The COUTURE Podcast

During the 2026 COUTURE show, we were thrilled to sit down with the Natural Diamonds Market Lead for De Beers, Sally Morrison, along with Nicole Carosella of Sorellina, David Farrugia of Uniform Object, and Hiba Husayni from ZAHN-Z, to discuss "New Voices in Bridal." Taking into account the results of De Beers' extensive consumer insight studies, these three designers shared their personal experiences working directly with couples embarking on the ultimate commitment and the (not always subtle) shifts in their approach to the process. 

At the 2026 COUTURE show, we were delighted to host the Honorable Bogolo Joy Kenewendo, the Minister of Minerals & Energy for Botswana, who sat down for a fascinating conversation with long time COUTURE designer, Jade Trau. The two bonded over being "diamond babies," they discussed the impact the mines are having on the people and environment in Botswana, and they agreed on the importance of the end consumer wanting to be associated with the prestige of owning a diamond that has given the opportunity of existence and reduced the existential crisis for wildlife, flora and fauna. 

For this year’s COUTURE Takes Tucson podcast, I pulled aside a record number of designers and brand directors to see if I could get them to encapsulate the beauty of the Tucson Gem shows. From a first time attendee to designers who have attended for close to 50 years and everything in between, they shared their impressions and allowed us to get a glimpse into the week through their eyes. 

ZAHN-Z designer, Hiba Husayni, made her debut in COUTURE’s 2025 Design Atelier, where she took home Best in Debuting at the COUTURE Design Awards. Her Zaha and Sadaf collections are now core to her distinct, aesthetic DNA, and her pieces are becoming increasingly well known throughout the industry and beyond. It was an absolute joy to sit down with Hiba to talk about her journey to jewelry design, to hear about her experience working with her mentor and her fellow mentees in COUTURE’s volunteer designer mentorship program, and to learn what’s on the horizon for ZAHN-Z.    

De Beers recently launched their first “beacon” campaign in over a decade, “Desert Diamonds.” The campaign is all about the diamond itself, and focuses on a palette of colors, from soft white to deep brown and all of the shades in between. On the heels of their star and talent-studded launch event in New York City, we spoke with Sally Morrison, Market Lead, Natural Diamonds, for De Beers Group who shared information about De Beers’ consumer insights studies, the many touchpoints that are going into their robust marketing and promotional efforts, and the ways in which designers and retailers can get in on all of the action.  

Tracr is the world’s leading digital platform for tracing natural diamonds at scale. With a complex suite of cutting edge technologies, it provides consumers with the ability to explore the unique provenance and journey of their diamonds. In this fascinating conversation with Tracr’s CEO, Wes Tucker, he shares details about how the platform works, the collaborative approach they take to the business, and the company’s strategies for promoting the health and vitality of the industry as a whole.

In his new role as COUTURE’s Brand Director, Eric Ford is poised to leverage his accumulated knowledge, wisdom and expertise to help COUTURE realize its full potential. Knowing, from personal experience, how lucrative it can be for a store to focus on growing its designer fine jewelry offerings, he has also seen first-hand how effectively conveying an artist’s story can turn a casual consumer into an avid collector. 

The Tucson Gem Shows in February each year are a destination for designers and retailers who want to hunt for particular stones, discover new deposits, foster and nurture relationships with miners and dealers from across the globe, and get an accurate assessment of the current state of the market. It is also a source of inspiration and chance encounters under the sun, and in our latest episode of The COUTURE Podcast, our "man on the street" interviews provide insights into why Tucson is a mecca for anyone obsessed with our trade. 

Over the past three decades, Laura Bicego of NANIS has solidified her reputation as a pioneer in fine jewelry design. Her pieces cater to the nuances of contemporary, stylish women, with transitional pieces that can be worn in multiple ways a core element of her collections from the very beginning. In our latest COUTURE podcast, Laura shares how growing up in the industry has affected her approach to the design process, the joy she finds in pairing a piece of jewelry with its rightful owner, and the care with which she nurtures the unique culture of her company. 

Since it was founded in 1999, Jewelers For Children has donated over sixty four million dollars to nonprofits serving kids that are facing impossible circumstances. We had the opportunity to sit down with the organization’s Director, Sara Murphy, to learn more about the impact all of our efforts have had on the lives of kids in need, to discover the ways in which anyone can get involved, and to learn more about what the future holds for our industry’s charity.