Bal Harbour

98 BAL HARBOUR ailing from a family with deep roots in the jewelry world, some might say Ara Vartanian, founder of the eponymous Brazilian jewelry house, was destined for this journey. "My mother was a jewelry designer, and my father was a wholesaler for precious stones," Vartanian says with a subtle nod to the inevitable. Initially, however, he had other plans. Choosing not to join the family business, he left São Paulo to study economics at Boston University and worked as a financial trader in the late '90s. But, ultimately he was left unfulfilled. "I recognized that when I stopped doing a job just to make money, and started doing what made me happy, I was in turn making money." Vartanian always begins each piece with the stone and designs around it. "My father called me a rebel because I started designing with inverted diamonds." A longtime admirer of inverted black diamonds, this method of setting gems upside down is something you'll see in a lot of the brand's designs. "When I'm buying a diamond, I look at the top of it and the bottom. With the pointy tip up, the stone speaks differently. It can be sharp, dangerous even. It wasn't an act of rebellion; it was a love affair." One of Vartanian's signature designs, the double-finger rings, has remained a celebrity favorite for more than a decade. Vartanian counts Naomi Campbell and Anne Hathaway as loyal clients. "Ultimately, we're not here just to sell our stones, though," he notes. "We're not going to sell an emerald to a client who already has an emerald that she doesn't wear. I'd rather help a client redesign a piece she will wear with something she already bought. We are a young brand with common sense and it's really an exchange of trust between us and our clients." For Vartanian, the business goes far beyond what happens on the showroom floor. He works closely to source from local mines through his conscious mining program and takes great joy in sitting down with clients and showing them pictures of where the stones are coming from and how, together, they're providing schooling and proper wages, as well as contributing to positive environmental change for the future of the industry. At a time when unity is of great importance, Vartanian continues to team up with other independently-owned brands to educate one another and collectively lead the way to a more transparent future for the next generation. After 20 years, and with a new flagship opening at Bal Harbour Shops, Vartanian and his team of 70 couldn't be more excited for what's to come. "We still have so much to do. The younger generation are really conscious shoppers. We have to be ready for them—and we are." Designer and founder of his eponymous line, Ara Vartanian; Biella bracelet with a consciously mined rubellite and diamond. ARA VARTANIAN OPENS ITS FIRST US FLAGSHIP AT BAL HARBOUR SHOPS. By Elana Zajdman H Diamond in the Rough PHOTO BY FERNANDO VELOSO, COURTESY ARA VARTANIAN

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