Belgian- born designer Jonathan Riss has always had a proclivity for beautiful design and intricate detail. At 18, he had wanted to become an architect and contemplated on a move to New York. Ever the artistic nomad though, he disliked the thought of being geographically static while going through formal education. And so he travelled-- to learn. However it was not in architecture that he would realize his niche. Finding himself working in a fabric mill in Ukraine that manufactured garments for the Soviet army, Jonathan went through training in a design- related but entirely different industry, "I used to make thread from cotton, and from the thread to make fabrics. I mostly designed and manufactured fabric for home decoration." The perennial adventurer in him later led him to Bombay, India, and it was there that he discovered his love for embroidery and for diamonds. He crossed to Kashmir to learn more about another precious fabric, cashmere. But because of his passion for diamonds, he resolutely set out for Angola for the diamond trade. And in 2004, Jonathan Riss won the prestigious De Beers Diamond International Award for design.