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Le Vian: The Brand Story
Known for their famous Chocolate Diamonds and use of bold, vibrant gemstones, Le Vian manages to expertly combine high-fashion style with innovative, handmade design. Ernest Jones is proud to be an official Le Vian retailer and partner, offering a beautifully crafted range of Le Vian engagement rings, Le Vian wedding bands and romantic Le Vian jewellery.
With a 500-year history that has taken Le Vian from adorning ancient royalty to becoming a red-carpet regular, here we’ll take a look at what makes this unique family-run business so special.
The history of Le Vian
Le Vian has a rich and impressive history that stretches back over 500 years, to the 15th century, when the family-owned jewellery business was created in Persia. By the 1700s, Le Vian was renowned for being a purveyor of the finest jewellery and so good was their reputation that Persian ruler Nadir Shah chose the Le Vian family to safeguard the precious jewels he had amassed during his invasion of India. This collection included the legendary Koh-i-Noor diamond, which is now under lock and key at the Tower of London as part of the Crown Jewels.
Le Vian has a rich and impressive history that stretches back over 500 years, to the 15th century, when the family-owned jewellery business was created in Persia. By the 1700s, Le Vian was renowned for being a purveyor of the finest jewellery and so good was their reputation that Persian ruler Nadir Shah chose the Le Vian family to safeguard the precious jewels he had amassed during his invasion of India. This collection included the legendary Koh-i-Noor diamond, which is now under lock and key at the Tower of London as part of the Crown Jewels.
Le Vian through the generations
The LeVian family’s passion for precious gemstones was passed down through the generations, and in 1950 Abdulrahim Ephraim LeVian emigrated from Persia to America. Shortly after, he founded the United States division of the Le Vian® company and began to debut the family’s extraordinary designs. Abdulrahim Ephraim LeVian developed a fascination for fancy coloured, single-sourced gems and began to import vast quantities of Persian turquoise in the 1970s, and tanzanite and sapphire in the 1980s and 1990s. This allowed Le Vian to select only the best stones for its collections and to offer them at very attractive prices. Not only did this give Le Vian an edge in a competitive market, but it laid the foundations for the brand to grow into the renowned luxury jewellery company that it is today.
Le Vian’s unique designs
With so many top-class jewellery brands vying for attention, Le Vian has consistently managed to stand out by creating truly unique pieces. In a market where originality can be hard to come by, this is a real testament to the individuality of their designs. Eddie LeVian, the current CEO and son of Abdulrahim Ephraim LeVian, invests a great deal of money each year into new product development, to ensure that Le Vian designs stay bold, innovative, and ahead of the curve. Integrity, as well as a determination to offer unique pieces of exceptional beauty at affordable prices, sits at the heart of Le Vian’s philosophy.
All jewellery in the Le Vian collection is created using innovative design and expert craftsmanship and, even to this day, many pieces still boast a Persian influence which can be seen in the unique combinations of coloured diamonds, gems and gold. In 2000, after substantial investment, Le Vian initiated the Chocolate Diamonds® collection and some twenty years later, Le Vian remains the world’s exclusive seller of Chocolate Diamonds.
Le Vian Chocolate Diamonds
Since their launch in 2000, Le Vian’s Chocolate Diamonds collection has become a much-loved alternative to traditional diamond engagement rings. Once deemed to be inferior to white diamonds, brown diamonds are now a growing favourite amongst lovers of unique jewellery and have been welcomed by women all over the world. Other than the obvious aesthetic appeal of brown diamonds, their rising popularity is largely due to Le Vian’s “Chocolatier” marketing and their commitment to showcasing the brilliance of these rare stones. A chocolate diamond’s beautiful brown or golden colour is entirely natural and is only found in less than 1% of the diamonds mined worldwide. Despite this, these unique stones were under-appreciated until recently, which makes Chocolate Diamonds extremely rare but surprisingly affordable. Today, the Le Vian registered trademark of ‘Chocolate Diamond ®’ is an assurance of the stones high-quality.
The main source of brown diamonds is the Argyle mine, located in Australia. Le Vian applies the most demanding standards when deciding whether a diamond is of sufficient quality to become a Chocolate Diamond. For coloured diamonds, the strength and depth of colour are key factors for grading. All Le Vian Chocolate Diamonds must achieve a rating of between C4 and C7 on Argyle’s colour scale - diamonds within that range are the richer, deeper champagne colours. The clarity of a Chocolate Diamond must be graded SI or higher, which means any naturally occurring inclusions, or marks, are not visible to the naked eye. Just 5% of all diamonds from the Argyle mine will meet these exacting standards.
Le Vian Rings
The impressive collection available at Ernest Jones includes romantic Le Vian diamond rings, contemporary wedding bands, and stylish dress rings in a variety of fancy colours. From striking emeralds to cool aquamarine, and vivid tanzanite to chocolate diamonds, the vibrant colours are further emphasised by their precious metal settings, which include warm strawberry gold and white vanilla gold. With such a wide range of gemstone colours and styles to choose from, you’ll be sure to find the perfect piece to suit your style and budget within the Le Vian collection.
Le Vian Jewellery
In keeping with Le Vian’s ambition to create the world’s most beautiful designs, the collection of Le Vian earrings, bracelets, and necklaces reflect the brand’s commitment to timeless, elegant styles that ooze luxury and indulgence. Whether you are looking for a meaningful gift for a loved one or a special treat for yourself, the Le Vian jewellery collection offers a range of dazzling options. From striking pendants to sophisticated Chocolate Diamond earrings, you’ll be spoilt for choice. And with pieces starting from £99 and available in strawberry gold, vanilla gold, and honey gold settings, there is something to suit all tastes.
From royalty to red carpet
To ensure they remain authentic, Le Vian never pays celebrities to wear or endorse their collections. However, their reputation for designing exquisite pieces of the very highest standard has gained them a legion of fans from royalty to Hollywood stars. Le Vian pieces have adorned the necks, wrists, and hands of some of the world’s best-known celebrities, including the likes of Beyoncé, Michelle Obama, Jennifer Lopez, and Chrissy Teigen.
Le Vian Traditions
As a private, family-owned business, Eddie LeVian and his family demonstrate their integrity and responsibility both within the jewellery industry and to the wider community. Le Vian will only source and mine in conflict-free regions, and trading ethically with its partners is of paramount importance. Le Vian even has a board mandate that at least 10% of the company’s profits are donated to charity. The business is also involved in a variety of causes, from supporting medical charities to building schools in the areas where their diamonds are mined. It is this unwavering commitment to their craft and to giving back – as well as a passion that has lasted through the generations – that is responsible for building Le Vian into such a successful and highly respected brand.
Discover Le Vian at Ernest Jones
At Ernest Jones, we understand the importance of finding the perfect piece, and with so many eye-catching designs to choose from, we know that narrowing down your options isn’t always easy. If you have any questions or would like to discuss Le Vian products, or any of our other collections, in more detail, book a complimentary in-store or virtual appointment with one of our dedicated jewellery experts, who’ll be happy to help.