There’s no doubt diamonds are Ange Hardy’s best friend. She spends $40 million each year on her passion for finding the ultimate sparkler – but she doesn’t get to wear a single one.
Ange, from Whangarei, is one of just a handful of international diamond dealers and her expensive gems are worn by top celebrities and rich-listers all over the world.
The 41-year-old says it can be tough being a woman in what is traditionally a male domain. She deals with diamond merchants, usually based in Israel, Belguim or India, whose families have dealt the precious gems for generations.
“The job is often handed down through the generations, from father to son,” she explains. “Almost every single diamond merchant has inherited their job and they’re almost always men.
“Sometimes I wonder if they try to pull the wool over my eyes. I have to be quite tough – tougher than a male would have to be.”
Now based at Michael Hill’s head office in Brisbane, Ange was first employed in the company’s Whangarei workshop, where she learned her craft. Ange herself has been engaged for 18 years and the ring has, of course, three gorgeous diamonds.
She’s also invested in a one carat diamond ring, diamond earrings and a tanzanite ring – which is a rare, bright blue stone from Africa.
“oy taste has got quite expensive. At the moment I’m looking for a 1.5 carat diamond for myself and it’s a lot of money. They retail for between $12,000 and $60,000, and I’m going for something in between.”
Ange’s only advice to people who want to buy stones or jewellery is to snap up those they fall in love with.
“It’s all about getting a ring that speaks to you, the whole emotion of seeing a ring and falling for it.”
Each year, 350,000 stones pass through Ange’s hands and she confesses to falling a little bit in love with some of the pricier ones, “especially if I’m buying some of the better quality three or four carat diamonds.”
The biggest diamond she’s ever bought was 22 carats for Michael Hill Jeweller. It was set in a ring that was recently modelled by reality TV star Kim Kardashian at the launch of an international competition to find the perfect couple to own it.
Ange says she gets a huge rush from seeing celebrities wearing diamonds she has selected.
“It’s quite a buzz for me, coming from little old Whangarei,” she laughs. “I get to travel the world hand-picking the perfect diamonds. It’s always exciting and I feel quite privileged. “
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