The pandemic was a derailing moment for many of us. For Grace Isley, it was a catalyst that set her life on a new trajectory.
“I thought I was going to climb the ladder in corporate retail,” says Isley, who started her career at Michael Kors when she was 18. “And then 2020 happened.”
At that time, she was working at Louis Vuitton as a retail intern, but the challenges of Covid-19 prompted her to pivot to a new career path. As it happened, she was simultaneously interning for consultancy firm The Luxury Institute and switched her focus to that role. Founder Milton Pedraza saw something in the eager young executive and made some introductions. One of those was to Gabrielle Grazi, then-vice president of retail strategy and partnerships at the Natural Diamond Council (NDC) (she has since moved on to Hearts on Fire, where she is vice president of sales).
“When I met her, I felt like all the stars aligned,” says Isley. “I had always been interested in luxury, and jewelry specifically, but I never envisioned that it could be a career for me.”
Grazi, meanwhile, saw a rising star. “I found her to be wise beyond her years and ready to excel in any opportunity that would be presented to her,” Grazi recalls. She offered Isley a role as a marketing and operations coordinator at the NDC in 2021. After two years, Isley got promoted to retail-strategy and partnerships manager — a job she relishes.
“Our mission is to inspire and educate on the real, rare, responsible values of natural diamonds,” states Isley. “My day-to-day is very focused on how to support the trade holistically. I work with about 50 retailers across North America, supporting them with co-op marketing, driving the NDC’s global advertising campaigns, and natural diamond education.”
A lot of her work is remote. When she first joined the NDC, she was living in Florida, but she has since moved to North Carolina. She travels regularly to New York and to trade shows across the country.
“Our industry is built on two things: relationships and trust. Having that face-to-face contact is so pivotal,” she says. “In our industry, we’re lucky because there are so many established relationships, but you have to find a way to position yourself and really get yourself out there.”
Perseverance is her top tip to other young people who hope to join the industry. “Beyond that, I’ve always been told to listen, to understand,” she says. “Also, never underestimate yourself” — and find a good mentor or two ready to advocate for you, as Isley was fortunate enough to do.
Main image: Grace Isley, retail-strategy and partnerships manager at the Natural Diamond Council (NDC). (Grace Isley)
