EditorsOct 04, 2023
Meet the Brand Making Lab-Grown Diamonds Cool EditorsOct 18, 2023
These 6 Up-and-Coming Artists Will Engage You
The Emerging Designers Diamond Initiative’s Class of 2023 shows once again how much the industry stands to gain by embracing diversity.
The six designers who are participating in the third cycle of the Emerging Designers Diamond Initiative are, clockwise from top left: Bernard James, Amina Sorel, Rosario Navi (seated), Gwen Beloti, Jessenia Landrum, and Symoné Currie. They are pictured with Natural Diamond Council Managing Director Kristina Buckley Kayel (standing, far right).
In January, Lorraine Schwartz and the Natural Diamond Council announced the names of the designers who comprise the Emerging Designers Diamond Initiative’s Class of 2023.
Launched in 2021 amid conversations about the need for more diversity and equity in fine jewelry, EDDI offers $1 million in diamond credit and grants, along with mentorship and exposure, to brands helmed by Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) designers.
The six designers introduced earlier this year are the third class to participate in the program. They are Gwen Beloti, Rosario Navio, Jessenia Landrum, Bernard James, Symoné Currie, and Amina Sorel.
I had the pleasure of meeting all six of them at the Las Vegas shows earlier this year. It was my longest appointment of my entire Vegas experience, and also my most enjoyable, enlightening, and energizing.
I hope you enjoy meeting them and seeing their jewelry as much as I did.
Gwen Beloti, Gwen Beloti Collection
Gwen Beloti’s background is in apparel design, which makes perfect sense when you look at the pieces in her eponymous jewelry brand.
She likes to play with the types of textures and patterns normally reserved for fabric, like my personal favorite from her “Woven Escena” collection, a pair of 14-karat framed drop earrings dotted with VS-clarity emerald-cut diamonds.
They make me think of tweed, which I’ve been embracing this fall as I enter my mid-life preppy era.
Launched in 2021 amid conversations about the need for more diversity and equity in fine jewelry, EDDI offers $1 million in diamond credit and grants, along with mentorship and exposure, to brands helmed by Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) designers.
The six designers introduced earlier this year are the third class to participate in the program. They are Gwen Beloti, Rosario Navio, Jessenia Landrum, Bernard James, Symoné Currie, and Amina Sorel.
I had the pleasure of meeting all six of them at the Las Vegas shows earlier this year. It was my longest appointment of my entire Vegas experience, and also my most enjoyable, enlightening, and energizing.
I hope you enjoy meeting them and seeing their jewelry as much as I did.
Gwen Beloti, Gwen Beloti Collection
Gwen Beloti’s background is in apparel design, which makes perfect sense when you look at the pieces in her eponymous jewelry brand.
She likes to play with the types of textures and patterns normally reserved for fabric, like my personal favorite from her “Woven Escena” collection, a pair of 14-karat framed drop earrings dotted with VS-clarity emerald-cut diamonds.
They make me think of tweed, which I’ve been embracing this fall as I enter my mid-life preppy era.
The framed drop earrings from Gwen Beloti’s “Woven Escena” collection
Beloti mixes diamond shapes for this 18-karat gold take on a traditional tennis bracelet.
This 14-karat gold open pavé diamond ring calls to mind plaid.
A selection of Beloti’s pieces
Beloti also focuses on being size inclusive, which you don’t see much of in fine jewelry. Her rings go up to a size 12, and all of her 16-inch necklaces have a 3-inch extender.
She also uses models of different sizes in her campaigns, a needed representation reprieve from Instagram’s endless parade of long, slim fingers on hands that have been Photoshopped nearly into oblivion.
The designer spoke to National Jeweler about why she believes size inclusivity is important for a special feature in the upcoming Retailer Hall of Fame issue, telling Associate Editor Lenore Fedow, “I was a heavier woman up until early adulthood and, even now, my weight still fluctuates. So, I used to have a really hard time finding clothes that fit.
“When I launched my jewelry company, it was important to me that I consider my own personal experience and my background. I know what it felt like to be left out, to not feel like I had options.”
Rosario Navia, Rosario Navia
A native of Argentina, Rosario Navia names her jewelry after the strong women in her life, like her mother, her sister, her grandmothers.
