Like many brides-to-be, it was the search for her own engagement ring that sparked Charlotte Freeman’s fascination with diamonds. Little did the Australian fashion entrepreneur know, when she partnered with a New York jeweller in 2017, that her creations would be worn by the likes of Dua Lipa, Sara Sampaio and Rita Ora, and coveted by stylish women in all corners of the globe. And that’s how the story of C Heinrich Diamonds began.
“I was living in New York when I got engaged, and obviously I wanted a say in the ring. I feel like husbands should always give you the choice – although it does mean you’re going to want a bigger diamond!” laughs Charlotte, speaking over Zoom from her current home in Singapore. Her four-carat oval diamond is now set in a sculptural gold mount, after her original solitaire accidentally met the sole of her husband’s shoe. The redesigned ring epitomises the contemporary, statement-making style of C Heinrich Diamonds, the fine jewellery brand Charlotte founded in 2023, after years of working at the heart of New York’s diamond industry.
Charlotte describes herself as “a storyteller in natural diamonds”. Her bespoke engagement rings range from classical designs to modern, chunky creations, which exude Manhattan cool. “We like to keep a traditional element because I want everything to be timeless and last a lifetime,” she says. “But then I love to inject a bit of modern flair, with the boldness of chunky gold, two-tone designs or the pared-back look of a matte finish.”
Her wedding rings range from curvaceous Puffy gold bands to eternity rings formed of various diamond cuts. The pieces are all handmade by master craftspeople in New York’s renowned Diamond District, using natural diamonds sourced, vetted and approved by Charlotte, a trained GIA gemmologist.
“New York is the diamond hub of the world – all of the biggest and best natural diamonds pass through the Diamond District on 47th Street,” she says. Many of her creations feature antique diamonds; beautiful, one-of-a-kind stones brimming with old-world charm.
A-lister diamonds are her forte: Charlotte and her former business partner sourced the diamonds for Emily Ratajkowski’s engagement ring (now famously set in her ‘divorce rings’), as well as Jennifer Lawrence’s five-carat emerald-cut diamond. But it was a chance encounter with Dua Lipa in a Mayfair restaurant in 2023 that put her designs in the celebrity spotlight. Having spotted the singer dining in the private room, Charlotte took off her own diamond and emerald ring and asked a waiter to give it to her. Months later, Dua wore the ring in a TikTok video, which went viral.
“It was crazy because a couple of months previously, I’d done an interview with Vogue and they asked me which celebrity I’d like to see wearing my jewellery: I said Dua Lipa. I essentially manifested it,” says Charlotte. “So that definitely got us more recognition. But we’d also been working with high-profile stylists like Samantha Freidman and tastemakers in New York, as well as influencers like Bettina Looney, who helped to shape our success.”
Charlotte’s bridal clients tend to become hooked on the brand’s contemporary, cool aesthetic. Traditional styles such as diamond tennis necklaces and bracelets are updated with bezel settings, yellow-gold accents and unusual diamond cuts, making them versatile enough to wear day to night. The Triple Bezel Tennis Necklace is a favourite with modern brides: it has an old-Hollywood appeal yet can just as easily be styled with jeans and a t-shirt. “I love it because the diamonds look like they’re floating on your skin,” says Charlotte.
The Two-Tone Pear Diamond Hoop Earrings are glamorous enough to be dressed up – say, for a rehearsal dinner or post-wedding brunch – but look equally chic worn with denim or a summer dress. Likewise, the mixed-metal Chaine D’Ancre Old European Diamond Bracelet makes the perfect wedding-morning gift, and is unlikely to leave your wrist thereafter. For the main event, the Marquise Diamond Leaf Earrings feature a cascade of marquise-cut diamonds: a showstopping option for a black-tie wedding, while the Asscher-cut Diamond Drop Earrings, which were worn by the influencer Rey Vakili for her Sicilian wedding, radiate Art Deco sophistication.
The brand’s signature Triple Bezel necklace is a bestseller. Charlotte says it’s popular with brides who’ve upgraded their engagement ring and still want to wear the original stone every day. “They still want to keep the sentiment of their original centre stone, and turn it into a beautiful, heirloom necklace that maybe one day they will pass on to their daughter,” she says.
As a mother herself, Charlotte recognises that her creations are more than adornments. “Jewellery represents so much more than just a beautiful diamond: it symbolises milestones, special moments, and promises for the future,” she says. That’s why she likes to speak to her clients personally, whether via Zoom or during one of her international trunk shows, to understand their personality and taste.
“Jewellery is so personal, and it’s that one-to-one connection that really elevates the experience,” she says. “It’s an honour to mark such a special chapter in our client’s lives, and to be able to tell somebody’s love story with diamonds. We love watching our clients’ collections grow as they celebrate every milestone. It’s incredibly special knowing that what we create will be cherished for a lifetime and loved by future generations.”
Discover C Heinrich Diamonds here.
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