It all began in a brand strategy workshop in Wellington, New Zealand—a place better known for windblown politicians and Lord of the Rings than revolutionary diamond settings. The Village Goldsmith team had gathered to talk about their future. There was Ian Douglas, the master jeweller with a twinkle in his eye, his wife Christine, the ever-pragmatic anchor of the business, and a young accountant, Chris Benham, who was still figuring out whether this lot was brilliant or completely mad.
As a brand strategist for the workshop that day 18 years ago, I had one simple message for them: “You need a point of difference.”
Ian leaned back in his chair, considering this. “You know,” he mused, “I’ve been thinking… what if we could set a diamond without any metal getting in the way?”
Now, a diamond’s brilliance isn’t just physics—it’s precision, patience, and the perfect frame to showcase it. A master cutter sculpts the sparkle, but the setting decides how the world sees it. Without the right setting, even the most brilliant diamond is just a stone waiting to be noticed.
And so, the three of them—part artisans, part entrepreneurs, and part alchemists—began their long and improbable 18-year journey to create something the world had never seen before: a truly gravity-defying floating diamond.
The hard road to the Holy Grail
The jewellery industry is not known for welcoming outsiders with open arms. It’s a world of old-money elegance, where traditions run as deep as the mines that produce the stones. When Ian and his team knocked on doors, most of them stayed firmly shut. The few that opened let them in just long enough to tell them they were wasting their time.
“This has been the Holy Grail for over a century,” one industry veteran scoffed. “No one’s cracked it.”
That might have deterred a lesser group. But not these three. They weren’t looking for approval; they were looking for answers. They delved into the world of titanium alloys, consulted laser experts, and met with the finest diamond cutters in the world—some of whom, it turned out, shared their obsession with perfection.
After all, a diamond’s journey is simple: first, a cutter liberates the sparkle, then a jeweller makes sure it never goes unnoticed.
Along the way, they crushed more diamonds into sugar than any sane person would admit. (If you’ve never heard the sound of a diamond shattering on a jeweller’s bench, it’s somewhere between heartbreak and a satisfying crunch.) But failure wasn’t failure; it was just another step forward.
Eventually, they had their breakthrough. The Floeting® Diamond was no longer just an idea—it was a reality. A diamond held securely without claws, clasps, or any visible setting, allowing it to shine in its purest, most brilliant form. It was revolutionary. It was beautiful.
Because the true art of a diamond isn’t just in cutting it—it’s in knowing exactly how to let it shine. A perfect diamond is a conversation between nature and craftsmanship—light is simply the witness. It takes 3 billion years for the earth to make a diamond and one bad cut to ruin it—no pressure. A diamond cutter works with microns, a jeweller with millimetres, and together they create something measured in gasps. This innovation is considered the first major change to diamond jewellery design in over 100 years.
Crashing the aristocratic party
But having the innovation was one thing; getting the industry to take it seriously was another.
Picture this: a trio from Wellington, New Zealand—hardly the epicentre of haute joaillerie—walking into the grand salons of the diamond world. These were rooms filled with industry royalty, where access was as much about lineage as it was about craftsmanship. The Village Goldsmith team, by contrast, were outsiders, unknowns. They weren’t exactly invited to the table—they had to fight to get in the door.
And yet, persistence paid off.
It took years of knocking, presenting, persuading, and proving. Years of rejection before someone finally said, “Alright, show us what you’ve got.” And then—at long last—came the champagne. Not just any champagne, but the kind poured when the old guard realises three relentless Kiwis have an idea too good to ignore.
Because, in the end, a diamond cutter and a jeweller are like an artist and a curator—one creates the masterpiece, the other makes sure the world pays attention.
The future is Floeting®
Today, the Floeting® Diamond is more than an idea. It’s a patented breakthrough and a triumph of intellectual property. Its adoption by leading jewellers and fashion houses is a testament to its brilliance—not just in design, but in the sheer tenacity of those who made it happen.
It’s a story that began in 2007 in a strategy workshop, with a conversation about differentiation. From that moment, the team took full ownership of the vision—charting their own course through years of experimentation, discovery, and relentless refinement. The journey of Floeting® has since captivated the world, drawing recognition from global media for its groundbreaking impact.
Esquire marveled at the ingenuity behind the innovation, remarking, “To pull off such a stunt, he (Pharrell) has enlisted the help of Floeting®—a New Zealand company founded by long-time jeweller, Ian Douglas.” The Financial Times celebrated the achievement, noting, “Tiffany is the first jewellery house to use the Floeting platform, which took 17 years to perfect…” Meanwhile, Vogue France captured its essence in a single, poetic observation: “Freed from all metal, the precious stone shines as if suspended above the jewel.”
What began as an audacious idea in a Wellington workshop has now taken centre stage in the world’s most revered jewellery houses. A triumph of vision, persistence, and the courage to challenge convention.
Now the world’s finest stones have found their perfect setting—floating, flawless, and finally, recognised
Breakfast at Tiffany’s — Now with a side of Wellington genius
For decades, Tiffany & Co. has been synonymous with timeless elegance. But if Holly Golightly were peering into their Fifth Avenue windows today, she’d be looking at something entirely new—the Titan collection, a bold departure from the brand’s traditional designs, featuring a breakthrough innovation from none other than Wellington, New Zealand.
Had Holly Golightly wandered into Tiffany’s today, she might have paused mid-croissant. “But darling,” she’d muse, adjusting her pearls, “where are the clasps that hold the diamond?” And the answer, whispered back by the cool blue elegance of the Titan collection, would be: gone. Thanks to the Floeting® Diamond, the Titan range showcases diamonds in their purest form—suspended, unbound, and utterly brilliant.
It’s a story that began not in Manhattan, but on a Wellington jeweller’s workbench – a tale of persistence, shattered diamonds, and a relentless belief that there was another way. And now, that audacity has paid off. The Floeting® Diamond has not only crashed the aristocratic gates of the jewellery trade world, but it’s also partnered with Tiffany, proving that true innovation can come from anywhere – even a city better known for its coffee culture than its crown jewels.
One thing is certain: next time you have breakfast at Tiffany’s, you might just be looking at a little piece of Wellington genius sparkling back at you.
Because, at its core, a diamond is a reminder that the rarest things in life—love, beauty, and brilliance—are shaped, not found.
Ian, Christine, and Chris proved that even in the most aristocratic of industries, there’s still room for the bold, the persistent, and the slightly mad. And I, for one, couldn’t be prouder to have played a part in their incredible journey.
Brian Richards
"Thirty years ago, Brian Richards set out to build New Zealand’s first full-service brand strategy and design consultancy—an ambitious leap that shaped the way businesses think about identity. Fast forward eighteen years, and a pivotal strategy session with The Village Goldsmith uncovered a radical idea—one that would defy convention, challenge the industry, and, after years of relentless refinement, become the Floeting® Diamond."