The “Mara” collection is no exception, as Mara is the nickname Navia’s grandfather had for her maternal grandmother, whose collection of large, sculptural jewelry also inspired the design of the Mara collection.
Navia launched her fine jewelry line in 2020 and, outside of the strength of women, she said she finds inspiration in the beauty of negative space and asymmetry.
Rosario Navio’s “Mara” collection drop earring is pictured in 18-karat rose gold with six diamonds.
It was meant to be paired with the drop earring with four diamonds for a slightly mismatched pair.
Navio’s large “Folded Link” necklace in 18-karat white gold. It’s also available in 18-karat yellow or rose gold.
The “Link” ring in 18-karat yellow gold
A group shot of the jewelry in Navio’s Mara collection
I’m a fan of both as well, and I think they work particularly well in Navia’s “Link” ring, which is available in 18-karat yellow, white or rose gold, and in her mismatched drop earrings, also available in all three metals.
They’re beautiful pieces that are both wearable and saleable.
Jessenia Landrum, Jevela
Jessenia Landrum has loved jewelry her entire life, from when she was a little girl in Boston buying the biggest necklace she could afford at Claire’s, to her time at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, when she cut a necklace out of a piece of leather during a mixed-media class.
It wasn’t until she began interning for a jeweler and taking classes at Brooklyn Metal Works that Landrum began seeing jewelry as a potential career path.
She launched Jevela in 2018 with demi-fine jewelry.
The sleek, mixed metal collections she created through the EDDI program, “Legacy,” “Celenia” and “Baton,” represent her first time working with diamonds. They all were designed to symbolize the journey through life we each experience.
Jessenia Landrum’s collections were inspired by people’s shared journey through life, with the pieces named after a member of the designer’s family. These are the “Ricky” hoops in 14-karat white and yellow gold with hexagon rose-cut salt-and-pepper diamonds.
The “Tracey” choker also features mixed metals and a hexagon rose-cut diamond.
The “Ricky” studs, a smaller complement to the Ricky hoops
More pieces of Landrum’s jewelry
Landrum heard about the initiative through two friends and fellow designers who were members of the inaugural EDDI class, Lisette Scott and Malyia McNaughton.
But it was a bit of kismet that landed her a spot in the third class.
Landrum said one evening, she was working as a cater waiter at an event at Manhattan’s Gotham Hall for an organization called Teens for Food Justice and Schwartz was among the guests in attendance.
Landrum introduced herself as an aspiring jewelry designer and Schwartz encouraged her to apply to the EDDI program.
She said while she does want to wholesale her line, her ultimate dream is to open her own store, on tony Newberry Street in her hometown.
Bernard James
Brooklyn, New York, native Bernard James has been designing jewelry for nine years.
Originally, he was drawn to the art form because he assumed that since jewelry was small, designing it would be easy.
He soon discovered designing on a small scale presented plenty of complications and difficulties, but he also figured out something else about himself—he loves problem-solving.
Bernard James “Crushed” necklace from the “Process” collection in 18-karat white gold with diamonds
The diamonds in the “Spectrum” tennis bracelet graduate from colorless to black.
James designed a trio of flower rings for Process, a sunflower, a lily and this ring, a daisy in 18-karat white gold with diamonds.
A group shot of James’ jewelry
Before James became a full-time jewelry designer, he traveled the world and worked long hours in fashion, first as an intern at Ferragamo, then full-time at houses including Versace. He tried to do jewelry on the side, in what little free time he had.
His side hustle/hobby became more of a full-time occupation in 2020 when, like the rest of the world, his traveling came to a halt.
James said he started with men’s jewelry in sterling silver, using diamonds as accent stones until he heard about the EDDI program from a friend of his who was working for Schwartz.
And that’s how “Process” was born, an ultra-modern, unisex collection that you can picture on just about anyone.
Symoné Currie, Metal X Wire
Symoné Currie, the designer behind Metal X Wire, trained to be an architectural engineer and has a love for painting.
She keeps an easel by her bed to jot down any ideas that come to her in the middle of the night, like the form that serves as the bedrock of her 18-karat gold and diamond “Legacy” collection and weaves its way into the designer’s “Lynx” collection as well.
