How the Designer Behind Beyoncé's Biggest Red Carpet Jewelry Moments Is Making Change in Her Industry
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Lorraine Schwartz is normally frantic this time of year, prepping for awards season and dressing her celebrity pals in megawatt jewels worth millions. She’s the indisputable go-to source for A-listers when they want to make a dramatic entrance, like when Beyoncé showed up at the Grammys in a red sequin dress and a 400-carat diamond necklace worth $12 million, or when Blake Lively appeared at the Met Gala in a goddess-like halo with 100 carats of diamonds.
Those entertainers didn't just borrow the jewels; they became her friends and collaborated on image-making looks. And—even when other big jewelry houses offered them big bucks to wear their designs—many of the celebrities remained loyal to Schwartz, who says she never pays them. Time and again, the designer has created custom-made, jaw-dropping pieces, often with hundreds of carats of spectacular gems and just a few days' notice.
This year, of course, is different. Since the pandemic has all but put an end to red carpet events, Schwartz is leveraging her expertise and celebrity connections in a different way: to help emerging jewelry designers of color break into the notoriously insular diamond jewelry business.
Last month, she launched the Emerging Designers Diamond Initiative in partnership with the Natural Diamond Council (NDC). The program is providing $1 million worth of diamond credit to emerging Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) jewelry designers in the U.S.
It’s her celebrity friends, including Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and Pharrell Williams, who inspired the initiative. “Since I started my business 20 years ago, the Black community supported me and believed in my work,” she explains. Early in Beyoncé’s career, for instance, Schwartz designed the sexy head-turning hoops that became the singer’s signature, known as the “Beyoncé earrings.” She's created dozens of other custom pieces for Beyoncé and countless other stars—and they don't just borrow, but they also come to her when they want to buy jewels. When Jay-Z proposed, he purchased a 24-carat emerald cut diamond ring worth $5 million.
It’s these longstanding friendships, particularly with Williams, that motivated Schwartz to make change amid last summer's racial reckoning. “Pharrell does so much good work in the community and it inspired me to take action,” she said. Schwartz did some “soul searching,” and she knew she wanted to find a way to support the Black community, starting with her own industry.
“It’s clear there isn’t enough diversity in the high-end jewelry world, and that’s because it’s hard to enter the business and get the access and resources that are needed to buy diamonds,” explains Schwartz. Having grown up in a family of diamond dealers, she knows firsthand that it is an industry based on trust and relationships, and without that, it’s hard to get access to diamonds. “But once you establish those relationships,” she acknowledges, “the dealers will supply you with stones on a handshake.”
Williams, who is an honorary advisor to the Initiative, told T&C, “This program aims to equalize the playing field for up-and-coming Black designers and so many others, which is huge. Talent and creativity will always speak for itself; we're just offering it a microphone.”
Designers who apply for the diamond credit will be reviewed and approved by a committee that includes Schwartz, Nicole Chapoteau, Vanity Fair’s fashion director, celebrity stylist Jason Rembert, and David Kellie, the CEO of the NDC. In addition to Williams, Schwartz also recruited Tina Knowles and Kelly Rowland as honorary advisors.
And it’s not just a one-time loan—the group will also stand as a guarantor with the diamond suppliers. Once the credit and relationships are established, the designers will have access to diamonds from Lorraine Schwartz and NDC's partners, along with their own networks and resources. She partnered with the NDC, whose mission is to educate and protect consumers, because of the far-reaching efforts the group is making to support the industry and ensure diamonds are responsibly sourced.
The applications have started coming in, and Schwartz says the caliber of talent is inspiring. “We want serious designers, people with a passion,” she says. The hope is that as when this diverse group of designers succeed, they will become the leaders and mentors for the next generation.
As for missing red carpet events this season, Schwartz says the dynamic was changing pre-pandemic as more jewelry companies started paying for celebrities to wear their jewelry. “The red carpet used to be so much fun,” she says. “It pushed me to be as creative as possible and I loved it, until I didn’t.”
“I used to love to see celebrities wearing their own jewels or pieces they specifically selected, because it brought out emotion,” she says. “It made them feel confident and sexy, and it got them noticed.”
Even during the pandemic, her clients are still calling for jewelry, for birthdays and gifts or simply to indulge in something sparky—but now they meet over Zoom, or she sends over pieces for them to consider. It's the start of a new era, when even large diamonds and emeralds are sold online—as long as it's by someone buyers trust.
When the events and parties soon return, Schwartz is hopeful that the celebrities will choose to wear the jewels they love, not the ones with a pay-off: “People should wear jewelry that makes them feel fabulous, and that shows on the red carpet.”
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