Andrew Jordan is happy to be back in the diamond business. Not long ago he was a starving artist, trying to sell his paintings in a gallery/coffee house. But his heart wasn’t in it. His passion is for diamond—rough diamond.

Jordan discovered art in Italy as a teenage refugee from Romania. But after only two years there, he moved to Canada, where he studied international business, specifically the diamond business. “An opportunity presented itself,” Jordan says, and he entered the diamond business selling rough, which supported his love for art. Later, he went back to school—this time, art school—after which he opened the galleria/café combination, which, he says, “didn’t work out.”

He still had some rough diamond crystals, however, and his love of rough and his formal art training came together. “I have always been fascinated by natural diamond crystals,” says Jordan. “I can see why kings and priests recognized their beauty and magic long before cutting and polishing them became possible.”

Jordan doesn’t classify himself as a jewelry designer, but as a conceptual artist. “To me, the study and contemplation of diamond crystals is quite meditative,” he says. “It’s like nature and art together at their best.” He uses artists and craftspeople to help bring his ideas to life. The jewelry Jordan produces highlights rough diamonds and is artistically framed in metal and stone. “Rough diamonds are beautiful and magical,” says Jordan. “Please take the time to look at them.”