Sported by A-listers such as singer Katy Perry at the 2020 Presidential Ball, Reese Witherspoon, Katherine Heigl, Mandy Moore and even Taylor Swift at various glam events, jewellery by Los Angeles-based Rahaminov Diamonds is winning the hearts of celebrities, organically!
In an interview with Shilpa Dhamija, the leading ladies of the Rahaminov family, Tamara Rahaminov and her daughter Melanie Goldfiner divulge why celebrities take a natural shine to their jewellery for key red-carpet moments versus bigger brands that are willing to pay these tastemakers a big buck for visibility.
How did your family’s journey begin in the jewellery business?
Tamara: My father was a diamond cutter, and he had a big company with his brothers, so I grew up in that environment. I started designing jewellery for myself in my early years and often received compliments for them, so I started making jewellery for others and that is how Rahaminov Diamonds started in LA. We are primarily a B2B business now. My two daughters are also part of it. My husband buys the diamonds. His choices are exceptional. Our method is very simple; we design the jewellery we would want to wear. We don’t let any kind of competition affect our design process, as it is our craftsmanship that sets us apart.
There are many jewellers who design jewellery around the diamond or a precious stone, as the hero of the design. Rahaminov Jewellery, too, tends to do the same but what sets your jewellery apart from the rest?
Melanie: For us, it is all about the diamond. We like to keep our designs clean, elegant, and simple. We don’t like fussy or intricate designs. We have our own signature diamond-cut, too, called Moval, which we use on oval-cut shapes. Our motto is that the diamond inspires the design; it always originates with the diamond for us.
Our jewellery has a lot of calibrated stones whether they’re bracelets or necklaces. We like straight lines, calibrated to perfection. So, we have our manufacturers cut especially for us. We don’t just assemble a combination of diamonds and put them together like a lot of people do, who take parcels and then make a necklace. No, we don’t do that! We specifically cut stones for our jewellery and that makes a big difference.
Who are your preferred suppliers for your hero gems?
Tamara: We have worked with incredible suppliers for many years. We have very specific requirements about how we want our diamonds to look. So, even when we buy diamonds and cut them, our priority is not to retain the diamond weight; we just want to get the most beautiful diamond we can get.
We’re very involved from the beginning to the end for every piece of jewellery. We manufacture at home in LA because we like to control the quality.
Many companies manufacture overseas in China or Thailand, but we don’t.
How important is India as a diamond sourcing hub for Rahaminov Diamonds?
Tamara: We source a lot of our smaller, polished diamonds from many companies in India. We have strong, wonderful relationships with them, and they do a wonderful job. They cut diamonds specific to our needs.
Celebrities have sported your jewellery for many years now but who among them really accelerated the visibility for Rahaminov Diamonds?
Tamara: One of the first standout moments was when Katy Perry wore our heart-shaped diamond earrings at the 2020 US presidential inauguration, and she sang her song ‘Firework’. Our earrings received a lot of press coverage.
Then, during the last Oscars, actress Kate Hudson wore our jewellery, and as she twirled and danced on the red carpet and made our jewellery look great. It was magical! It is these happy moments that make us realise how much people like our work.
We don’t pay any of these celebrities to wear our jewellery. We are a small family business, as compared to other bigger brands who can pay the celebs thousands of dollars to wear their products. Their stylists present them with a tray of jewellery and accessories and sometimes they choose us over other bigger brands. It is an honour for us.
How do you ensure that your almost classic designs please emerging generations of buyers?
Tamara: Our jewellery designs are always evolving because we’re evolving and we’re flexible. I have two daughters who keep us up to date with the preferences of the current generation. We refrain from embracing fast fashion and prefer to be the place for classic jewellery.
The biggest difference in preferences of the current generation from the previous one is that the younger ones tend to like more yellow gold in their jewellery. Less of white gold and platinum, which were liked by my generation.
Younger generation likes timeless jewellery, like tennis bracelets and necklaces but in a more casual style. They want jewellery they can wear all the time, or more often and not bolt them away in a safe.
You are a third-generation jewellery business. What has been your biggest learning so far?
Tamara: The most significant and valuable learning is to associate oneself with good, honest, ethical, and transparent people. We also care for our retailers who have been working with us for 2 to 3 decades. They make us meet their private clients because they trust us to not go behind their backs to service their clients.