Just for Hue

For me, one diamond stands apart from all others: the original historic, 35.56-carat Wittelsbach Blue. I’d never have recut it (it’s now 31.06 carats) to deepen color and make it “flawless,” as Graff did. I’d have treasured it for its rarity, lovely color and regal character — elegant and soft. Reportedly, Graff didn’t like its VS2 clarity; yet to me, this meant simply “very special” in two important ways: beauty and character. After all, there’s nothing flawless in nature, and certainly not among humans! The secret to true happiness is being able to see beauty in spite of a few microscopic imperfections. Thus, the original Wittelsbach was the perfect symbol for life.

When Alrosa announced last October that it had extracted a 28.59-carat rough diamond of a deep greenish-yellow hue, I dreamt about designing a Deco-inspired cocktail ring. Emerald-cut or cushion top, surrounded by asymmetrical baguettes — an art jewelry piece. With such an exceptional gem, I could also design a one-stone pendant for my everyday wear. Mixing and matching and wearing asymmetrical earrings are my favorite inspirations; I would wear one fancy yellow on one ear, and an ear cuff on the other — edgy and sleek, modern and elegant. A yellow diamond radiates light, power, wisdom and spirituality. I would wear colored diamonds on a daily basis as my talisman.

I’m obsessed with the 31.85-carat, cushion-cut, fancy-deep-orangy-brown diamond thread ring by JAR. Set in platinum, with a diamond threadwork mount and hoop, this Apricot Diamond ring was owned by Ellen Barkin and was on sale during her Magnificent Jewels auction at Christie’s in 2006. The way the stone is cut, you see a maximum amount of its incredible color, and the setting does not detract from the stone; rather, the subtle flash of the prongs on the table add a little edge, and the magnificence of the designer’s insane talent is apparent in the sides of the shank. A stone like this begs for a simple setting, but what JAR’s done is just subtly rock ’n’ roll, and I love it!

This is a very easy question for me to answer. Ever since I came into the industry in 1986, I have tried to build my personal brand. Early on, I fell in love with the color pink. To me, it represented happiness, fun, excitement, flowers, beauty, and a warmth and comfort that I desired in my life and my relationship. I adopted pink as an important, consistent part of my brand, and it appeared in everything I did. So I would not even hesitate to say that my choice of the most beautiful, iconic colored diamond would be a brilliant pink, cushion-shape diamond. I know I would wear it for the rest of my life, and every time I looked at it, I would feel all was right.