Diamonds: Diamond Stories by Assouline

DIAMONDS: DIAMOND STORIES

BY ASSOULINE

7 November 2021

COVER

DIAMONDS: DIAMOND STORIES

©ASSOULINE

Once reserved for royalty, red carpets and life's most celebratory moments, diamonds were seen as symbols of wealth and prosperity accessible only to the few. But with the new century comes a new expression of luxury, as a new generation of young designers, as well as established jewellers such as Sabyasachi, Messika, Anita Ko, Boucheron and Fernando Jorge, stage diamonds as an everyday pleasure. Today's leading designers are incorporating diamonds into their designs in unexpected ways. Diamonds today shine with new interesting cuts and colourful hues.

The latest Assouline illustrated book offers a comprehensive picture of the diamond, its history, including the Hope diamond to the legend of the Beau Sancy diamond and interviews with top designers, tastemakers and celebrities.

Edward Enninful, editor-in-chief of British Vogue, writes in his foreword how he had his "diamond moment" when he saw the Helmut Newton portrait of Liz Taylor in the swimming pool adorned with Bulgari diamonds. The reader learns how Enninful strives to realise his own vision of diverse and democratic beauty, which had a peak in the Oprah Winfrey cover of August 2018, styling the world's most influential woman with haute couture and Buccellati diamond earrings. For Enninful, diamonds are the universal symbol of authority and luxury, and they claim that place even in the age of inclusion.

Model wears a Sabyasachi necklace in 18-karat gold with rose-cut diamonds, brilliant-cut diamonds, Colombian emeralds,

Zambian emeralds and Japanese cultured pearls

Diamonds: Diamond Stories by Assouline

Errikos Andreou DEU Creative Management

©Assouline

In today’s world, diamonds are as entrenched in luxury, glamour and aspiration as they have been through history, but as the representations of those ideals are changing, so is the diamond.”

Edward Enninful, Editor-in-Chief of British Vogue