Victoria Reynolds talks about how she has seen the jewellery world change in the last three decades, and of her intangible connection with the famed brand.

In the 30 years that she has spent at Tiffany &amp; Co., Victoria Reynolds has dealt with &ldquo;tens of thousands&rdquo; of diamonds, including the staggering Empire Diamond, an internally flawless oval diamond of over 80cts that&rsquo;s said to be the brand&rsquo;s most expensive jewel to date. Yet one of the pieces she is most fond of is an unassuming gold Tiffany watch. &ldquo;It was around the time I joined Tiffany in the summer of 1987, and it was the first significant piece I bought for myself,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;I think I wore it for about 25 years and never took it off &mdash; I still have it.&rdquo;
Reynolds&rsquo; fond memories of the brand even extend back to her childhood; her first visit to a Tiffany boutique was at age 9, when she accompanied her father to purchase a brooch for her mother, a moment she still recalls clearly today: &ldquo;I still remember walking through the doors and being mesmerised by the diamonds and coloured gemstones that were displayed on the shop floor,&rdquo; Reynolds said in a separate interview. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a feeling that&rsquo;s really stayed with me.&rdquo;
As Reynolds describes it, her loyalty to the famed American jewellery house extends beyond the fiscal. She shares the brand&rsquo;s deep commitment to sustainability and inclusivity, and speaks proudly of Tiffany&rsquo;s philanthropic endeavours. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s always an opportunity to improve practices, set more ambitious goals, and collaborate with new partners to achieve our vision of a sustainable world,&rdquo; she says.

You&rsquo;re the first woman to hold the position of Chief Gemmologist at Tiffany &amp; Co. What does it mean to you to assume that mantle, especially as the first woman to do so in the house&rsquo;s history?
After I joined Tiffany in 1987, I believe that every position I have held has been a stepping-stone to the position of Chief Gemmologist. From working in Custom Design, creating one- of-a-kind pieces of jewellery and trophies, to the time I spent as a Grader in the Diamond Lab, these positions truly solidified my love for diamonds and gemstones.
During my tenure at the Diamond Lab, I must have looked at tens of thousands of diamonds and I really became obsessed with every detail, every facet and every nuance that makes our diamonds so perfect. Getting my Graduate Gemmology degree was very important to me &mdash; however, it was my years at the Lab that really shaped my love of gemmology and informed who I am today.
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 I am incredibly proud to be Tiffany&rsquo;s first female Chief Gemmologist and excited to be representing a brand that reaffirms our reputation as the leader in diamond traceability. 
 
 You&rsquo;ve been with Tiffany since 1987. How has the world of jewellery changed since?
 I am so pleased to see that our clients are wearing their jewellery for all occasions &mdash; day and evening &mdash; and love the idea that beautiful things don&rsquo;t need to be saved for formal occasions, and that they can be worn and celebrated every day. I believe that jewellery should evolve with the person, and that includes their lifestyle. 
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In your time at Tiffany, what are some of the most exceptional diamonds or gemstones that you&rsquo;ve seen or worked with?
I would say The Empire Diamond &ndash; an over 80ct, D-colour, internally flawless type IIa oval diamond &mdash; is at the top of the list. It is absolutely breath-taking. Every person that has seen it has been mesmerised by its sheer beauty, elegance and presence, and cannot believe that Mother Nature would have gifted us with something this perfect.
It is a symbol of Tiffany&rsquo;s approach to diamond traceability, the first in the industry. It was responsibly sourced in Botswana, cut and polished in Israel, and set in New York by master Tiffany jewellers.
What are some Tiffany pieces &mdash; that you personally own &mdash; that hold a lot of meaning to you?
One of the first pieces that really stands out in my mind was a gold and stainless-steel watch from Tiffany. I still have it. I remember it was around the time I joined Tiffany in the summer of 1987 and it was the first significant piece I bought for myself. It was a new collection at the time so it was a big purchase for me then as I was right out of college. I think I wore it for about 25 years and never took it off. And I remember how special I felt and how amazing it was to be 23 years old and to wear a piece from Tiffany.

In 2019, Tiffany &amp; Co. officially began its Diamond Source Initiative, after many years of putting resources into ethical sourcing. Why was transparency and ethical sourcing so important for the house in the first place?
We are deeply committed to offering the highest social and environmental standards, so transparency and conducting our business in responsible ways is something that our clients expect from us. In 2020, we became the first global luxury jeweller to disclose the full craftsmanship journey of our diamonds, from the region or countries of origin to where the stone was cut, polished, graded and set. As part of our Diamond Craft Journey, we work to ensure responsible practices every step of the way.
In recent years, consumers have grown increasingly conscious when it comes to the social responsibility of brands. Beyond the Diamond Source Initiative, what&rsquo;s next for Tiffany &amp; Co. on this front?
The Tiffany &amp; Co. Foundation, established in 2000, has and will continue to focus the company&rsquo;s philanthropic endeavours. Over the past 20 years, we&rsquo;ve awarded over $90 million in grants, working with local organisations in their own communities, while also supporting global non-profits that can provide impact at scale through education and increasing awareness.
We are proud of the progress we have made after more than 20 years investing in social and environmental responsibility, and we are continuously innovating our approach in response to the changing business context and evolving stakeholder expectations. There&rsquo;s always an opportunity to improve practices, set more ambitious goals, and collaborate with new partners to achieve our vision of a sustainable world.
Looking ahead, we will continue to focus on the issues that matter to our company and the world, and apply that lens of innovation that will surprise and delight people.

Tiffany & Co.'s first female chief gemmologist talks about how the industry has changed

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