Human Gems: HARAKH’s New Podcast Celebrates Extraordinary People

In high jewellery, we often speak about rarity, brilliance and the hand of gem cutters that transform a stone into something truly precious. But in Harakh Mehta’s mind, the most compelling stories of transformation are not found in gemstones alone; they are found in people, and not just the people who are a part of our industry.

I have known Harakh Mehta for years now and have written about his eponymous brand HARAKH since its earliest days. He has become well known for his exceptional colourless diamonds and a deeply spiritual approach to jewellery. I have watched him grow and enter the international jewellery scene, becoming a resident of Bergdorf Goodman’s for the last several years. 

What has always set Harakh apart is his refusal to treat jewellery as mere adornment. For him, it is a vehicle for meaning, a way to spread the extreme happiness that his name itself signifies (the word harakh means “joy” in his native language Gujarati). So when he told me he had launched a YouTube video podcast, focusing on notable people and their stories, it made perfect sense. HARAKH has always been about looking beyond external beauty to discover something deeper, and the Gems with HARAKH podcast is simply the next chapter of that philosophy.  

Just as every exceptional jewel carries a story of formation, so does every human being, and Harakh Hemhta is there to uncover those stories and share them with us. While in Las Vegas earlier this year, I sat down with him to discuss this new venture that shifts the focus from the brilliance we see to the light we feel.

Katerina Perez: How did the idea for the podcast come together?

Harakh Mehta: I often say that I am an eternal gem seeker. As a fourth-generation jeweller, my family taught me to identify the rarest diamonds and gems from across the globe. Along that journey, while I felt privileged to interact with precious stones, I encountered a different type of gem – those beautiful humans who walk among us. They are the people who quietly elevate everyone around them with courage, compassion, wisdom, humour, generosity or resilience. I am still a gem seeker, but I have simply expanded my definition of what a gem is.

KP: What do you want to pass on to others with this podcast?

HM: Luxury often celebrates success. I wanted to celebrate significance. Every guest, whom we call a gem, has overcome something, built something, healed or inspired someone. They have left the world around them better than they found it. If someone finishes an episode feeling inspired to be a kinder leader, a more courageous entrepreneur, a better parent or simply a little more hopeful than when they pressed play, then we have succeeded. Of course, we also happen to have some rather beautiful HARAKH jewels with our signature colourless diamonds along the way.

KP: How did you select the guests?

HM: The only qualification was that they had to be a “gem” of a person. It means people whose lives have created a positive ripple effect beyond themselves. Some are entrepreneurs, some are artists, some are philanthropists, some are visionaries, but they all share a generosity of spirit. The common denominator is that they have demonstrated high levels of compassion, which is a core value to HARAKH. And the cherry on top is that they all happened to be jewellery lovers.

KP: Who surprised you with their answers?

HM: Almost each of them had something surprising to say. One of the great joys of being a host is discovering that people are often completely different from their public image. Some examples that come to mind are Mark DeCarlo’s extraordinary humour, despite having a near-death experience. There was Lisa Huscher giving me a live intuitive reading that unexpectedly circled back to “joy”, the literal meaning of my name. I was also very happy with Dr. Yasmin Davidds describing pressure not as something to escape, but as the force that creates diamonds – a metaphor that resonates beautifully with our world.

KP: Which answer touched you most?

HM: Rather than a single answer, it was the recurring theme across all our gems that moved me. Across very different lives and careers, the conversation came back to relationships, purpose, resilience and giving back, whether it was Afam Onyema turning down a hugely lucrative legal career to serve others, or Dr. Neelofer Basaria's story about reclaiming heridentity through her spirituality. A special mention must go to Justine Reichman's explanation that every jewel she wore carried the memory of someone she loved, proving jewellery is really so much deeper than just the beautiful gemstones and precious metals you see on the surface. It is a collection of relationships!

KP: How did you select the jewellery for the speakers?

HM: Every guest began their visit in our on-set showroom where all the HARAKH jewels were displayed. Before the cameras rolled, we would spend a good amount of time simply talking about jewellery. We discussed the gems and the stories behind them, and those conversations became one of my favourite parts of filming. We would laugh, experiment, try on completely unexpected pieces and discover that sometimes a jewel chooses you rather than the other way around. We have some wonderful behind-the-scenes footage of those moments. They are delightfully unfiltered and probably contain as much laughter as the actual podcast.

KP: Did you instantly know who should wear what jewel because of their personality, or did you choose more based on what they were wearing?

HM: Personality always came first. You actually captured this beautifully in the joint Instagram reels we did about matching jewellery to personality. Some people naturally command bold architectural pieces. Others have such quiet confidence that a more understated jewel suddenly becomes incredibly powerful. I always say jewellery should never wear the person; the person should bring the jewel to life. By the end, the decision was always mutual. I might gently guide, but the final choice happened when both of us looked in the mirror and felt that HARAKH moment.

KP: Is there any jewel that was not ready that you wish you could have included for filming?

HM: Absolutely. In fact, there is an entire new family of creations currently taking shape that I desperately wanted to feature. It is a collection that sits very close to the heart of HARAKH and represents the next evolution of our design language. Like all worthwhile things, it has taken far longer than we originally imagined. In fact, our artisans have politely refused to let me rush them. I will simply say... watch this space.

KP: If you could invite any historical figure to this podcast, who would it be?

HM: Without hesitation, it would be Grace Kelly. She embodied a rare combination that has always fascinated me: extraordinary elegance paired with extraordinary grace. She was, of course, one of the great style icons of the 20th century and had a deep appreciation for exceptional jewellery. Yet what makes her truly remarkable to me is that beneath the glamour was a woman known for her dignity, kindness, humility and commitment to philanthropy. In many ways, she represents the kind of “human gem” my podcast seeks to celebrate.

KP: What does the future look like for your podcast?

HM: Season One proved that there is an audience for conversations with substance. Season Two is where we begin dreaming bigger. Ultimately, I would love to welcome Oscar winners, Olympic champions, fashion icons, celebrated chefs, visionary entrepreneurs, royalty, artists and cultural changemakers – people whose lives sparkle for completely different reasons. And with every guest comes another opportunity to tell a jewellery story. Every remarkable life deserves an equally remarkable jewel. Besides, I suspect there are very few guests who object to spending an afternoon trying on high jewellery.

With the Gems with HARAKH podcast, Harakh has taken the essence of what makes a diamond extraordinary – the pressure, the time, the rare combination of elements that creates something precious – and applied that lens to human experience. If you haven’t already, I urge you to listen. You may never think about diamonds, or the people in your life, in quite the same way again.