Australian-born jeweller Secrets Shhh is entering its next chapter after being snapped up by Dubai-headquartered Amaar Jewels following its voluntary administration last year.
The retailer has been rebranded to Secrets by Amaar, with the new owner confirming it will retain its Australian store network and team.
Ragtrader reported in January this year that 100 staff were retained in the asset buy-up of Secrets. The majority of Secrets’ retail stores were also transferred to the buyer.
According to the Secrets website, the brand operates 16 stores across Australia.
Secrets by Amaar CEO Adrian Murphy, who has been with the company since 2019 and was promoted to the top job in September 2024, said this new partnership with Amaar is as much a validation as it is a milestone.
"Secrets Shhh has never been a conventional jewellery business – we've always believed that the values behind a piece matter as much as the piece itself," Murphy said.
"What Amaar Jewels recognised wasn't just our retail footprint or our product range. It was our philosophy. This is what 25 years of building with purpose looks like and a global partner who shares our belief that conscious luxury isn't a compromise. It's a higher standard and Amaar Jewels is giving us the platform to take everything we've built and bring it to the world.
“We are excited for Secrets by Amaar to move into its next chapter from a position of stability and momentum.”
Secrets Shhh was founded in 2000 in Noosa, Queensland by Jane Meredith and Dietmar Gorlich, and was one of the first brands to scale in the lab-grown diamond space.
In 2019, when Murphy joined as head of product, lab-grown diamonds accounted for just 12 per cent of engagement stones globally, according to research by The Knot. By 2023, that figure had risen to 46 per cent, with 76 per cent of Australian consumers weighing sustainability in their shopping decisions.
Amaar Jewels co-founder Mihika Kothari said the decision to acquire Secrets Shhh was rooted in a shared founding belief that luxury and responsibility can coexist.
“When we look at what Secrets Shhh has built over 25 years, the customer loyalty, the category leadership, the uncompromising commitment to conscious luxury, it was clear this was a brand that shared our founding belief: that how something is made is just as important as how it looks," Kothari said.
"Australia is a market that leads on values-driven consumption, and Secrets by Amaar is perfectly positioned to meet that moment. This is a partnership of philosophy, with a priority on longevity.”
Under the partnership, Secrets by Amaar will retain its Australian identity, store network and team. The existing 16 retail stores across Australia and the online store will trade under the Secrets by Amaar name, with existing staff and operations remaining intact.