DIAMOND TRAILS

An anthology of art and stories centered around natural diamonds and journeys

Five Diamond Stories by Five Writers

Five Paintings by Artist Reena Ahluwalia

Five Ways to Make an Impact

Diamond Trails is a trailblazing art project that merges storytelling, visual art, and community engagement to amplify the mystique of natural diamonds and the journeys they inspire. The aim is to inspire co-creation and highlight the need and importance of individual and collective impact within our diamond and jewelry industry with new-age diamond messaging.

Featuring five stories by renowned writers, each brought to life through the paintings of artist Reena Ahluwalia, ‘Diamond Trails’ celebrates the unity of diverse perspectives. The international Collective includes Avi Krawitz, Shanoo Bijlani, Grant Mobley, Sonia Esther Soltani, and Reena Ahluwalia.

The project, a labor of love, took over a year to complete. The paintings alone required 1,000 hours, aside from the invaluable time spent by the writers envisioning their stories and contributions. The project's vision and reach extends far beyond our stories and paintings, and we are just starting. 

The project was launched and hosted by India’s Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) and was on exhibition at the 2025 IIJS Signature Show in Mumbai, India.

CHECK OUT THE FIVE PAINTINGS & STORIES!

1. DIAMOND RUSH

Story by Avi Krawitz | Painting by Reena Ahluwalia | Size 24 x 18 inches

DIAMOND RUSH | Story by Avi Krawitz - Diamond Analyst, Creator, Consultant and Publisher

It’s ugly beauty, Jo describes the surrounding Namaqualand.

Nestled on the north-western-most tip of South Africa, where the imposing Orange River meets the wild Atlantic Ocean, it’s desert country, with a crosswind that stings. But it’s graced with the most magnificent display of daisies you’ll see if you pass through in the right season. A flamboyance of flamingos adds another splash of color to the typically brown landscape. The hyper-aware ostriches blend in.

It’s a long way from anywhere to Alexander Bay, the final frontier town before the Namibian border where Jo relocated a few years ago. It took time to adjust to rural life, perhaps because of her love for socializing. “I used my best perfume on my first visit to the center of town,” she recalls with a mischievous smile. “But I drove in circles before realizing that the battered old grocery store was it.”

She never quite got used to the dust storms and nothingness above the ground. But she’s there for something even scarcer; the diamond riches that lie beneath the surface.

We move slowly in her four-by-four, nodding at the driver of each passing vehicle, typically a burly, sixty-something Afrikaans man. They make for an odd pairing, but their affection for this charismatic black woman is obvious.

The energy changes as we enter a vast, fenced-off area. Encamped between barbed wire and the shore, it ranks among the longest stretches of “diamond” land. Here, Jo owns alluvial mining concessions.

I believe the weathered warning sign that ‘Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted.’ “If you see a diamond, don’t even think about it,” Jo chuckles. “There are cameras.”

“Come, I want to show you something,” she distracts my gaze on the Atlantic. We navigate beach sand, rockpiles and pools of water before she points to a gorge I would easily have missed.

“That’s our next target! You can see the rock formation and color; there are diamonds in there,” she exclaims. “We call it Klein Kimberley – small Kimberley – because it looks like the famous hole. It will be our little diamond rush.”

2. DREAM ODYSSEY

Story by Reena Ahluwalia | Painting by Reena Ahluwalia | Size 24 x 18 inches

DREAM ODYSSEY | Story by Reena Ahluwalia - Jewelry Designer, Artist and Diamond Trails Project Founder

It was an otherwise unremarkable day as she settled into a cozy seat at her favorite café. The warm light filtered through the window, glowing gold. Breathing deeply, she opened a leather box, inside was a green diamond - a gift to herself after a lifetime of challenges. This was her moment to savor.

Acquiring the diamond had been a journey. When the dealer first showed her the rough stones, they appeared ordinary. Yet, they were a force so dense that they crystalized nature itself. As the rough stone transformed into a polished gem, it mirrored her own journey - shaped by pressure, emerging brilliant. The diamond was the dream she had chased, now gleaming in her hand.

Gazing at the diamond, memories rushed in: battles fought, moments of despair, and hard-won victories. The diamond’s facets reflected her life. Today, she had sold her last remaining stake in the conglomerate her start-up had become. The diamond wasn’t just wealth - it was a testament to her evolution. It was time to rearrange her mind, to embrace the dreams that propelled her forward, and grow into her true legacy.

Suddenly, the friendly café owner tapped her shoulder, handing her a folded note. 'This might resonate with you,' the café owner said knowingly, smiling before disappearing. Unfolding the paper, she read: 'Every diamond starts as a rough stone, just like our dreams.'

In that moment, the realization was crystal clear. Life was no longer about endurance but about thriving, shining, and defying expectations. Her phone buzzed, reminding her to leave for her next appointment. Exiting the café, she stepped into her waiting ride. She smiled, embracing the brilliance of the dreams ahead.

The diamond became hers, and she became the diamond - ready to conquer whatever came next.

