My $79,000 Ring For J-Lo

Published on 17/11/09

EVEN though Varoujan Djevahirdjian thinks every woman wearing diamonds is a star, he nominated actor Jennifer Lopez as his choice to wear his award-winning 17-carat diamond ring.

The Pymble jeweller won the Red Carpet Award for the $79,000 ring he designed, which he named The Ballerina, at the Diamond Guild Australia awards.

Using 69 all-round brilliant-cut diamonds, the ring took him nine days to make.

“Every woman who walks through my door is a celebrity to me, but Jennifer Lopez should wear my ring because she’s so red carpet,” said Armenian-born Mr Djevahirdjian.

After working in the industry for 33 years he has grown to love the diamonds that are integral to his job.

Mr Djevahirdjian migrated to Australia from Lebanon when he was 24, after being denied entry seven years earlier.

“I was 17 and had just finished school in Beirut - and it was the in thing to work with diamonds,” he said.

“But there was a civil war, so I just had to wait until I could apply to enter Australia again.

“I moved to the North Shore andbecame one of the best diamond setters in the country after working 100-hour weeks.”

Mr Djevahirdjian said he was proud to win the award after competing against some of the biggest names in the jewellery industry.