The Gemini Collection will be launched at the JAA International Jewellery Fair, and is the result of a collaboration between Lost River Diamonds managing director James Lehman and his daughter, Julie Reany.
Reany, who has assumed the role of general manager for the new business and is also one of the collection’s designers, explained that the recent increased demand for coloured diamonds was a driving force in the development of the range.
“The amazing popularity of coloured diamonds has meant a change in the way we do business [at Lost River Diamonds],” she said.
“We look around every day and see all these beautiful diamonds of every colour, and we have built up such good relationships with our suppliers that we just felt we were well placed to get into the market with jewellery.”
She explained the design of each piece in the Gemini Collection – of which there are currently more than 100, with new additions released monthly – was based on the selection of diamonds obtainable at the time.
“By doing it this way we can be assured of a unique piece that no one else has. We will be recreating similar pieces but no two items will be exactly the same.”
While the offering has a heavy focus on rings, other items including earrings, pendants and bangles in platinum or 18-carat white, yellow or rose gold are also available.
Background reading: These are not white diamonds
When commenting on the distribution strategy for the range, Reany said, “We know there are two types of jewellery stores: there are manufacturing jewellers who want to buy the diamonds loose and create the jewellery themselves, and then there are those who would prefer to buy jewellery made up – it is these people that we are looking to partner with.”
Lost River Diamonds was established in Perth in 1997, and claims to have “Australia’s largest range of coloured diamonds”.
The JAA International Jewellery Fair will be held in Sydney from Sunday 31 August to Tuesday 2 September.
Coloured diamond collections
More reading
Interview with James Lehman
These are not white diamonds
Coloured diamonds: The rising stars