3. RED VELVET

Story by Grant Mobley | Painting by Reena Ahluwalia | Size 24 x 18 inches

RED VELVET | Story by Grant Mobley - Jewelry & Watch Editor, Natural Diamond Council

It was a gallery opening I hadn’t planned on attending. I’d been stood up by friends at the restaurant next door, so I wandered in. A painting immediately drew me in—a red diamond, gleaming from the canvas like it had a secret to tell.

That’s when I noticed him. Alex. Handsome and impossibly put together, his look screamed at me like only I could hear it. He stood there, swirling champagne, staring at the same painting. We caught eyes, and he smiled.

I asked him about the piece, using it as an excuse to start a conversation. He admitted that gallery openings weren’t really his thing, but something had pulled him there tonight—specifically, that painting. We spoke like old friends. One drink turned into three, and before long, we found ourselves slipping out into the night, weaving through SoHo’s quiet streets. The conversation flowed as easily as the hours of the evening.

Then, as we sat on a stoop, Alex turned to me. "There's something I need to show you," he said, slipping his hand into his jacket. He pulled out a small velvet pouch and opened it carefully.

Inside was a red diamond, shimmering with an intensity I could feel in my chest. It was exactly like the painting. My breath caught in my throat. It was impossibly beautiful—rarer than any gem on earth, a priceless anomaly.

“My family discovered this in Brazil in the 1700s,” Alex explained. “They’ve kept it hidden all these years, believing it brought them luck. I’ve never really bought into that... until tonight.”

I raised an eyebrow. “What changed?”

He smiled, a bit nervously. “That painting... meeting you. It all feels connected. Maybe it’s not just superstition.”

Alex placed the diamond in my hand, his eyes locking onto mine. “No one has ever seen this outside my family... but maybe it’s time to share its luck.”

The diamond felt warm and strangely alive in my palm. And in that moment, I couldn’t help but think—maybe he was right.

4. LUMINOUS PATH

Story by Shanoo Bijlani | Painting by Reena Ahluwalia | Size 24 x 18 inches

LUMINOUS PATH | Story by Shanoo Bijlani - Editor, Solitaire International, The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC)

THE FULL MOON LIGHT streamed through her bedroom window, adding to her despair. It had been a watershed moment for her – love and career, both had crumbled in a single day. The world felt like a vacuum.

In the stillness of the night, wide awake, she felt all alone, save for the accompaniment of the lonely cry of cicadas in the backdrop.

THEN, THE EARTH SHOOK. Panic surged as her bed became a tomb. Desperation clawed at her as she fumbled for a lifeline to escape to the surface. After some panic-stricken moments, she grappled around and got hold of a rock, a large diamond that pulsed with life, to guide her through the rubble.

She heard a woman’s voice extending her hand to help her out. “Come with me!”

“Who are you,”? she asked.

“I am the guardian of the path, and this diamond has chosen you to enter a dimension where your true journey begins.”

BATHED IN WARMTH OF THE SUNLIGHT, she jerked and sat on her bed! Where was the sparkling rock? Where was the angelic woman?

Through the dream, the universe had subtly ignited her inner strength, awakening the warrior within. And the diamond spoke to her mysteriously, reminding her to stay resilient and rock steady.

She realised that within each of us lies a diamond waiting to be polished - only we can shape and refine every sliver and facet of our personalities.

With a newfound determination, she brewed her coffee, humming Coldplay's lyrics, "Everything you want’s a dream away / Under this pressure, under this weight / We are diamonds taking shape..."  

The world outside was still a storm, but within her, a sunrise was breaking through, illuminating a radiant path to her true self.

5. RING OF LOVE

Story by Sonia Esther Soltani | Painting by Reena Ahluwalia | Size 24 x 18 inches

RING OF LOVE | Story By Sonia Esther Soltani - Jewelry Content Specialist, Consultant and Podcast Host

Her daughters enjoy telling the story of how she had been taking the subway with her 20-carat diamond ring on. “No one would believe it’s a real gem, not glass or CZ,” she laughed. The cushion-cut flawless dazzler had been her 20th wedding anniversary gift, “one carat for each year, to make up for that 20-pointer original engagement ring,” her husband said. She replied she loved both, but the original rose-gold ring, en vogue when they met, had never been seen again. Her children assumed the reminder of less affluent days had been discarded as her jewelry collection grew. To those intrigued by the enchanting stone’s brilliance and fire, she shared that it was a reflection of her marriage’s strength.

Many years later, they left the metropolis that had brought prosperity to cross the sea and live in a city named after a dreamer, overlooking the Mediterranean, in the country where a master cutter had once transformed a beautiful rough stone into her most cherished diamond.

Today she is sitting on the balcony of their house, dressed in a Majorelle blue kaftan that matches the intensity of the sea, her spectacular ring on. She is regaling her grandchildren with memories of arriving in America as a child, and her life in a city that looked like a movie set. She says her favorite stone has never looked more precious. One of the teenagers quips, “It’s because now your diamond is in heaven.” Promptly she replies, “You mean my diamonds?” with a mischievous sparkle in her green eyes and a knowing smile to her husband. She takes off her imposing diamond, turns it around and reveals a 0.20-carat, round brilliant set in the inside of the shank, to the captive audience.

That first diamond has never left her.

MEET THE DIAMOND TRAILS COLLECTIVE