Making the cut

Making the cut

A few years back, Talitha Cummins was sitting at home making beaded bracelets with her young son when her uncle, Craig Blizzard, happened to call. When she told her uncle what she was doing, he asked her, “What don’t you make the real bloody thing?”

The conversation got Cummins thinking. And with the encouragement of Blizzard — a 50-year veteran of the jewellery business — she decided to take the plunge, launching The Cut Jewellery, a bespoke lab-grown diamond business based in Paddington.

The Cut Jewellery opened in September, with a showroom inside Libertine Parfumerie at The Intersection on Oxford St. It is a collaboration between Cummins, as founder and design director, Blizzard, who is head jeweller, and his daughter Kara Blizzard, who is head designer.

“We’re a bespoke private jeweller crafting rings and fine jewellery utilising lab-grown diamonds,” Cummins says. “My uncle, being a veteran of the industry, has contacts internationally and local suppliers and incredible jewellers. He has always manufactured in Australia and we’re very determined to keep it that way.”

When she made the decision to move into the diamond business, Cummins — formerly a well-known television journalist with the Seven Network — retrained to gain the skills she needed for her new career.

“I went back to the books and studied with the Gemological Institute of America, and went to London for my diamond grading course. And that’s how it all began,” she says. 

“Also, prior to my 20-year journalism career I worked in a jewellery store for about four years so the basis of my knowledge about diamonds was there. I always loved jewellery and the way it can become a talking point or signify a special event. When you ask someone about a piece of jewellery there’s usually a special story attached.”

Cummins says that as she was studying diamonds, lab-grown stones came to her attention.

“While I was there, we were handed a lab diamond and a mined diamond and told to identify which was the one that came from the lab. We quickly learnt there’s no telling them apart. They’re chemically, physically and visually the same as mined diamonds — at a lower price point.”

For Cummins, it was a no brainer to specialise in lab-made diamonds.

“Scientists have been able to simulate the same conditions that occur under the earth to grow the diamonds. The end result is a diamond that is the same as a diamond that comes from the earth. They sparkle in the same way because they are made of the same substance: pure carbon. Not even gemologists can tell them apart — they need specialised equipment to do so,” she says.

And lab-grown stones have some big bonuses over the traditional types.

“The only difference lies in their origin and their cost. Lab diamonds are at least 50% lower (in cost) because they don't have the cost of extraction from the earth attached and are grown in controlled environments.”

As well, lab diamonds carry no taint from the notorious ‘blood diamond’ industry that has given many of the world’s gemstone mines a bad name.

“No digging in the ground for the sake of vanity. That’s the main reason I couldn’t sell mined diamonds. It doesn’t sit right with me. Digging holes for vanity or accessories isn’t a great proposition — and the younger generations are right on board.”

Cummins, who is married to high-profile local Ben Lucas, owner of Flow Athletic, has enjoyed the challenge of changing careers.

”I really wanted to extend myself and see where I could take it,” she says. “I was raising my kids and they’re now both in school and I’m ready for career No. 2. It’s a lot of work and a great challenge and I’m ready for it.”

And the Paddington community has been supportive of the new business.

“We have strong bonds with Paddington. I moved here 13 years ago when I first arrived in Sydney and have lived in Glenmore Rd, Underwood St and all around. We could probably do with a bigger house but we love our terrace and most importantly the Paddo community and area. It has a great down-to-earth vibe about it,” Cummins says.

And the career change has been personally rewarding.

“After I moved through the initial self doubt, I’ve really enjoyed the process and we’ve had a great reception from clients. They love the Paddington showroom where they can sit in a beautiful environment, have a glass of champagne while they shop privately, and we can get a real understanding of who they are and create a piece that reflects them or their partner. 

“The customer-facing part of the business has been a real joy to me. I’ve already met some fabulous humans,” Cummins says.

The Cut Jewellery

Libertine Parfumerie

134-140 Oxford St

thecutjewellery.com.au