, he’s Insecure’s Martin Lawrence, Top Gun Maverick’s Lt. Reuben “Payback” Fitch, and, most recently, Running Point’s Jay Brown, coach of the fictional
L.A. Waves basketball team. This role hit close to home. “I got a chance to play college basketball and thought I was going to play pro in Europe,” he says. “That didn’t work out, but basketball has always been a part of my life.”
“When Ike Barinholtz, Mindy Kaling, and Dave Stassen [creators of Running Point] called me for this role, about playing this coach, I was like, oh, I know this guy. I know exactly who this guy is.” Ellis looked to a few basketball role models when it came to building his character, including Brad Barbarick, his coach from Concordia University; LA Clippers coach Ty Lue; LA Lakers coach JJ Redick; and Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, just to name a few.
“You see the swagger that they had as players carry into their coaching and how they think about the game,” he muses. “JJ is actually one of my favorites to think about because he’s one of the most competitive people on the planet, so there’s nothing else for him to do but coach,” he says. “It’s great to watch him sink into that and find his stride.”
While his past life as a basketball player helped him prepare for Running Point , his time as a model helped him transition into acting in a different way. “As a model, you spend a lot of time in very little clothes,” he says with a laugh. “I think it helps in some ways because it takes away inhibitions. It takes away fear or vulnerability. And on set, you have to drop the walls and just go do the thing, and you get metaphorically naked in front of two hundred people every day.”
Ellis has plenty of exciting projects on the horizon, including a limited thriller series called All Her Fault debuting this month. “Sarah Snook is the lead, along with Jake Lacey, Dakota Fanning, Michael Peña, and Abby Elliott. Such a great, creative group,” he shares. “I may or may not be a bad guy, that’s all I’m going to say!”
Not Suitable For Work is still in production, but with leads like Avantika, Ella Hunt, Will Angus, Jack Martin, and Nicholas Duvernay, fans are eager to see what’s in store. “It’s a phenomenal cast. A bunch of really fun actors who are all super talented and interesting and making such great choices,” gushes Ellis. “The writing is sharp and funny, and I think it’s going to take us all back to that same stage and time in our lives when we were just trying to make it by any means necessary. And I think that’s always fun to watch.” Ellis plays an investment banker in the show–“a guy that you’ve never seen me play before,” he teases.
Until then, catch Ellis in All Her Fault , available to stream on Peacock on November 6.
Cartier High Jewelry necklace, Norman Silverman ring, and vintage Levi's.
Photographer: Daniel Jack Lyons; Stylist: Sean Knight; Creative Director: Lizzy Oppenheimer; Barber: Eric Gonzalez; Makeup Artist: Kym Oubre; Entertainment Director At-Large: Glynis Costin; Production Designer: Sarah Fernandez; Creative Production: Petty Cash Production; 1st Photo Assistant: Kevin Faulkner; 2nd Photo Assistant: Bryant Woolcock; Digital Tech: Brett Panelli; Styling Assistant: Drew Hemnes.
One
Boucheron “The Wisteria,” part of Composition No. 3 from the Carte Blanche Impermanence Collection, combines ceramic, titanium, and aluminum with white ceramic and pavé-set diamonds re-introducing light into the leaves and petals. Price upon request. Boucheron.com.
BOUCHET
Repossi Plastron Necklace with 15 pear-shaped diamonds totaling 4.05 carat set in pink gold. Price upon request. Repossi.com.
De Beers Essence of Nature “Maple Colours” Diamond Ring featuring a 1.15-carat cushion-cut Fancy Orange Yellow diamond in 18K white, rose, and yellow gold, with a total weight of 4.14 carats. Price upon request. De Beers Jewellers, New York. Debeers.com.
Cartier “Géométrie & Contrastes” bracelet with diamonds and onyx in 18K yellow gold. Price upon request, available by appointment at select Cartier boutiques nationwide. Cartier.com.
Pomellato Yellow Diamond Moon Necklace featuring a 12-carat old mine brilliant-cut yellow diamond and 825 white diamonds totaling 12.05 carats, set in 18K white gold. Price upon request. Pomellato.com.
& Co.
from the 2025 Blue
featuring an over 18-carat Fancy
accented by yellow and white diamonds in gold and platinum. Price upon request. Available at select Tiffany & Co. locations. Tiffany.com.
Tiffany
Urchin Necklace
Book Collection,
Intense Yellow Diamond
upon request. Cindychao.com.
CINDY CHAO Coral Earrings with diamonds, greyish-green sapphires, and color-changing garnets in titanium and 18K gold, from The Art Jewel White Label Collection. Price
Vhernier High Jewelry Freccia ring with a 2.03-carat pear-shaped diamond and 725 pavé-set diamonds, totaling 10.57 carats, crafted with the house’s signature two-prong pavé technique. Vhernier.com.
Photographer: Benjamin Bouchet; Set Design: Hélène Manche; Photo Assistant: Clémence Lavigne; DP: Hugo Denis-Queinec.
FROM THE
Designers Beth Hutchens of Foundrae, Bernard James, and diamond expert Benjamin Zucker share the meaning of the personal items on and around their desks. By Marion Fasel. Photographed by Andrew Werner.
