Celebrated artist and jewellery designer Reena Ahluwalia from Canada recently unveiled her first ever Diamond Watch collection, featuring three-dimensional diamond paintings by her on the dial.
The Coronet by Reena diamond watches are part of her extended partnership with Hong Kong-based company, Aaron Shum Jewelry. The latest collection of Swiss Made gender-neutral timepieces took three years to develop; they feature natural diamonds and retail for under $500.
Reena told Solitaire International: “Both Aaron Shum and I are known in the jewellery industry for our technical innovations, so it was exciting to form a partnership to combine our ideas and come up with collections together. We both are at a stage in our careers where we like to work with folks who can push our thinking and creative boundaries. At present, we have three collections under my ‘Coronet By Reena’ brand: Spinning Diamonds, Inner Brilliance collection, Alyssum collection and our latest Diamond Watch collection.”
At Baselworld in 2019, the award-winning designer earned a Guinness World Record for the most diamonds set on a watch; the Mudan watch featured 15,858 diamonds totalling 50.01 carats, and had Ahluwalia’s hand-painted diamond on the dial.
Elaborating on the new collection, Reena said, “Now, more than ever we need a connection to who we are, what we love and how we show it. Diamond is a powerful symbol. With this symbol, I want my watches to connect to the wearer immediately. The painted diamond in the dial is art for the wrist. For me it’s the handcrafted detail that has a sense of individuality and a feeling of something that is lovingly made. The watches are gender-neutral and for all who see themselves as diamonds – full of brilliance, resilience and strength. It’s like wearing your own personal identity on you. I hope the watch makes their wearer feel powerful and limitless. More than an outward display of flashiness, I designed the watches in hopes to be of internal and personal value to the wearer that heightens their own sense of true self.”
Reena designed her first watch in 2009 for a famous NBA player, who commissioned her to make a custom watch documenting his life’s achievements.
By Reena