Diamonds + dreamtime: An interview with Tiffany & Co.’s chief gemologist Victoria Reynolds

Tiffany & Co chief gemologist and vice-president of global merchandising for high jewelry Victoria Reynolds was in Sydney recently for Diamonds & Wonders, a special travelling treasure trove whose cache included the Lucida Star Necklace and a cluster of rare pink diamonds from the now-closed Argyle Mine in Western Australia’s East Kimberley region

People talk a lot about grit when it comes to achieving success but physical stamina counts too. Case in point? The indefatigable Victoria Reynolds, vice president and chief gemologist for pre-eminent jewellery company Tiffany & Co. Having just played a key part in the grand opening of the company’s historic store at the corner of 57th Street and Fifth Avenue in New York City and whose renovation was, in its president and CEO Anthony Ledru’s own words, “a massive endeavour”, Reynolds coolly flew halfway across the world — from the American east coast to Los Angeles, and then all the way down to the Southern Hemisphere to Sydney — for just two short nights before zooming off to Geneva, Switzerland. Those curious enough might ask: What necessitated such a whirlwind trip to Australia? The answer is simple: diamonds. But not just any diamonds; exceedingly rare pink ones.