Jewelry industry experts Joanna Hardy and Jessica Diamond have joined forces on a new venture that blends responsible jewelry with luxury travel. As Hardy & Diamond Gemstone Journeys, the pair are preparing to demystify gemstone-buying by taking customers straight to the source in Sri Lanka, advising on purchasing and having stones set in a bespoke piece of jewelry. It’s a new concept, that throws open the door to the notoriously murky world of mining and gem dealing for a curious consumer.
A seasoned jewelry editor who has appeared on the mastheads of British Vogue, Wallpaper, and Condé Nast Traveller, Diamond is now watch & jewelry director for The Times and The Sunday Times. She had the idea for the venture while visiting Sri Lanka — famous for its sapphire deposits — and trying to buy loose stones herself. Despite two decades of jewelry industry experience and many years vacationing on the island, buying gems “always felt like a gamble and an expensive one at that,” she explains. “I never felt certain that the stones I was being shown were of good quality, fully traceable from a well-run mine, or fairly priced.”
Diamond developed the idea of offering access to gemstones “in a transparent and fair way,” during an immersive travel experience on which luxury clients could learn about the gems and their origins, visit a mine and be walked through the process of buying gems direct from local dealers. Once home, she would match guests with a designer able to set the stone into a special piece of jewelry in a way that reflected the client’s style.
“I knew that I needed a gemologist with me, and Joanna, as a jewellery and gemstone expert, was the obvious choice,” she says. A familiar face on British screens as the jewelry expert for The Antiques Roadshow and former Sotheby’s jewelry specialist, Hardy brings 40 years of gem and jewelry knowlege to Sri Lanka. “I have visited nearly every significant gemstone deposit in the world, and seen the most amazing gems,” she says. “A passion for a subject comes to life when shared; nothing gives me greater pleasure than being able to share my knowledge.”
Hardy & Diamond will accompany their first cohort of guests to Sri Lanka in April 2026, for a five-night “gem retreat” that promises adventure. On day one, Hardy will give an after-dinner talk on Sri Lankan sapphires and the island’s history, to prepare the group for their visit to an artisanal mine the next day. Although the island is most famous for sapphires; tourmalines, citrines and topaz are also mined on Sri Lanka, which Hardy explains is “unique, in that it does not entertain large-scale mining… the gemstones are mainly found in alluvial deposits and are therefore very accessible”.
“We are working with a mine owner who I have known and trusted for a long time,” she explains. “It will be an exciting experience to show how a mine operates, and you never know, we may even find some sapphires!” A day later, guests will be taken to an award-winning luxury location to meet dealers. “Prices will be fair, and with Joanna and myself on-hand to help, it will feel very different to the normal selling experience on the island,” says Diamond. The trip will close with a final dinner at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Galle Fort, before guests fly home with their purchases, informed, inspired and ready to work one-on-one on the final piece, with a jeweler from Hardy & Diamond’s extensive contacts book.
With costs of raw materials rocketing and consumer disposable incomes dwindling, it’s a tricky time for the jewelry world, felt most keenly by independent designers and makers. Hardy & Diamond see introducing their clients Gemstone Journeys to contemporary jewelers as a way to support small businesses and their craft, and will take no commission on the final piece. “In an industry that survives and thrives on client acquisition, this is key,” says Diamond.
With other destinations in sight — why not visit Japan to buy pearls, or Australia to buy opals? — it’s a concept with potential. As the jewelry-buying public becomes better informed and more curious about gemstone provenance and sustainability, the market for trips like these could be significant. Initial interest, mainly from potential clients in the UK and US, has been “amazing. We’ve had interest from couples, women travelling on their own or as groups of friends,” says Diamond, “there is also scope for jewelers to offer bespoke trips to their own clients.”
Behind Hardy & Diamond, are two women combining forces in support of the jewelry industry, to offer a new way for the luxury consumers to experience and buy gemstones. “New ideas are not easy to come up with,” says Diamond. “But if you’re passionate about the jewelry industry, your drive and desire to make it happen will carry you far. Go for it – we need fresh thinking and innovation.”
The first Hardy & Diamond Gemstone Journeys trips are to Sri Lanka, April 22 – 27 and April 27 – May 2, 2026