Lab-grown diamond company Diamond Foundry has energetically pursued and seized partnership opportunities with marquee fine jewelry brands over the past two years. So much so, that rarely a month goes by without news from the company that they’ve teamed with yet another of-the-moment designer.
Here’s the collaboration tally thus far: The diamond grower supplied bling for Barneys New York with designers Eva Fehren, Nak Armstrong, and brand CVC Stones; partnered with designers Jennifer Fisher, Grace Lee, and Shahla Karimi on small collections; and collaborated on single pieces with Pamela Love and Pili Restrepo.
And earlier this month, the San Francisco–based company debuted the sparkling fruits of its collective partnership with jewelry brands from the designer-run, New York City–based AU Showroom: Halleh, Hi June Parker, Selin Kent, and S/H Koh.
The group capsule collection features Diamond Foundry lab-grown diamonds incorporated in nontraditional bridal designs. The diamond-and-gold rings—which include some signature styles from the trio of designers, tweaked slightly for the bridal customer—will undoubtedly appeal to the fine fashion jewelry consumer who doesn’t want to feel a stylistic disconnect between her daily wedding and fashion jewelry.
With so many splashy collaborations under its belt, we were curious about how Diamond Foundry chose its collaborators. We asked Ye-Hui Goldenson, the company’s director of public relations and communications, to fill us in.
JCK: How does Diamond Foundry pick (and reach out to) the designers it collaborates with?
Ye-Hui Goldenson: This past year we focused on female entrepreneurs who were creating some incredible collections and were also passionate about offering sustainable options for their clients. Sometimes they would reach out to us, and other times we would get connected through organic relationships. Each partnership has worked out so beautifully, and our teams have just synced up from the very beginning of each collaboration.
What is the overall strategy for working with brands on collaborative collections?
Each one of our collaborations has been so incredibly different and unique. We really want to support the vision of each designer, so we let them take the reins. Then other times [the designers] like to brainstorm together with Diamond Foundry. It’s been such a great experience and partnership with all of our brands so far.
Why were the four AU Showroom brands, in particular, chosen as collaborators?
We were introduced to AU Showroom and loved that there was this inspiring group of New York female entrepreneurs and designers working together. Instead of belonging to an established showroom, they decided to create their own and made it a goal to shift the jewelry industry through cooperation, collaboration, and empowering one another. Each of their collections is beautiful, modern, and uniquely inspiring.
What’s next for Diamond Foundry in terms of brand partnerships?
We have some amazing announcements coming up for international collaborations [which can’t currently be disclosed] that will be coming out at the end of the year and in early 2019. Stay tuned!
Top: Selin Kent x Diamond Foundry ring (all photos courtesy of Diamond Foundry)
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