‘F1’ Star Damson Idris Talks Family Roots and Fine Jewelry as He Debuts His Brand, Didris

Damson Idris said his love for fine jewelry, which led him to launch his brand Didris, is rooted in the DNA and entrepreneurship of his family.

“It all started from my mother, really, who is actually the source of many of my inspirations,” said the British actor and rising star, who will next be seen in Joseph Kosinski’s “F1,” coming out in June opposite Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem.

“She, in her 20s, would buy gold in Nigeria, and she’d travel all around Europe, but more specifically, London — she’d go to Hatton Garden. She’d sell that gold, turn a profit, bring it back to Nigeria and invest in real estate,” Idris continued about his mother, Silifat. “She’d improve the livelihood of my family, and ultimately bring all of my siblings to London for good, where she finally had me, the baby.”

He’s the youngest of six kids.

“I’m African,” he emphasized with a laugh, of being drawn to jewelry from a young age. “We have so many stories about how connected Africa is to gold and diamonds. One thing I can remember of my childhood was it was just one big party.…You come home from school and everyone’s in the living room dancing in full gowns, and what were they wearing? They were wearing jewelry. When my mom dressed me up, the last thing she’d put on me would be the jewelry, and that completed it.”

He brought his mother’s jewelry box full of gold to school, recalled Idris on a video call from South Africa, where he’s shooting Gina Prince-Bythewood’s “Children of Blood and Bone” with Viola Davis, Idris Elba and Cynthia Erivo. “I would steal it, show off, and then she finally caught me,” he smiled. “She gave me my first ring, and she taught me about the value of jewelry and luxury, and I carry that on today.”

Didris is more than a luxury brand — Idris is establishing a fine jewelry house, he said. Using 18-karat yellow and rose gold, the pieces are handcrafted in Mumbai (“We’re using ancient techniques, not cutting any corners”), with diamonds and gemstones sourced from Namibia, Botswana and South Africa. Everything is Kimberley Process-certified, a process established by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution to remove conflict diamonds from the global supply chain.

Idris, who’s also a brand ambassador for Tommy Hilfiger and Prada, worked with a London-based jewelry designer on the debut collection, out now at didris.com. (While he’s often traveling, Idris is based between London and Los Angeles.) The line, customizable, is priced between $3,750 for an 18-karat yellow gold ring (8 grams) to $58,570 for a monogram cuff with 24 diamonds and 12 emeralds. The collection — “essentials,” he said — includes $5,250 diamond stud earrings, a $15,750 tourmaline pendant necklace with 29 diamonds and a $23,500 Tahitian pearl necklace.

“Tahitian pearls was the first kind of thing I bought from Tiffany [& Co.] when I was younger, when I made some money,” Idris revealed.

“The price reflects the position we hope to hold in the marketplace,” he said of Didris.

Idris is the majority owner of the business, with support from a small group of financial backers. He’s been working alongside Stephen Ready, founding partner of Didris, who has a background in finance and marketing.

There are plans to open retail locations, Ready said in a call. “We envision ourselves showing up in the real world with our own retail stores, as well as global channel partners. People are getting more and more comfortable buying luxury, buying jewelry online, and we think we can create a really interesting online-offline model where we leverage the d-to-c to make it super simple to buy, and then we curate, and we hand deliver.”

“It’s a dream come true,” Idris said of acting in major pictures, while simultaneously launching Didris. He’s brought jewelry pieces to set on ‘Children of Blood and Bone,'” he said.

“Idris [Elba] sat in a makeup chair, and I just plunked all the pieces in front of him, and I was like, ‘What do you want to buy?’” he guffawed.

“You know, I hope to be acting for my entire life,” he went on. “I do believe it’s an ageless industry, and the passion I have for acting and the calling that I have for acting is the exact same passion and calling I have for this business right now.”