Nigerian born Thelma West is a rare gem in the diamond world as a woman in a particularly male-dominated sector and with few Africans in a position of leadership, despite the continent being the main source of the precious rocks.
Thelma is the first in her family to work in diamonds, she says;
“I’m honoured to represent Africans and women in the trade and hope to inspire more young girls into the business.”
After attending a prestigious international school in Lagos, West travelled to Britain aged 16 to finish her education and become an engineer, building a solid career for herself. But the sparkle and shimmer of diamonds which had captivated West since childhood was an irresistible allure.
At 17, West headed for Antwerp, the world’s diamond capital and enrolled at the internationally renowned Hoge Raad Voor Diamant school to hone her skills.
After trying for six months in vain to secure an internship, she was eventually taken under the wing of a diamond dealer in the Antwerp diamond bourse, where she got her first experience working with precious stones. West was then recruited by one of the biggest diamond suppliers in Europe based in Spain for their London office.
Working her way up in the trade, West set up her own business in London to trade the precious stone. With a multi-national client base, West deals in diamonds as well as designing and producing exquisite diamond jewellery from her office in Hatton Garden. Helped by a 7-woman team, West creates all her company’s products, which come with a lifetime guarantee. Her most ambitious creation was a custom-made necklace worth around £2 million.
Innovation plays a big part in what inspires Thelma and as such, she is working on a revolutionary tool that will become a part of every trade members daily work life.
Consecutively running three businesses in the diamond industry, from the notoriously male-dominated Hatton Garden, Thelma is truly making waves in the industry and inspiring the next generation of young women.
You can discover more at www.thelmawest.com
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