Africa and diamonds are a natural combination. But African designers with the experience and the taste for working in the West are just a few: these include Catherine Sarr, born and raised in France but originally from Benin, who then chose to live and work in London. Before founding Almasika, he worked for several luxury brands, including De Beers. The Catherine passion for jewelry goes hand in hand with a fascination for the traditional designs of his country of origin. Almasika is the result of this ambivalence. The name comes from Almasi, the Swahili word which means diamond, and Sika, which means gold in various West African languages. An example was his first collection, The Cauri Endiamanté, which takes the shape of a shell, a classic shell, the cowry. This shell was once a symbol of prosperity, spirituality and fertility: has been used for ornaments and even as currency in several African kingdoms, becoming synonymous with wealth and fortune. And yet they are used by diviners, or worn as a talisman. In this case, however, they also are an appreciable jewels made with gold and diamond. Lavinia Andorno
