Fans of dark chocolate and black diamonds finally have an opportunity to savor both in one product. Enter the Azature Black Diamond Truffle, a recently unveiled collaboration between former Luxury magazine subject (Spring 2008 issue) and jewelry designer, Azature Pogosian, (known for his black diamond jewelry) and candy maker Chocolate Studio in Tarzana, California.
Pogosian tells JCK that he was looking for something special and unique to give to clients that “made sense” for his black diamond niche and provided some kind of “suspense and surprise for my clients to add to their Azature experience,” he says. “The beauty of Azature has always been the mystery and 007 appeal in everything that we do. [Azature is] a bit dangerous, seductive, powerful, and full of hope.”
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Since Pogosian was also already a fan of Chocolate Studio products, a custom confection was the clear choice.
“My friends joke with me now and say you went from the ‘Black Diamond King’ to ‘Dark Chocolate King’,” he adds. [LOL]
The candy looks like oversized rocks and is made of a rare cocoa bean dubbed Wild Treasure, which grows in the Amazon swamplands of Bolivia. According to Pogosian, only the natives of a few small settlements handpick the cocoa during the harvest. The beans are then processed into chocolate in Europe and the truffles are individually handcrafted by Chocolate Studio.
To develop the right recipe, Pogosian tested chocolate concoctions for three months–much to the dismay of Chocolate Studio, which “was not too happy considering it takes three days to make a single Azature Black Diamond truffle,” he says–until he found the right one.
The result is a decadent new variety of dark truffle. How dark is it?
Pogosian: “I just say, ‘Let me send you a box and you can taste it’; whether you like dark chocolate or not, you will be in love.”
To order, call the Chocolate Studio at (818) 705-2425 or Pogosian at (888) 494-6116. Each truffle sells for $6, a box of four for $24, a box of six for $36, or a box of 12 for $72. Pogosian also aims to distribute the goodies globally and is in negotiations with a few department stores to make that happen.
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