To some, the pointy shape looks like an arrow; to me, it looks like the devil’s pitchfork.
Either way, it’s original and it works.
Symoné Currie’s “Legacy” bangle in 18-karat yellow gold with diamonds
The “Lynx” toggle bracelet in 18-karat yellow gold with diamonds
The 18-karat yellow gold Legacy ring features a diamond slice surround by a halo of diamond pavé
The pieces in Currie’s Legacy and Lynx collections
Currie started in jewelry designing demi-fine pieces but began expanding into fine jewelry in late 2021.
In early 2022, mere months into her fine jewelry journey, she met Natural Diamond Council CEO David Kellie at the JA New York show. He told her about the EDDI program, and she decided to apply.
Amina Sorel, Amina Sorel Fine Jewelry
Gemological Institute of America graduate gemologist and certified diamond expert Amina Sorel founded her eponymous jewelry brand in 2018, with the goal of inspiring people to express themselves and their joie de vivre via hidden messages.
And joy is exactly what comes through in the New York City native’s jewels, from her spiral earrings that look perfect to wear while popping champagne on New Year’s Eve, to her gold and diamond bangle Morse code bangle, which can be customized to say whatever the wearer wants.
In early 2022, mere months into her fine jewelry journey, she met Natural Diamond Council CEO David Kellie at the JA New York show. He told her about the EDDI program, and she decided to apply.
Amina Sorel, Amina Sorel Fine Jewelry
Gemological Institute of America graduate gemologist and certified diamond expert Amina Sorel founded her eponymous jewelry brand in 2018, with the goal of inspiring people to express themselves and their joie de vivre via hidden messages.
And joy is exactly what comes through in the New York City native’s jewels, from her spiral earrings that look perfect to wear while popping champagne on New Year’s Eve, to her gold and diamond bangle Morse code bangle, which can be customized to say whatever the wearer wants.
Amina Sorel’s 18-karat gold and diamond “Spiral” earrings
This gold and diamond bangle from Sorel reads “I love you” in Morse code.
The designer’s coil-shaped ring features diamonds set amid colored gemstones. It can be customized to reflect the wearer’s aura.
A group shot of Sorel’s EDDI pieces
Sorel’s been designing jewelry for five years but generally sticks to custom and bespoke pieces.
After hearing about EDDI from McNaughton and Scott—the same EDDI alumnae who told Landrum about the program—she decided to apply and try her hand at crafting a collection in 18-karat gold with diamonds and colored gemstones.
The results are joyous.
Related stories will be right here …
After hearing about EDDI from McNaughton and Scott—the same EDDI alumnae who told Landrum about the program—she decided to apply and try her hand at crafting a collection in 18-karat gold with diamonds and colored gemstones.
The results are joyous.
Editors' Picks
Sponsored by
More on Editors
The Latest
TrendsSep 23, 2026
Holiday Diamond Jewelry Trends: Layered Looks, PersonalizationThis holiday season, look to pieces that will help to fill out customers’ everyday diamond jewelry wardrobe, experts say.
SourcingSep 23, 2026
Organization That Promotes Natural Diamond Rebrands for Third Time The Natural Diamond Council is now The Diamond Collective and has announced a new strategy under CEO Amber Pepper.
IndependentsSep 23, 2026
This Milwaukee-Area Jeweler Is Serving the 7CsPaul’s Jewelers sells coffee, chocolate, and cookies from a custom gold-wrapped trailer parked outside the store starting at 7 a.m.
Brought to you by
Meet Gemology’s Next Generation Microscope: GIA® Gemolite® NXT Professional EditionExperience gemstones with greater precision and comfort than ever before.
MajorsSep 23, 2026
Kay Jewelers’ New Campaign Goes ‘All In’ on LovePart of its brand relaunch, the marketing around the campaign includes a contest involving a jacket set with 550 diamonds.
Weekly QuizSep 17, 2026
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
Events & AwardsSep 23, 2026
Tiffany & Co. Exhibition Opening at Arkansas Museum The curation, opening soon at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, honors the jeweler’s heritage through a distinctly American lens.
CollectionsSep 23, 2026
Pucker Up for Pandora’s New Pat McGrath Jewelry CollabThe jewelry giant has partnered with the famed makeup artist to create a colorful new collection of charms and rings.
