Chris Aire has dazzled his loyal clients with his handmade, innovative and dramatic diamond jewelry and watches for over 25 years.His client list is a roll call of Hollywood’s elite, while his life journey and entrepreneurial vision could easily be the stuff of a Hollywood movie. In 2004 Chris Aire made fashion history. With Naomi Campbell on the runway, he became the first jeweler to stage a jewelry catwalk show at New York Fashion Week. The following year, May Andersen sashayed down Chris Aire’s runway wearing a $41 million dress 3000 hours in the making, Wyclef Jean performed with the help of a $500,000 diamond-coated guitar and the room brimmed with Chris’s friends and clients including Nelly and Vince Carter. The moment Chris appeared to take his final bow, the entire audience impulsively rose to their feet in rapturous, loving applause.

 

But Chris Aire’s story did not start out this way. After leaving his family in Nigeria while still a teenager, Chris moved to America and made his way through acting school in California, working full nights in a fast restaurant and catching precious sleep whenever he could in his rusty old BMW. After a short-lived foray into music and acting, a friend’s father gave Chris his first opportunity in the jewelry business. It was here he discovered his true passion for gemstones and intricate craftsmanship. After 6 years Chris had saved $5000. Carrying a few prototypes of his designs around with him, he spent a year frequenting the hotspots where he knew his dream clients were regulars.

 

The day Chris sold basketball legend Gary Payton a platinum basketball pendant, plus charms and bracelets for the rest of his team, he could hardly have imagined he would soon become the go-to jeweler for the NBA’s biggest stars, the film industry’s A-list and jewelry lovers around the world – whether for his signature dog tag pendants, his elaborate bespoke commissions or his trademarked and widely emulated Red Gold® collection. In introducing Red Gold® and in securing a cult following amongst America’s luxury aficionados, Chris Aire has contributed to opening up the wider jewelry and watch industry to the tune of billions of additional dollars in sales.

 

 

True to his African roots and the owner of his business, Chris prides himself in sourcing gold and diamonds from his native Africa where he has personally invested in mines. He is fully committed to working with only conflict-free diamonds and eschewing child labor. Today as Chris opens his first flagship store in Beverly Hills, he remains as passionate as ever about making his clients feel fantastic in his jewels and putting his heart and soul into everything he does.