Look closely at Lily James in the new Natural Diamond Council campaign and you may notice something signature on the actor’s hand: the Shiffon Co. diamond pinky ring that has also graced the fingers of such female-forward fans as Michelle Obama and Serena Williams.
That ring on that woman in this campaign was symbolic in more ways than one. For Shiffon founder Shilpa Yarlagadda, it is a celebration of everything her brand stands for in terms of female empowerment and community building. But it also is a way to highlight the journey Yarlagadda has taken to get to this point and what she is doing to continue her mission in jewelry.
“I’ve always loved the spiral,” says Yarlagadda. “It’s a significant and ancient shape. It connects to women’s journeys and startup journeys. You’re always coming back to the same point, but you have grown. It’s about the upward spiral in life—no matter the hardship, you’re coming back with more knowledge and growth.”
Yarlagadda understands the ups and downs of the jewelry business intimately. She famously started her brand as a Harvard college student, working out of her dorm room. Shiffon began with just the Duet pinky ring on purpose; her goal was to perfect each Shiffon product and hone a message that women can not only be the change but “wear the change,” as she says.
A portion of Shiffon’s jewelry sales goes toward Yarlagadda’s Startup Girl Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) that invests in female-founded companies. Startup Girl provides the seed investment and receives a percentage of equity to create future investments, Yarlagadda says. Startup Girl has invested in a dozen companies to date, including an app, a hot sauce company, and a skin care line.
Yarlagadda grew up in Los Altos, Calif., in the heart of Silicon Valley, so she knows investors and entrepreneurs go together like peanut butter and jelly. She hopes Shiffon’s jewelry stands not only as an asset of value but also as a “silent yet strong symbol” of how these efforts can change the world.
For the Natural Diamond Council, working with Yarlagadda and Shiffon is a compelling meeting of the minds and philosophies.
“Featuring the Shiffon pinky tennis ring in our ‘To Treasure, Now and Forever’’ campaign was important, as it reflects contemporary mission-driven design for the empowered woman who empowers others,” says Kristina Buckley Kayel, the NDC’s North American managing director.
“Our new Global Ambassador, actress Lily James, represents the quintessential modern woman who covets unique design and cares about conscious, purposeful, and sustainable luxury,” Kayel says. “As a brand-agnostic, not-for-profit entity, the NDC celebrates the exciting array of diamond jewelry and versatile styling offered by our category today, from diamond classics to the new essentials to innovative designs.”
Yarlagadda believes her “pinky promise” ring is an innovation that resonates both within the industry and with the consumer as she launches new products, including her new 1972 tennis ring. That ring is named for Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits sex discrimination—including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity—in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.
“Something that’s so small and simple and makes such a difference,” Yarlagadda says. “It’s the people who wear it that make the story and the mission so real. It’s the energy we’re creating through the ring that’s doing it.”
Top: The Natural Diamond Council’s newly appointed Global Ambassador, actor Lily James, wears the Shiffon spiral-shape and symbolic pinky ring in its new campaign that encourages consumers to seek natural diamonds “To Treasure, Now and Forever” (photo courtesy of the Natural Diamond Council).
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