Brought to you by
Your Piece Could Be the One Editors Talk AboutSubmit your pieces for a chance to win in this year's competition.
IndependentsSep 23, 2026
Texas Jewelers Association to Celebrate 120th AnniversaryThe association will mark the milestone at its convention next month.
IndependentsSep 23, 2026
Sissy’s Log Cabin’s ‘Back to School and Bling’ Event ReturnsThe jeweler donated school supplies to Memphis, Tennessee, students during the event combining basketball and mentorship.
MajorsSep 22, 2026
Foundrae’s Lawsuit Against Pandora Can Continue, Court RulesA federal judge denied Pandora’s motion to dismiss Foundrae’s claim for copyright infringement of its medallions.
ColumnistsSep 22, 2026
Peter Smith: Our Struggle With Emotional SellingPeople aren’t thinking rationally when they are buying luxury products, and we shouldn’t be selling them that way, Peter Smith writes.
IndependentsSep 22, 2026
Constance Polamalu Named to '40 Under 40' ListThe Baltimore Business Journal recognized the entrepreneur for her leadership in business and the jewelry industry.
GradingSep 22, 2026
GCAL by Sarine Opens New Lab in MumbaiThe facility is located within SEEPZ and is GCAL by Sarine’s second location in India, joining its existing grading lab in Surat.
Events & AwardsSep 22, 2026
NYCJAOS Returns for Autumn EditionThe four-day show is slated for Nov. 19-22 at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood.
AuctionsSep 21, 2026
Ultra-Rare Cartier Cheich Watch Sells for $3.4M Offered at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, the one-of-a-kind white gold watch now holds the title of most valuable Cartier wristwatch sold at auction.
MajorsSep 21, 2026
Longtime Industry Executive Pamela Bernstein-Gulla to RetireBernstein-Gulla has been working in the jewelry industry for 40 years, most recently as chief engagement officer for Hill & Co.
IndependentsSep 21, 2026
Bhindi Jewelers Moves Into New, Larger California StoreThe relocated Glendale store, now at The Americana at Brand, was designed to be a contemporary “timepiece haven” inspired by luxury resorts.
AuctionsSep 18, 2026
7.52-Carat Unheated Paraíba Tourmaline Sells for $1.3M at Sotheby’s The top lot of the auction house’s Hong Kong jewelry sale was an Art Deco Mauboussin necklace with ruby beads, which sold for $2 million.
Policies & IssuesSep 18, 2026
Tariffs, Retail Crime Top of Mind at JA’s Annual Fly-In Retailers and manufacturers headed to the Capitol this week to discuss tariff exemptions for diamonds and gemstones, among other issues.
CollectionsSep 18, 2026
Nanis Transforms Its ‘Boule’ Into a Mirror Our Piece of the Week is a pair of drop earrings from the “Sway” collection featuring Nanis’ first use of mirror-polished gold.
GradingSep 18, 2026
De Beers Introduces Faster Version of Diamond Screening Machine SynthDetect 2 can scan a full tray in less than five minutes, De Beers said, making it six times faster than its predecessors.
AuctionsSep 18, 2026
Noonans To Auction Medieval Gold Seal Ring Recovered By 2 FriendsTwo metal detectorists discovered the ring, which may have belonged to English noblewoman Matilda of Lancaster, in Suffolk.
Policies & IssuesSep 17, 2026
Tariffs on India Could Increase as Russian Sanctions Bill Heads to Trump’s DeskThe bill has a provision that allows the president to raise tariffs on countries that import Russian oil and gas to as much as 100 percent.
Events & AwardsSep 17, 2026
This Is the Winner of the 2026 Robert M. Shipley AwardThe American Gem Society presented the annual award to a former president of its board.
CollectionsSep 17, 2026
Cynthia Erivo, Zoë Chicco’s Jewelry Collab Is an Ode to TransformationThe “Chrysalis” capsule centers butterfly motifs representing growth, transformation, and the unfolding of who you are.
Events & AwardsSep 17, 2026
Louisiana Retailer Kevin Patton Wins Lifetime Achievement AwardJewelers of Louisiana presented Patton, the third-generation president of Pattons Fine Jewelry, with the award at its annual convention.
