JNA Nov/ Dec 2021

精闢視野 JNA Nov/Dec 2021 | 21 T iffany & Co’s Victoria Reynolds talks about the privileges and challenges of being the company’s vice president of Global Merchandising – High Jewelry and first female chief gemmologist. Backed by more than three decades of experience at Tiffany where she honed her expertise in design, diamond grading and high jewellery, Reynolds was named vice president of Global Merchandising – High Jewelry in 2017. Her responsibilities include product development of Tiffany’s high jewellery category and overseeing its global growth and development strategy. She made history in 2020 when she became the brand's first female chief gemmologist, representing a core team of women leaders in the company. In a talk with JNA , Reynolds shares her business philosophy, which focuses on striking a delicate balance between brand heritage, sustainability and modernisation. JNA: How are your two roles related and what responsibilities do they entail? Victoria Reynolds: The chief gemmologist has an ongoing quest to find the perfect diamonds and gemstones. I search around the world for stones that meet our exacting standards. It can take several years to find what we are looking for. It is somehow like a Broadway audition because each gem must have a special quality for me to purchase it. Some of the most amazing gems we have acquired were surprises. We may not have been looking specifically for that stone, but somehow it finds us. When that happens, I know that I am looking at something extraordinary. My dual roles complement each other and are symbiotic. I have a full 360-degree responsibility for all Tiffany High Jewelry, so it is a unique position. It is a bit like a well-orchestrated musical piece – from ideating with the design team and collaborating with our gemstone and diamond acquisition teams, to working with our jewellers and craftspeople who bring these designs to life. JNA: How did Tiffany & Co’s historic use of coloured gemstones impact today’s jewellery trade? Reynolds: Fuelled by Charles Lewis Tiffany’s passion for acquiring rare and unusual gemstones, which began in the 1840s and continues to this day, our pioneering spirit of discovery has been at the heart of Tiffany’s DNA. What makes this history so unique is that we have been willing to take risks for well over a century and are leaders in incorporating new gems into our jewellery vernacular, alongside the more traditional rubies, emeralds and sapphires. It has always been about innovation and how we can expand our gem library and colour palette. As leaders in luxury jewellery, you now see tanzanite, kunzite, morganite and tsavorite featured not only in Tiffany high jewellery collections, but those of other major houses as well.