JEWELER KAELEIGH TESTWUIDE’S recent experience as a diamond expert on the MTV show Teen Mom has a long and winding backstory. But it all came about through Testwuide’s inclination toward generosity and heartfelt, authentic connections she made with social media influencers.
Kaeleigh Testwuide, owner of The Diamond Reserve.
Last year, Testwuide, owner of The Diamond Reserve in Denver, was touched when she learned on social media about a young couple’s struggle to care for their infant son who had leukemia. Testwuide connected with them and offered to create and sell bracelets to help raise money for the baby’s care. Sadly, he died as the project launched, but Testwuide did sell enough bracelets online to raise $12,000 toward medical costs. It was the first e-commerce effort for Testwuide, who usually met clients by appointment only, and she was amazed she pulled it off.
That effort led Testwuide to make custom Diamond Name Stacking Rings for moms who had lost their babies to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, including YouTube star Brittani Boren Leach. The babies’ names are written in script with diamonds, sometimes in the mother’s handwriting.
These projects naturally led to higher visibility on social media, where Testwuide connected with influencer Cheyenne Floyd, 28, a cast member on MTV reality show Teen Mom. Cheyenne had not lost a baby, but she wanted to buy a ring with her daughter’s name on it. Testwuide made a ring for her as a gift and asked her to collaborate on a giveaway of one of the rings on social media.
Testwuide was then invited to appear on Teen Mom to educate Floyd and her fiancée about diamond engagement rings. She made her virtual reality show debut on episode 8 of season 9, titled “Better Days Are Coming.”
“I tried to make it as real as possible,” she says. “We went over the 4 Cs and the benefits of buying a GIA-certified diamond. They wanted to be educated on their decision, which was cool.”
The episode did get some backlash from Teen Mom fans, who criticized Floyd for showing interest in a $60,000 3-carat diamond ring; some other lower-priced options had been lost to editing. “Any media is good media,” Testwuide says. “It connected me to a world that is opening up some doors.”
Testwuide designed this engagement ring for reality-show star Cheyenne Floyd.
Cheyenne’s final choice was a 3-carat cushion cut diamond in a micro-pavé eternity setting. Testwuide and Floyd also collaborated to design and launch a diamond fashion line for the mom market.
Testwuide suggests jewelers seek out influencers that they feel a connection with and vet them to make sure their followers are authentic and not paid to show up.
Testwuide’s appearance on MTV also has brought attention to The Diamond Reserve and has boosted e-commerce sales. “Teen Mom has been on TV for over a decade. I started watching it in college. So it was just kind of wild that I was on that show.”
Although Testwuide’s core business is as a diamond broker and custom jeweler for engagement rings and wedding bands, she’s interested in where the Cheyenne-branded, mom-focused jewelry line will take her business next. It could be an ideal way of continuing a relationship with clients post-wedding.
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