This story appeared in USAToday.com on 01/20/2001 - 06:10 PM ET

Rafinity's gems bedazzle stars

By Kelly Carter, USA TODAY
PHOTO: Jennifer Lopez. (Isabel Stolte, AP)

Diamonds are forever: Owners Ann Whatu and Raffi Kouyoumijian go for unique, fun look.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Halle Berry, Jennifer Lopez, Courteney Cox Arquette, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Lisa Kudrow and Jane Krakowski all have a new best friend. The stars have snapped up diamonds from Rafinity, a tiny jewelry store that has replaced such firmly entrenched jewelers as Harry Winston, Fred Leighton, Bulgari and Cartier among many young celebrities. Last week, Rafinity loaned four pieces to Lopez for the American Music Awards, and she ended up spending $15,000 to buy three of them. (Lopez also sported Rafinity rings to last year's Grammys, but all the attention went to her barely-there Versace frock.)

Berry recently took home an $18,000 pinkie ring, $3,000 diamond hoops and a $2,000 diamond bracelet. The 7-carat, $12,000 diamond snowball ring Faith Hill wears in the Grinch video "Where Are You Christmas?" was designed by Rafinity.

Established in 1989 by now amicably divorced Ann Whatu and Raffi Kouyoumjian, Rafinity prides itself on custom-made and unique pieces. Some of their rings are as pretty inside as out.

"We go to great lengths traveling, finding things and making things so that you find stuff in here that you haven't seen in Saks and Neiman's and your neighborhood jewelry store," says Whatu, a gemologist whose business is 80% diamonds.

Rafinity made part of Cox Arquette's wedding set and is designing the wedding rings for Berry and fiancé Eric Benet.

"They make diamonds young again," Berry said this week as she looked at a chocolate diamond bracelet and multicolored sapphire and diamond rings in the store, located on the popular Third Street Promenade. "For a while, diamonds were for older people. And they're great about helping you find what works for you. It's not just, 'This is what everybody is wearing so you should have one of these.'"

Both Sela Ward, clad in a 6.60-carat grid choker worth $18,000, and Patricia Heaton, in a 3-carat $7,500 diamond cross, wore Rafinity jewels when they won Emmys last fall. Chances are, some starlet will wear Rafinity at Sunday's Golden Globes.

"They have fun, are kind of rock 'n' roll and are always ahead of the trend," says celebrity stylist Ricci DeMartino, who looks to Rafinity first for his clients and will dress Heaton, a presenter, at the Globes.

Rafinity is working on a website. Take a peek at Rafinity.com.

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