Beth Hutchens
Jewelry is a medium for storytelling. Few designers, however, have created a unique language of love and empowerment quite like Beth Hutchens of Foundrae has done in her studio situated in the Soho neighborhood of New York City. Since launching the label 10 years ago, Beth has conceived countless symbols and reimagined antique motifs in jewels that her clients layer and pendants they clip onto chain-link necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. Many pieces have initials, which adds more personalization.
“I'm trying to tell people, you are the author of your own story and that your story evolves with you,” explains Beth. Some of the many luminaries who have penned a Foundrae tale include Cynthia Erivo, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Taylor Swift.
1.
The red notebook
Everything starts in a notebook for me. Like our new collection
La Loba, which is a symbol of our primal instincts, began about five years ago with things
I write, draw, and clip in the notebook. I also use vintage rubber stamps, which are all over the shelves in here.
2.
The coffee table
Like so many things, this table is an example of my flea marketing. It’s a vintage Regency table. I have several of them. Obviously, it functions as a
coffee table, but the great thing is that the top slides open, and I arrange objects inside for photo shoots.
3.
The couch
I wanted to make furniture with our motifs on green leather. Green has always been a symbol of protection for me. To do it, I needed someone who could emboss huge leather sheets. I found a man in Brooklyn who inherited a printing shop from his grandfather, who happens to have this giant plate for embossing. Then I gave the leather to Roman and Williams to make the furniture. Several pieces are in our stores.
4.
The 52 on the wall
It represents our first store address at 52 Lispenard Street in Tribeca.
5.
The picture of your Symbols and Tenets
That image is the entire ideology of Foundrae. It’s what I have been doing for 10 years, and it has evolved and evolved. I've probably done a thousand versions of it when things are added to the collection. The La Labo symbol will be added next.
Bernard James
The grayscale palette of Bernard James’s office in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, might lead you to believe that his jewelry is austere and that he isn’t a fan of color. But this is not the case. "The pared-down aesthetic allows me to focus on shapes and lines," Bernard explains. "Plus, pops of color make me happier than a whole world of color." Take a closer look, and you’ll see the designer’s brand color in his purple lookbook and lavender Post-it notes. As for his collection, it’s filled with strong sculptural jewels and delicately detailed designs inspired by nature. The flowers of the famous Brooklyn Botanical Garden, near his childhood home, are a steady source of inspiration. Another is fungi. The mushrooms Bernard has spotted pushing their way through the sidewalks of the urban jungle are something of an obsession. Since he launched his line in 2020, Bernard’s thoughtful creations have steadily grown in popularity and have been worn by any number of celebrities, including Anok Yai, Lorde, and Questlove.
1.
The DJ Controller
I'm not like a serious DJ, but I'll definitely decompress by spinning once in a while. I do have a lot of DJ friends who play around with it. For me, the relationship between jewelry and music is the intimacy and individual experience. It’s the unspoken.
Portraits
Those were the first “family” portraits, taken on my birthday, July 7, 2020. It was during the COVID-19 pandemic, so it was just my closest friends and people who supported my design journey wearing my jewelry. We used the same type of Polaroid
Big Shot camera Andy Warhol worked with. It has been one of the most recognizable and authentic campaigns we’ve ever done.
3.
Pegboard
Essentially, that is our storage. It can get chaotic, so resetting it every week is like starting a new journey. 4.
The Jewelry Trays
They are leather and chrome and part of our collaboration on small home goods with USM Modular Furniture. The incense holder on the windowsill is another piece we did with USM. It highlights a ritual and the lifecycle of incense with the ash falling from the stick.
DESK OF
Benjamin Zucker
A connoisseur, merchant, and historian of jewelry and gems, Benjamin Zucker has traveled the world to research the provenance of important pieces and in pursuit of diamonds and other rare precious stones. Several books and exhibits have been devoted to his collections. In his home office in New York City, he has written the lion’s share of 12 non-fiction publications and three novels longhand using a pen and paper. “I liken writing to painting,” he explains, addressing his lack of a computer. “You are connected to a pen as you would be to a brush, and you are creating your painting as you write.” He calls this room the “treasure room,” but not in reference to gems or jewelry. The name refers to the books. “The Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges famously said, ‘I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library,’ and that’s the feeling I have surrounded by books,” says Benjamin.
1. Bookshelves
I have old bookshelves from a library in my house upstate. I had a friend, who is a great carpenter, make a version of them here.
2. bob dylan book
Bob and I were born just a couple of months apart. I have always found his music to be like a commentary on my life.
3.
The hat
It is part of the Indiana Jonestype travel I do, which is always a rush to get off and then to come back. It somehow felt fitting to have a hat. My wife, Barbara, started getting them for me at J & J Hats, and then I would think, “You know, maybe I need a second one.” I generally always have a second one ready to go.
4.
The desk
Many years ago, I got it in a Greenwich Village store that specialized in French country furniture. In my mind, it was too expensive. I thought, How can I be buying this? But over time with it and other purchases, it has been proven that the more I went overboard, the longer it's lasted.
5.
Van Gogh book
Einstein said there was a general theory of the universe, and everything fit into a time in space. Based on this, I'm just crazy enough to think that all the gemstones are works of art and existed in the mind of Van Gogh. Truly, I like comparing the colors of gems to his paintings when I write or speak about them.
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