Something About Rocks: The Radiance

"A STAR IS BORN"

Looking to address the imbalance in the jewellery industry, DeBeers and Couture’s mentorship programme aims to put a diverse roster of designers under the spotlight.

The programme also included veteran talent looking to evolve their business, such as Jules Kim, the New York-based designer of Bijules, founded in 2002. Her mentor, British designer Stephen Webster, became the advisor she needed to help set her on a course to grow her company. “Stephen has been extremely generous with his support and guidance,” she says. “As a jeweller, we are living a singular existence, and it’s great to have someone I can ask for help.” During two decades in business, Kim has been committed to creating equity and transparency among her all-female team of artisans. Her bold, edgy designs express a message, as is the case for the 18-karat gold Compass ring made for the Radiant series – a hazy spectrolite stone is paired with a single De Beers diamond that represents “clarity or a diamond navigator.”