“You would think that growing up in a family with generations in this trade would have made it obvious that I would follow in their footsteps. It didn’t. I had to find my own connection to the business.”

‘The objects we create and treasure will likely outlast us. The harder question is whether the legacy we leave behind is worthy of them.’

‘Motherhood is the most meaningful role of my life. It has shaped the way I think, make decisions and lead. As a mother, you learn to nurture, plan, protect, and create the conditions for growth.’

‘There are rooms where I am the only female present, conversations where I have to prove myself before being heard, and moments where assumptions were made about me, even before I had spoken.’

‘If my story shows anything, I hope it is that you don’t need to fit a mold to make a difference. You only need to show up, stay curious, work hard, and lift others as you climb.’

‘Women understand jewelry beyond its aesthetics; we understand its emotion. We wear our stories, our triumphs and our transformations through the jewels we choose.’

‘It was clear to me: natural diamonds are not only an ultimate luxury, but they are also deeply human—embedded in love, tradition and transformation. Helping revive and reframe their relevance became a calling.’

‘There’s a sense of pride I have in my journey. Despite my name, I had nothing handed to me. I did it all on my own.’

“I’ve learned to let results speak for themselves. By focusing on quality, education, and transparency, I’ve proven that our business is more than just tradition.”

The different chapters and adventures of my life were all aimed at creating spaces for youth and women and empowering them to take on leadership roles that make a difference.

When I reflect on my professional journey today, I realize how much my background laid the foundation for who I am and what I have achieved.

What started as a side hustle soon blossomed into something much bigger. I realized there was a gap in the market.

I have been truly blessed to have had two dream jobs in my career – at Borsheims, in Omaha, Nebraska, and now at GIA. Both have been in an industry that I am passionate about.

At the age of 21 I embarked by designing a special piece for my sister’s wedding. Little did I know, this would mark the beginning of an incredible adventure in the heart of Delhi’s jewelry district.

My journey in the diamond industry was not just about mastering the trade; it was about forging meaningful connections with the individuals who inhabited this world, writes Wafa Jaffery, Senior Executive-Precious Stones at the DMCC.

As I sit at my desk on a cold, winter’s day, reflecting on my career, I realize I was bred for this, writes Kathy Hillelson, CEO of the New York-headquartered Owl Financial Group.

It is May 2018 and I’m in Las Vegas. No, not to party and dance the night away but to represent my own brand, Matturi Fine Jewellery, and to showcase my debut jewelry collection at the Couture show.

I was told a long time ago at a well-known newspaper that I couldn’t apply for a job because I was a woman and I’d be too emotional. I argued that everyone is emotional, but some people choose to express it which is a strength.

The tenth article in the series is authored by Colleen Rooney, Chief Communications and ESG Officer of Signet Jewelers, the world’s largest specialty retailer of diamond jewelry.

The ninth article in the Women in the Diamond Industry series is authored by Dr. Adriana Lauren Traviati, the founder and owner of the Saphira jewelry company in Melbourne, Australia, a geoscientist who fulfilled her dream in the diamond industry.

I have been part of the diamond industry for five years now and I consider myself to be extremely lucky. I didn’t set out to work here, in fact I never even imagined that I would join it one day.

As my career attests, women are not only its consumers, but active participants in the industry as well. I have had the privilege of meeting and interacting with them.

My original dream had been to buy diamonds professionally, but I ultimately discovered that my purpose was to work towards the betterment of the diamond industry and its stakeholders.

The journey I have traveled as a jewelry influencer has not been easy, not least because people would often struggle to understand the role that I play.

With a democracy that is only 26 years young, plus the problems of high youth unemployment and national inequality, the odds were stacked high against two women with a vision to make their mark in the diamond industry.

In Russian the word for both “exploration” and “secret service” is “razvedka.” The name of the specialization caught my attention at university, and I imagined myself as a special agent wearing sunglasses.

My goal was to create an advocacy platform and community-level pressure group that would promote the empowerment of women and the wellbeing of young people within the mining communities in Sierra Leone.

The time to act is now. The reality is that we are not doing enough. In fact, according to the World Economic Forum’s 2020 Global Gender Gap report, it will take 257 years to close the economic gender gap.