In celebrity culture, jewellery has always been a mainstay symbol of success and wealth. Musicians, actors and the like all donning vintage watches and iced-up hands and necklines. We get absorbed in the opulence, marvel at the expense and envy the beauty. We all see the sheer scale, and wonder how far the upper echelon will go to stake their claim. And yet, there is an inherent beauty in all of it...

One look into New York Jeweller Vladdy's Diamonds, and you get the sense that this attraction to symbols of status is more deeply rooted in workmanship and a sense of community than it is opulence. Vintage Rolex's transformed, reinvigorated - custom necklaces star-speckled with diamonds, engagement rings, bracelets - each revealing something about their wearers.

For owner and founder Vladdy Aminov, jewellery is about the people. 

Immigrating from small town Russia to Brooklyn when he was 8 years, Aminov's journey already sounds poetic. He dropped out of school, worked two dreary part-time jobs until he found himself an intern at a local Jeweller. There, he discovered a love for the process - his role in helping people discover themselves through Jewellery. 

"It never fails to amaze me how precious metals and stones with brilliance become family heirlooms and I'm humbled to be a part of that."

He had his fair share of challenges at that, facing harassment and bullying on his way to starting his own business. But it was then, through Vladdy's Diamonds, that Aminov found his true purpose. 

"Failure in my definition equals strength. It's a sign for change as well as striving in the right direction. When we fall our instinct is to get back up."

Today, on Canal Street in Little Italy, customers and celebrities alike flock to Vladdy's Diamonds flagship location to lather themselves in diamonds. On Vladdy's instagram page, we see short glimpses of reveals, the reactions of loved-up clients getting engaged, and of custom pieces fresh off the press. We get to appreciate the art in each piece, and get a true sense of the workmanship involved in bringing them to life. 

It is small businesses like Vladdy's Diamonds that build a sense of community - forging culture and showing us the power of jewellery to speak beyond form. 

Keep up to date with Vladdy and his business via their socials @vladdysdiamonds.