6 Things You Definitely Need to Know About Diamonds

When the team at Tacori invited me to visit their atelier, perched on a bougainvillea-lined street in Eastside Los Angeles, I felt like I had won a contest. As a self-proclaimed diamond girl, getting an inside look at where Tacori’s pieces are designed and made is probably how regular people feel about being backstage at a HAIM concert. Upon arrival, I was invited to stack on as many infinity bands as my fingers could handle, and as I layered pendant necklaces, I fantasized about having such a luxe stash in my jewelry box IRL.

And for the record, I’m not the only one who has a mad thing for diamonds here at Who What Wear: Our co-founder, Hillary Kerr, is also completely infatuated with excellent jewelry. Below, watch our catch-up with Nadine Tacorian, COO and design director of the Tacori jewelry empire, as she answers our most pressing questions about all things diamonds—and scroll down to hear about the launch of our Who What Wear x Tacori jewelry collaboration we finally get to hint about.

Being the design director of a jewelry empire means finding relentless inspiration in unexpected places. Tacorian told Kerr she first fell in love with diamonds playing with her grandmother’s jewelry as a little girl, but take one look at her mood boards and you’ll see modern architecture pinned next to color swatches and fabric textures. And when you ask Tacorian how these bits and pieces inspire her? That’s when her eyes light up.

I’m always trying to find hacks to keep my jewelry as sparkly as possible without making the trip to get it professionally cleaned. Tacorian swears that the secrets to keeping your diamonds sparkling are probably sitting under your bathroom sink: Firstly, a little glass cleaner is all you want to be cleaning your diamonds with (seriously). And secondly, grab your blow-dryer—it turns out that using warm air to dry it off is the industry insider trick for keeping everything extra shiny.

I’m definitely not going to sit here and pretend like buying diamonds isn’t an investment. So when you’re ready to take the plunge, what’s the first thing you get for yourself? Tacorian recommends investing in a pair of diamond studs. (They’re a classic I also recommend, especially if you have multiple piercings on your lobes—they look insanely chic when paired with more trendy statement earrings or when mixed into an earlobe party with additional classic styles.)

The question to end all questions: Are you a gold or a silver girl? Can’t choose? Neither can I. Tacorian told us she’s a bona fide golden girl, and a few years ago, I’d have said the same thing. These days the thought of mixing metals feels just as chic to me, especially when layering necklaces or stacking rings to give my jewelry pieces a personalized feel, and Tacorian is also all for it. Just like shopping for clothes, make it about whatever you fall in love with and feel confident in.

This past year, rainbow jewelry has undoubtedly been having a moment, and colorful gemstones have been on the rise as an extra-elevated take on this trend. Rainbow brights aren’t for everyone, though, especially when your style veers more toward refined and polished. I’ve been on the fence about colorful gemstones (I’m afraid they’ll feel too young for me), but I’ll take Tacorian’s advice—I’ll find a color I feel confident in and just go for it.

We’re going to let you in on a little surprise: We’ve been secretly working with the Tacori team for the better part of the last year to co-design our dream jewelry collection called Love, Los Angeles. Inspired by both Who What Wear and Tacori’s home city of Los Angeles, the full collection will be launching in October, so prepare yourselves for a bevy of layerable gold chain necklaces you’ll never want to take off and rings you’ll be stacking for days. I personally can’t wait for the on-trend statement earrings, and I have a feeling you’re going to love them too. 

Stay tuned for the full reveal of Love, Los Angeles—until then, we can fantasize about diamonds together.