Los Angeles-based jewelry designer Vram Minassian is preparing to unveil his first high jewelry collection outside the United States during Paris Couture Week this July. The presentation will take place in the Seventh Arrondissement, hosted in the showroom of Minassian's cousin, designer and interior architect Chahan Minassian. This event marks a significant milestone for the brand, coinciding with its 10th anniversary and the midpoint of Minassian’s planned 10-part collection series titled Continuum.
Minassian, who has spent more than 25 years in the jewelry industry, initially worked behind the scenes before launching his own brand in 2016. Continuum, his ongoing project, is composed of chapters called Moments, each representing a different thematic exploration. The concept was inspired by his personal life, specifically his marriage and becoming a father at age 50, which led him to contemplate notions of continuity and storytelling through jewelry.
The upcoming Paris collection will feature more than 40 unique, gem-set pieces drawn from the first five moments. These designs range from precise geometric forms to organic shapes inspired by elements such as dinosaur bones and primitive aesthetics. Signature details include intricate stone-setting techniques, ombré color gradients, and Minassian’s custom 18-karat yellow gold alloy, which carries a distinctive peach hue. He also employs unplated white gold in its natural gray tone and sets gemstones in silver to allow a flush surface without visible gaps.
Many of the gems incorporated in his work come from a personal inventory that Minassian has been accumulating since the late 1980s. Among notable pieces to be shown are the high jewelry version of the Xapis ring, featuring a 16.29-carat peach tourmaline encircled by orange sapphires, and the Vyv earrings, which combine pomegranate, purple, and orange sapphires totaling nearly 29 carats. Prices for these creations are available upon request.
Minassian’s craftsmanship has garnered praise from industry figures and collectors alike. Paola Russka, co-founder of a Los Angeles multibrand concept store that has carried his jewelry for a decade, described his work as a blend of organic and cultural influences, appealing especially to professional women for its sculptural quality and balance of masculinity and femininity. Designer Diane von Furstenberg, a known collector of Minassian’s pieces, highlighted the craftsmanship and the strong, statement-making nature of the jewelry without ostentation.
Born in Beirut to a family of Armenian jewelers and watchmakers, Minassian began apprenticing in workshops during his youth. Political unrest in Lebanon prompted his relocation first to Paris and then to Los Angeles, where he studied at the Gemological Institute of America. For nearly two decades, he worked largely behind the scenes as a private-label designer, supplying designs and gemstones for other brands until the 2008 financial crisis disrupted that model. He subsequently launched his own brand and showroom in 2010.
Looking ahead, Minassian plans to explore additional Moments in Continuum centered on themes like belief, industry, technology, and space. The concluding chapter will revisit his initial concept with an ending inspired either by Hollywood motifs suggested as “Rebirth” or a French-style “Disaster,” ultimately circling back to the initial Moment and his signature Echo ring design.