Family stories are shared around the dinner table, maybe the campfire, and during special occasions. For designer Amina Sorel, jewelry serves as a conduit for those stories, told through precious metal and gemstones.
“I’ve seen charms, necklaces, and wedding rings be passed from one generation to the next as expressions of family history and so much love,” Sorel says. “The thought of one of my pieces as a part of someone’s family story across the transverse of time is more fulfilling than anything else.”
Sorel’s philosophy of making jewelry personal, as well as her custom collections, is what caught the eye of the Natural Diamond Council and Lorraine Schwartz. In January, Sorel became one of six designers in the third cohort of the Emerging Designers Diamond Initiative (EDDI), a program (co-presented by NDC and Schwartz) that seeks to build jewelry powerhouses out of brands ready to grow.
“It is a great honor to be selected to participate in EDDI and engage with so many other aspiring and established artisans in jewelry. The experience continues to spur my creativity and passion for shareable self-expression,” Sorel says. “As a gemologist who loves to tell an enduring story with my pieces, I am excited to introduce a fun, gender-neutral, personalized collection that really brings the wearer’s perspective to life in the form of jewelry.”
Sorel launched her brand, Amina Sorel Fine Jewelry, in 2018. But she worked in fashion and accessories long before that. Her first real job within fashion was at Michelle New York, a Black-owned bridal and ready-to-wear clothing boutique in the Boerum Hill section of Brooklyn, NY.
While at Michelle, Sorel traveled extensively through the United States each summer, hosting high-end trunk shoes, private pop-up shops, and large venue events for the brand’s clients. These experiences taught her how to work closely with clients and what it takes to run a business full time.
But fashion had been Sorel’s focus since childhood. This self-proclaimed “princess tomboy” was the type of kid who swung from tree tires while wearing not just one but two kiddie diamond tiaras. Her mother instilled Sorel with a love of shopping for treasures, negotiating prices and getting a deal each time.
Sorel’s father gave her a love of literature, shaping her mind and spirit, she says. He told her stories of their ancestors, including Agnès Sorel, a historically important mistress of King Charles VII who was known for her love of jewelry and wearing uncut diamonds. With such a lineage, Sorel was destined to go from toddler tiaras to something more.
“Yes, she is my ancestor, and the genealogy results confirmed the family lore of our paternal genetic connection to the many ruling houses, including the Valois and Bourbon dynasties of France,” Sorel says.
It was Michelle Fields, owner of Michelle New York, who, as both a friend and mentor, pushed Sorel to explore her skill set. She suggested Sorel check out the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and GIA to further her education for a potential jewelry career. Sorel attended FIT in 2016, focusing on jewelry design, and graduated from GIA with a certification in gemology in 2018.
Sorel says she saw how fast-paced the industry was, but she also realized she had an eye and life experiences that could align with the worldly focus of jewelry.
“Travel is the impact in my work,” Sorel says. “My parents afforded my brothers and I the gift of global travel since we were children. It provide me with great insights about people, places, culture, and my place in the world as a global citizen. The immersion in various cultures is invaluable and continues to ignite and sustain my creativity.”
These ideals are reflected in which suppliers Sorel works with and in the way she wants to run her business.
“Whether it be Italian gold, diamonds from sustainable mines in Africa, or ethically sourced colored gemstones from Thailand, I love it and am here for it all,” Sorel says. “Through Amina Sorel Fine Jewelry’s choice of high-quality materials, we allow the wearer the comfort of knowing they have an exquisite yet sustainable piece that can be passed down for generations.”
Top: Amina Sorel, a member of the 2023 class of the Emerging Designers Diamond Initiative, has the experience in luxury fashion to make her eponymous jewelry brand a stand-out.(Photo courtesy of Amina Sorel Fine Jewelry)
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