He may have been born into the gem trade, but Jack Vartanian's destiny was far from set in stone. Indeed, the jewellery designer with a dedicated Hollywood following has made a career out of defying expectations.
A brand that can be seen adorning the ears, necks and hands of celebrities from Emma Stone and Miley Cyrus to Sofia Vergara and Jennifer Lopez, Jack Vartanian is fast becoming one of the go-to brand names for edgy but accessible jewellery pieces - although that wasn't always the plan. Born in Beirut but raised in Brazil from the age of two, Vartanian is the son of a fine gem merchant, and initially followed his father's footsteps, accompanying him as he traversed the globe on buying trips.
"I started travelling in Asia really young: Jaipur, Bangkok, even Hong Kong," says Vartanian. "When I was 13, 14, 15, my dad used to do these buying trips for a month or two, buying gemstones, and I used to travel with him. That was a great learning experience."
But after more than a decade in the family business, Vartanian couldn't shake the feeling that he wanted to do something more creative, and in 1999 he began to craft his own designs.
The focus of my work is always a woman – she’s sometimes real, sometimes imaginary
"In the beginning it was mostly Brazilian semi-precious stones, and the next year I started designing mostly gold and diamonds, but more edgy, cool fashion designs," he says.