Making treasure from 'trash': Jade Trau gives fine jewellery a fresh twist

How did you get started in this business? "My great-great-grandfather started in the diamond trade in Antwerp, Belgium When my grandfather moved to America, he continued the business My upbringing has been around cutting and polishing rough diamonds but jewellery making was a complete mystery to me" What changed? "I knew I wanted to be a jewellery designer.

I took a few classes, including drawing and metal­smithing I loved the creative element We were still manufacturing diamonds.

Ten times a year we would get a box of rough diamonds from De Beers and polish and sell them But with globalisation, it wasn't cost-effective to do it that way any more."I had all this heritage and had become an expert in the diamond business How did that go? "I understand the drive to want to buy classic diamond jewellery.

Why do we spend so much money to look exactly the same? Can we find something that has a sense of individuality? That's how the collection came to be How did that shape your aesthetic? "The voice that's come out is an authentically vintage silhouette combined with a modern sentiment, using well-cut white diamonds How did that come about? "I had my grandmother's diamond ring sitting in a safe.

It was a marquise-cut diamond in a traditional setting. . More