Diamonds are easily the most revered gemstone, used to mark life’s most sentimental moments. But recently, the gem has been popping up in new, unexpected ways: layered up on red carpets or at weddings, or as part of a person’s everyday jewelry stack.
“For decades, the diamond industry operated within a traditional box, cutting diamonds in ‘safe’ ways, crafting jewelry with broad appeal, and styling it in matched sets,” said the Natural Diamond Council’s diamond expert and Only Natural Diamond’s watch and jewelry editor Grant Mobley. “In recent years, however, we’ve completely stepped out of that box, and natural diamond jewelry no longer follows strict rules. Mixing metals, layering multiple unrelated pieces, and creating engagement rings with more than one diamond — someone is always pushing the boundaries.”
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The diamond expert sees the industry’s growing diversity as “driving the remarkable growth we’ve seen in the natural diamond market over the last few year,” Mobley said.
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Take, for example, the red carpet over the past few months, where diamonds have been dazzling on layered necklaces, stacks of rings, multiple ear piercings, and seen via the return of the brooch on men. “It seems that the trend of quiet luxury has quickly given way to a ‘more is more’ aesthetic,” Mobley said. “This was evident at this year’s Met Gala with stars like Cardi B, Colman Domingo and Jeff Goldblum, and it’s been a theme throughout the award season.”
The renewed look could be coming from the boom in vintage diamond jewelry, also seen at museum exhibitions, trade shows and highly anticipated estate sales. “Brands like Single Stone are designing new jewelry with vintage diamonds, some cut over a century ago, while Briony Raymond and Joseph Sadian and Sons are curating incredible vintage jewelry collections,” he said. “While diamond cutting has come a long way in the past century to perfect the art of sparkle, there’s a newfound appreciation for the beauty in imperfection, and vintage-cut diamonds embody that, oozing personality.”
Mobely says designers like Erstwhile and Fred Leighton offer modern and vintage settings that showcase these unique diamonds. Another trend, he said, is the rise of extreme diversity in diamond cuts.
“Historically, fewer than 10 cuts have dominated the market, but today there are dozens more to choose from. Portrait cuts, kite shapes, lozenges, trillions, hexagons — you name it, there’s a diamond cutter creating it, and customers are buying,” he said, adding that the diversity of shapes reflects a growing desire for individuality and uniqueness in jewelry and the boldness of the designers to work unconventionally.