Written By Annie Stopak
With one brief look at the Le Vian website, the intention of the brand unfolds. At first glance, the fine jewelry purveyor cultivates a stark and powerful narrative, deeply entwining the whimsical nature of exquisite gems with the profound impact of how they came to be. The allure of decadent collections and a refreshingly idealistic approach take the brand’s heavenly motto to a utopian realm. The sense of longing and desire are evident in the tagline—A jewelry lover’s dream come true.
But more than just the expression of love is the longevity that the brand boasts. Le Vian’s heritage reaches back to the 1400s with a business that has been in operation since 1746, suggesting rich historical nuances have shaped the label for the last 300 years and obstacles have been overcome to get there.
The label is credited for guarding the Persian royal jewels, as well as the Koh-i-Noor diamond (one of the world’s largest cut diamonds and part of Queen Elizabeth’s British crown jewels), acquiring a sum of rare tanzanite, and later, gathering prestigious sapphires from Madagascar. But the real story is centered around the exposé of one such tantalizing accoutrement, chocolate diamonds, and how its existence and accessibility formed undeniable intrigue in the fine jewelry world.
Gaining popularity in the early 1950s, diamonds were catching attention for their vast intricacies. It wasn’t until an observant jeweler rebranded the generic term “diamond” to differentiate subtle variations in each color, calling out hues like champagne, cognac or amber. This encouraged a deeper investigation into all diamonds, and by 1996, brown diamonds, or chocolate diamonds, were officially introduced into the market. The grading system wasn’t fully formed at this point, so a new system was tested for the decadent brown hue, which included C1 (lightest) to C7 (darkest).
In 2000, Le Vian partnered with Rio Tinto and Signet Jewelers to obtain a patent for the chocolate diamond. This sparked a surge of interest and heavy demand, as Le Vian was the first in its class to bring such beauty to the market. By 2007, nearly 400,000 requests were pouring in for this particular style. Naturally, the brand continued to source the jewels from the most fruitful diamond-producing location, Australia’s Argyle mine. This went on for nearly 20 years, until economic and environmental pressures led to the mine’s closure in 2020.
The end of the mine led to greater demand for chocolate diamonds in the last four years, so Le Vian launched a collaboration with Godiva Chocolates in 2022 to monetize this venture. In the wake of the collaboration’s success, these rich gems drew in a fan base of over five million collectors worldwide. Le Vian has continued to make it their mission to bring chocolate diamonds to their stores, satisfying their customers with consistency, quality and trust.
“At Le Vian we are determined to stay at the forefront of creating the most exquisite natural fancy color diamond and gemstone jewelry,” said Eddie LeVian, chief executive officer and founder at Le Vian.
Eddie LeVian has an esteemed reputation, utilizing his talents in both leadership and industry knowledge. He has experience in the field working as a gem cutter, jewelry maker, salesperson, show person, jewelry designer, director and now as CEO. This has positioned the brand for success, and he continues to propel it forward by anticipating trends in the marketplace.
The reputable CEO foresees gold as the next jewelry trend, suspecting its delightful sheen to overtake the runway by 2025. Eddie LeVian acknowledges gold as a classic and effortless base metal, and the brand already produces collections that complement this rich hue with stark contrast to calmer tones like lavender, powder blue or rose pink. According to insider information from the team, new collections are on the horizon with this rich shimmery hue in surprisingly different ways, but consumers will have to wait and see how the trend takes shape.
“I love the gold trend,” said Eddie LeVian. “It modernizes the Le Vian look and gives us a new way to show our strength.”
Perhaps a glimpse into future golden collections is seen through the brand’s exclusive collaboration with Jared. Meaning “golden sunset” in Italian, Le Vian’s Tramonto D’Oro is inspired by the Neapolitan Riviera and alludes to the jewelry’s dreamy iridescence, like stars emerging from the setting sun. It includes 14 karat gold adorned with dainty diamonds and gemstones that seek to entice instead of overwhelm. In this collection, the beauty is evident in the subtleties.
But on a more profound level, jewelry experts examine the future of fine jewelry apart from surface trends. Many attentive jewelers see what makes the industry similar yet different from years past. “As we gaze into the crystal ball of 2024, we foresee echoes of 2023’s resounding success,” said Eddie LeVian. “The landscape is dynamic, with certain categories ascending to new heights as others maintain a gentle repose.”
The challenges of the last few years have revealed a cultural experience wrapped in hardship that has shaped the way shoppers view fashion and accessories. These uneasy sentiments have caused consumers to identify with their jewelry differently, so it requires the brand to create pieces that support this emotional shift. Perhaps this could mean a departure from the enthusiasm and prominence of statement pieces, and a return back to the familiar: timeless elegance in the form of simplistic staples.
Similar to the richness of the gold trend, timeless pieces are treasures that live on forever and are passed down for generations. They are reliable and predictable. In a time of targeted marketing, overconsumption and an uncertain economic landscape, the security of quality jewels that hold meaning, value and heritage far outway the short-lived satisfaction of fleeting trends. This outlook of resilience grounds consumers and gives them a deeper sense of purpose in their style journey, lending a more powerful connection to self expression and a pathway to healing.
In light of this, Le Vian presented a trend forecast this summer that embodies the honest wants and needs of the customer. The jewelry industry’s leading international trade event, the JCK show, recently took place in Las Vegas on June 2 of this year. In addition to new collections, the team expanded their offering at the show. Le Vian held more space for appointment-only consultations at the event and revealed the much-anticipated trends to showcase the future of the brand’s assortment.
Drawing inspiration from society and trends, Le Vian has created a space where customers feel a sense of peace and satisfaction with what they wear. The brand has conducted research to make products that resonate with shoppers and leave a lasting impression.
At the root of Le Vian’s brand is a pure sentiment, and it’s the reason customers buy fine jewelry. It begins with the innate attraction to love . . . what is time on Earth without it?