We met the participants of the Natural Diamond Council (NDC) x Lorraine Schwartz’s 2023 Class of Emerging Designers Diamond Initiative (EDDI) during the Luxury by JCK show in Las Vegas.
Contributor Avi Krawitz interviewed the third group of design participants since the program’s inception in 2021. You can see the videos on our Rapaport Jewelry Pro YouTube channel.
The designers featured include:
The EDDI program launched in January 2021 with $1 million dollars of diamond credit dedicated to supporting emerging Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) jewelry designers. The initiative was created to build a more equitable future for the diamond jewelry industry by providing opportunities, removing barriers to entry, and offering unparalleled access to industry education and resources in an effort to broaden design innovation with new perspectives and stories.
Under the stewardship of the NDC and Lorraine Schwartz, designers receive a $20,000 diamond credit at cost, retail opportunities, selling support, press opportunities, and diamond education. In addition, monetary funds for production, CADs, and sampling are provided to eliminate upfront costs to each designer. Designers are individually paired with industry mentors of their choosing for in-depth and real-time knowledge. Designers are also partnered with diamantaires to establish a line of industry diamond credit in their own names to personally select diamonds that speak to them in varying cuts, colors, and shapes.
Main image (from left to right): Gwen Beloti; Jessenia Landrum; Rosario Navia; Bernard James; Amina Sorel; Symoné Currie. (Photo montage by Nicole Bednarz/Rapaport)