By Despina Karpathiou
Diamond expert, business owner, hypnotherapist, girl boss, wife, and mother — these are all terms that can be associated with Claire Aristides. She truly has done it all and is ready to share her story with The Greek Herald after successfully selling her company, Futurae Diamonds, a significant professional milestone.
Claire lives in Sydney, Australia, with her family. She is an avid traveller, mother to two beautiful children, and a creative entrepreneur at heart.
“I am married to a London-born Greek Cypriot, and my favourite place in the world is the Greek islands. My life goal is to visit as many islands as I can!” she says.
Claire recalls the exact moment she fell in love with Greece: “I was 15 years old and remember stopping in my tracks when I first saw these incredible photos of the whitewashed buildings of Santorini, perched precariously along jagged cliffs. And the sea — these incredible colours of turquoise and cobalt, so clear and pristine. It was magical and felt like somewhere I belonged.”
Claire says it was serendipity that she met her now-husband and got to share her love for Greece with him.
“He’s also a very good cook, so I get to enjoy delicious home-cooked meals like fava, souvlaki, dolmades, and avgolemono. We aim to go back every year. After we get off the plane and settle in, we always visit some favourite spots, such as a restaurant in Athens that we go to every time for their delicious souvlaki,” she explains.
Claire caught the travel bug early, traveling extensively with her father’s work, and she’s never lost it.
“I spent my formative years in Fiji and Singapore, which fostered a love and passion for different cultures and experiences. Exploring the world brings me immense joy!” she says.
Claire started Aristides Fine Jewels almost 15 years ago, and her vision for the brand was to design and create the most beautiful, classic fine jewellery, working exclusively with earth diamonds.
“Creating a namesake brand is very special, as a part of me is in every design we make,” she says.
Her next business, which was recently sold, was Futurae Diamonds, born five years ago. The vision behind it was to create a luxury lab-grown diamond brand that embraced technology and disrupted the traditional diamond industry.
“Creating a new brand was exciting, stimulating, and professionally very fulfilling. Futurae means ‘future’ in Latin, and the brand marries old-world charm with new-world technology, creating classic designs made exclusively with certified lab-grown diamonds,” she says.
Claire fondly reflects on the journey of building Futurae, calling it a wonderful experience. It was a journey filled with learning and personal growth that honed her business mindset and confidence.
“The sale of Futurae Diamonds was a significant professional milestone for me. I learned so much — putting the deal together, conducting due diligence, negotiating with the buyer (a dynamic female entrepreneur!), managing financial and legal preparations, and the exit/hand-over process. It was intense but incredibly rewarding as an entrepreneur!” she explains.
Claire believes in continually challenging herself and never stopping the pursuit of learning. Moving forward, she will continue to grow, evolve, and expand Aristides Fine Jewels.
“In the last 12 months, we’ve invested heavily in integrating AI into our business processes—from a creative, marketing, and customer service point of view,” she says.
Claire knows firsthand how many hats you need to wear when you run a small business, and above all, you need to be as efficient as possible. AI has helped improve her productivity. She loves helping other businesses grow and succeed by passing on the knowledge she’s gained over the years.
Claire is also a certified clinical hypnotherapist. She turned to hypnotherapy while going through IVF with her daughter.
“I found it very powerful; it helped me tap into the power of positive, directed thoughts. The impact it had on me led me to train as a certified Clinical Hypnotherapist. I use the techniques and methodology personally to manage stress and professionally to work on limiting beliefs,” she says.
Claire believes that anyone can benefit from hypnotherapy and sees it as a practical tool to foster positive thought patterns.
“As the saying goes, ‘We are what we think!’” she concludes.
