Interview with Brett Bolton

Bolton Gems has a weakness for chocolate; no not the sweet sugary kind but rather the sparkling diamond variety. Not only has the supplier been working with fancy brown diamonds – covering a range of hues from subtle champagne to rich cognac – for a number of years but it also launched a new range of Australian Argyle Chocolate Diamonds last September at the Sydney jewellery fair.

Bolton Gems director Brett Bolton says that the industry response to the “chocolates” was incredible, so much so that the collection actually sold out before the end of the show.

Bolton explains that the colour of the chocolate stones is best enhanced when set against rose or white gold and surrounded with white diamonds.

“You need something to help offset the colour of the chocolate. It’s a pretty stone by itself but it can look a little heavy. If you throw some whites against it, or some pinks, it just lifts that colour,” he says.

While the supplier has been distributing Argyle diamonds for about 20 years, it secured another major advantage one year ago when it gained access to the mine’s rough stones.

“It’s taken us a long time but it was probably three years ago when I started talking to Argyle Australia, and then from there, Rio Tinto and Antwerp to gain access to their rough diamonds. With rough supply under control we then moved onto setting up a cutting facility.

“There are a lot of questions in the market regarding natural and conflict free diamonds. It’s hard to prove unless you do it yourself,” Bolton says.

In addition to coloured diamonds, Bolton Gems also sells white diamonds, coloured gemstones and pearls. It offers both loose stones and finished jewellery.

Interesting fact …
That we follow the stones from the mine to the market. Bolton Gems controls and watches every step of the cutting process, which means we can ensure our stones are ethical and sustainable.

Coloured diamond report
Part 1: Coloured diamonds offer retailers a new frontier
Part 2: New trends increase demand