RAPAPORT... When gemstones were first set in jewelry, diamonds and other stones were used in their natural form, not only for ornamentation, but for the mystical powers the gems themselves were said to possess. Then, as history progressed and technology developed, jewelry makers came up with ways to cut and polish stones to make them shiny and sparkly, and the quest for the perfect cut to bring out the beauty of the natural stone began.
Now, the pendulum has swung the other way and there is a renewed interest by today’s consumer in jewelry showcasing rough diamonds. One of the first contemporary designers to create jewelry focusing on rough diamonds is Todd Reed.
“I was attracted by the fascination people had with white diamonds,” recounts Reed. “I had seen rough diamonds in geology class, then I met Jack Greenspan. His whole life is rough. He started Crystalite, a firm that makes lapidary wheels. He did a lot of research on diamonds and he had a huge collection of rough specimens. I was taken by the sculptural shape of diamonds in their rough form.”
Reed had been making Southwest-style silver and turquoise jewelry in a small shop that he owned in Durango, Colorado. A self-taught bench jeweler, he began teaching himself jewelry-making right out of high school as a way to produce buttons for the leather pants and handbags that he was fabricating. He read manuals and studied on his own.
Career paths are often long and winding roads and the road Reed traveled led him to Portland, Oregon. Deciding he wanted to be a chef, Reed enrolled as a student at the Western Culinary Institute in Portland. While at the school, he supported himself by making jewelry, which he then sold at the local Saturday Market. After culinary school, Reed moved back to Colorado and continued selling his jewelry to galleries. At this point, he was beginning to collect rough diamonds and was making one-of-a-kind pieces. “It took awhile to collect enough rough to create a line of jewelry. People bought my work and, with gallery clients, I didn’t need a lot,” says Reed.
InspirationThe various shapes and forms of rough have provided the inspiration for Reed’s designs over the years. “The stones inform the design. I have become so familiar with the shapes and they have become so second nature to me that I know how to work with the shapes that nature inspired,” Reed explains.
In Reed’s workshop, the rough diamonds are all “graded” in a way that makes them easier to work with. The stones are sorted by size and color and then pooled into trays in sizes ranging from 1 mm to 8 mm. “If we get anything above the 8-mm size, we’re doing the happy dance,” chuckles Reed, who notes that it is harder to get the rough he needs now that more people are designing with rough diamonds. “For awhile, I was the only one doing it. Now gray, brown, black — they’re all popular and they are harder to get. Every company is after that rough now, because it’s a trend.”
Reed explains that diamond cubes are being cut into beads and other rough is being used with some slight faceting. “From a cutting perspective, you put ten or 12 facets on a piece, rather than a full cut, and it is cheaper to produce and you can sell it at a higher price.”
According to Reed, the end consumer is changing fast, due to the rapid growth of the category. “At first, the consumer was a confident, mature woman, conservative and accomplished. She had big diamonds, but she fell in love with the rough diamond designs. Now, 15 years later, we’re selling rough diamonds as wedding rings. The 35- to 45-year-olds, who are also confident, and who also want responsibly mined diamonds and recycled gold, come to us.”
A New Business Model
For Reed, running a business that is socially responsible is a personal core value and one that he adheres to not only when sourcing product, but in the daily operations of his firm.
“Getting recycled gold is easy; we only work with Hoover & Strong through their green gold program,” says Reed. “We get our diamonds through a vendor who took a stance prior to the Kimberley Process (KP) to get his diamonds from people who were not involved in human rights issues. We started working together in 1994. He made sure — due to his connections — that he got diamonds from nonconflict sources. With the Kimberley Process, it is now more regulated, so if a company provides Kimberley Process paperwork, we’re pretty comfortable. We rely on relationships,” states Reed.
Relationships are key to Reed and his business. He admits that every decision he makes regarding his business is based on the question “Is this the right relationship?”
He uses this philosophy on all levels of his business, including how he pays his employees. He wants them to advance also, but he admits that the overhead and material costs do keep his business small. He currently employs seven bench jewelers and six administrative staff.
“We all work together and we do everything in-house, from packaging to casemaking, displays and ad materials. We even do our own photography,” concludes Reed. “Having passion and being really into having a community spirit and sharing goes a long way.”
Article from the Rapaport Magazine - March 2009. To subscribe click here.