Elinor Avni

For Creative Director Elinor Avni, design is part of her DNA. The daughter of an artist who grew up partly in New York City, Elinor has long held an appreciation for design though being immersed in boundaryless creative environments since an early age. Elinor’s background in architectural design and her urban upbringing has shaped her design approach, today being the root of her inspiration behind her fine jewelry designs for Âme.

After 10 years working in architectural and interior design, Elinor pivoted into designing products with a focus initially on interior and home pieces.

Inspired by her mother who is a sculpter, painter and classic jewelry maker, entering the world of jewelry design was an organic and natural transition for the creative, with a passion for fashion and accessories. Now the visionary behind Âme’s lab-grown diamond jewelry collections, Elinor brings her unique design perspective driven by an architectural background, appreciation for nature and personal flair to the fine jewelry house. A true believer that diamonds shouldn’t be preserved for the most special of occasions, Elinor champions their everyday celebration, designing extraordinary pieces for the modern woman to wear from day to night.

How has your background in architectural design influenced your jewelry designing?

I worked in architectural and interior design for 10 years before pivoting into jewelry design, and my background has shaped my design approach immensely. It all comes down to the way I approach design from the initial concept. From working on commercial hospitality projects to tiny, intricate jewelry designs, I am able to scale my designs from large down to small by honoring and applying my core design principles. As well as interior and architectural design, I also designed furniture, and this is where my journey in product design began. I started to extend the mediums of my design, and gradually shifted to jewelry as it had always been a passion of mine. My mother, who is an artist and jewelry maker, was able to show me the ropes and since then I've not looked back. Designing is part of my DNA, it’s who I am and it’s what I’m good at. I feel lucky to be able to make a living out of what I’m truly passionate about.

How are architecture and nature connected through your designs?

My career in architecture led me into the world of jewelry design. It certainly feels as though it was a very organic journey, slowly transitioning into different design verticals. Naturally, I borrow concepts from architecture as I’m so used to working with structural forms and I love to borrow different concepts from different areas of my life. I feel so inspired by natural forms; the trees outside of my studio with its beautiful naked branches during the fall, cracks on a piece of marble or the way a shadow is cast on the pavement. Inspirations from both architecture and nature are intuitively integrated into my way of thinking and designing, and have become my core concepts from which my designs are conceived. Each Âme jewelry collection is unique yet connected through this concept that runs through the center of each design.

What is your largest source of inspiration from nature?

I can’t pinpoint it to one thing alone, it really depends on the object I stumble upon. Nature is a constant source of inspiration for everyone I believe. For me, it’s what keeps me balanced during challenging periods. My daily walk to the studio takes me on a beautiful route amongst trees and greenery which I soak up as I start and end my day. I collect little pieces of branches or extraordinary stones that catch my attention and store them all in a trinket box that I like to look through when in need of some inspiration.

What are core design values present in Âme’s jewelry pieces?

The main design concept for each and every Âme jewelry collection is to design pieces that women would love to wear. At Âme, we create wearable pieces and encourage women to wear diamond jewelry both day and night. We feel that women should feel free and comfortable wearing our beautiful jewelry pieces everyday, not just for a special occasion, and for this reason our designs are kept lightweight and versatile. Each of our collections are individually unique in design yet these ideas run through each and every piece, uniting our designs and honouring the Âme brand values.

Is there a size limit to the diamonds that you grow in the laboratory?

There is indeed a limit to the size of the diamonds we can grow in the laboratory, but we are working to break the limits of lab-grown diamond production. With a talented team and the latest technological advancements, our jewelry pieces are innovative and progressive. For me, the most important element of laboratory-grown diamond production is centered around the incredible possibilities derived from creating diamonds ethically ourselves, knowing where they have come from and having greater control over the design and cut.

How much precision is there in growing a diamond?

Growing our own diamonds is a truly refined experience. Using the finest, cutting-edge technology we are able to take the level of precision that goes into growing each diamond to another level to create exceptional diamonds that concord with my designs. We can produce round, baguette, emerald, trillion and square cut diamonds all in a range of sizes.

How has growing the diamonds yourself changed the way you design?

It removes all boundaries. For our first collections I used diamonds in sizes that are not seen often on today’s market as I was able to create diamonds that fit my designs, and not the other way around which is typical for the jewelry industry. It’s an incredible concept that I can design a piece, and then grow the diamond specifically to match. There are many exciting things in the near and far future of Âme jewelry in terms of diamonds and design and I feel blessed to be involved in such a project.

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Creative Director