Chris Aire – The Iceman “You can tell me no, and even no hell no, but the only sound I hear is yes.” These are the words of Chris Aire, the one-of-a-kind jeweler to the stars. And that’s not arrogance talking. It’s simple confidence. As Chris’s impressive list of famous clients from the worlds of sports, film, television and music grew; his passionate preference for diamonds brought the inevitable tags from the international fashion press - “The Iceman”, “Mr. Gem”, “Emperor of Ice” or “King of Bling”. Pretty lofty titles but the truth is Chris is as humble as he is talented. His trend setting creations are collected as unique art by a parade of major celebrities. His work has adorned an extremely diverse group of A-listers. Names like Will Smith, Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Oprah Winfrey, Jay Z, Muhammad Ali, Jamie Foxx, Clint Eastwood, 50 Cent, Adrien Brody, Madonna, Allen Iverson and Snoop Dogg – all have Chris Aire in common. After learning the business from the ground-up and furthering his education at Gemological Institute of America, Carlsbad California, and Chris discovered his talent for design employing diamonds. But no one was lining up to front him the stones necessary to fulfill his creations. So Chris initiated a campaign to sell jewelry that didn’t exist to stars he didn’t know. Pursuing a course most would consider hopeless, Chris spent every waking hour in places he knew he could encounter sports stars. When the opportunity presented itself Chris would display models of his work. Finally he found his first client. NBA stars Gary Payton who ordered a platinum pendant in the shape of a basketball. The diamond studded career of Chris Aire, jeweler to A list stars, was officially born. Chris has been making his sought after jewelry for 24 years. He operates a bustling design studio in Los Angeles, for which he is still the chief. He recently launched a retail outlet in Abuja and has a flagship store scheduled to open in Beverly Hills in August 2012. Getting to this point has not been easy according to Chris, “For years people told me I didn’t belong, that a black man couldn’t sell jewels. Well here I am...” And that fact makes many a star very happy. Listen to Nelly - “His stuff is so personal and so strong you could put it in a museum. You also get the feeling that he lives for this, that he’s down in the lab setting the stones himself like one of Santa’s elves. You want that in a guy you’re spending millions of dollars with that it ain’t about the money but the love”. Chris branded and trademarked Red Gold and his successful marketing efforts are responsible for the surge in sales of Rose Gold and Pink Gold in recent years. He was the first jeweler to stage a show during New Yorks fashion week to showcase jewelry as fashion. Today his private shows set in world capitals from New York, to London to Los Angeles are legendary, attended by celebrities from all walks of life, many of whom love to walk the catwalk modeling Chris’s latest creation in support of his work. His clients are his friends. And his friends are famous.