Haute Couture Week 2025: Exploring the Debut High Jewellery Collection of Sahag Arslanian

This July’s Haute Couture Week in Paris was marked with the exciting launch of a new high jewellery brand that bears the name of its founder. Third-generation diamantaire Sahag Arslanian presented his inaugural series of high jewels, drawing inspiration from the power of the sun and the cosmic world. There are three collections to tap into – Sun Rays, Lunar Eclipse and Celestial Radiance – each in a palette of rich yellow and brilliant white diamonds. But before we dive into this meticulously constructed selection of jewels, I’d like to tell you more about Sahag, his family history, and his approach to design, which blends engineering precision, a focus on ergonomic construction and a purposeful approach to diamond cut and shape. Let’s explore together…  

If you have experience in the world of diamonds, you may recognise the Arslanian name. Sahag Arslanian’s grandfather got his start in the early 1950s in Paris, followed by Antwerp, where he established a rough diamond buying enterprise focusing first on the African continent and then on other diamond-producing countries such as Brazil, Venezuela, and even Australia. In the years that followed, the business added cutting and polishing factories to its repertoire, located first in Armenia, then South Africa and now in Angola, and began specialising in sourcing and manufacturing large rough diamonds, including colourless and fancy-coloured gems. 

Today, the Arslanian Group has a foothold in Antwerp, Angola, Dubai, Hong Kong and New York, and is recognised for its deep expertise, integrity and access to the world’s most sought-after coloured stones. Sahag is the third generation of his family to continue this legacy, serving as Managing Director of his eponymous company and establishing a high jewellery brand to take its global presence and reputation to the next level. 

“My father always told us that being a part of this family, there were two ways to go – either follow the diamond sourcing path or go into jewellery retail,” Sahag tells me. “So much time during my childhood was spent in the office seeing diamonds and learning about operations.”

Transitioning into high jewellery is not easy, but Sahag has taken the whole process in his stride. Drawing inspiration from art and engineering, I would say his signature style is deceptively understated, crisp, clean, precise and beautifully wearable, often incorporating transformable elements and always focusing on comfort. His debut high jewellery creations, which are inspired by the cosmos, were crafted in France, Italy and Portugal using a combination of colourless diamonds and fancy yellow diamonds. In my conversation with Sahag at Haute Couture Week, we spoke about how fancy yellow diamonds are often “underplayed” in very classical designs, meaning there’s plenty of scope to create modern yet timeless pieces within this shade range. 

So why were celestial bodies chosen as a source of inspiration for the inaugural collection? I found Sahag’s explanation rather fascinating: “When you source or cut coloured diamonds and want to bring life out of them, you must have an element of faith. Weren’t we lucky to have found the Ocean Dream that was forming under the Earth’s crust in Central Africa for a billion years? You must believe that something extraordinary awaits! So, the inspiration for the collection comes from this element of faith in coloured diamonds, and when you call upon faith, you look up at the sky.”

What I noted about the Sun Rays, Lunar Eclipse, and Celestial Radiance collections while examining one jewel after another is the way white and yellow gold are used in conjunction with white and yellow diamonds. Every design element is thought through, such as setting pavé diamonds on white gold to enhance their brilliance, while keeping yellow gold separate to add depth and warmth. This adds the visual clarity of each design and ensures the yellow and colourless hues remain distinctive, noticeable, and in perfect harmony. Pieces also incorporate carefully hidden, adjustable joints for flexibility and comfort (a technical challenge given the use of diamonds), which again reflects the engineering DNA at the heart of the brand. Lastly, I was impressed by the transformability evident in all three chapters, including pendants that transform into brooches and necklaces that can be worn in multiple ways.  

One thing that Sahag Arslanian is adept at is choosing the perfect size of diamonds. They always add impact and commanding size without being disproportionately massive (and therefore prohibitively expensive). The Sun Rays ring, for example, carries a 3.38-carat pear-shaped fancy yellow diamond, surrounded by an array of round diamonds totalling 1.45 carats. Similarly, the Sun Rays bracelet holds one statement gem – a 3.11-carat pear-shaped fancy yellow diamond – surrounded by 6.68 carats of pear-shaped and round brilliant-cut diamonds. 

Next, there’s the Lunar Eclipse collection, which is inspired by the moon’s phases and its “intimate relationship with the sun’s light”. I will admit, this is my personal favourite selection of high jewels because of its beautiful sense of movement and contrast between soft, rounded shapes and spiky adornments. The Lunar Eclipse Grand Collier is the pièce de résistance, set with a 15.59-carat oval-shaped fancy yellow diamond and 18.32 carats of round brilliant-cut colourless diamonds in spheres evocative of the moon, moving through its phases.

The matching earrings also contain oval-shaped fancy yellow diamonds, weighing 2 carats and 2.01 carats, surrounded by 1.46 carats of colourless diamond pavé. Throughout the offering, small, spikey elements are set perfectly to add interest to the designs without coming into contact with the skin and risking discomfort. In total, there are seven creations, including a bracelet, three rings, and a second necklace, all perfectly formed. 

Finally, there’s the Celestial Radiance collection – the most delicate of the three – incorporating three necklaces, one pair of earrings, three rings and a bracelet. A choker bursts with a 10.30-carat yellow diamond, while the Celestial Radiance Grand Collier injects brown hues with the central stone, a pear-shaped 6.35-carat yellow diamond, and 4.76-carats of pear-shaped yellow-brown diamonds and cushion, round, and princess-cut diamonds in both fancy and colourless hues. The kite motif returns in this offering too, especially in the Celestial Radiance ring with a 2.44-carat cushion-cut fancy dark brown-yellow diamond and in a pair of drop earrings with pear-shaped yellow diamonds totalling 3.20 carats. 

As I mentioned earlier, the understated hero across all three collections is the contrast between smooth surfaces of yellow gold and sparkling pavé set in white gold. Without this, Sahag Arslanian’s debut high jewellery offering would be undoubtedly beautiful but missing that extra ‘je ne sais quoi’. In fact, I am told that the Lunar Eclipse collection was initially created in a single precious metal hue, only for it to be completely disassembled and reassembled with the addition of a second tone… that’s when the magic happened! 

Looking to the future, Sahag is preparing to open a showroom in Paris at 34 Avenue Matignon that will welcome his esteemed clients on an appointment-only basis. He is also planning a special launch event with more than 50 guests in attendance. I think this is just the start of an incredible high jewellery journey, and I can’t wait to discover what Sahag does next with his incredible knowledge of diamonds, his remarkable family legacy, and his obvious talent for designing wearable, beautiful and contemporary jewels. Let’s watch this space together.