NYT's Article, Miss Diamond Ring

[WillyDiamond]

There is an article in todays Sunday NYT's Style Section about a woman who created a company for people buying rings $35K and up. I have to wonder if this person who's name is mentioned in the article (Michelle Demaree) is a member of PS? Many of the things she says in the interview are discussed on this forum. Here is a link to the article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/23/...ked-her-questions.html?searchResultPosition=3

 

[LightBright]

This person has a network of diamond sources and bespoke jewelers, developed over her years working in the jewelry business. In the article, that’s what she says: “my network is really my biggest commodity.”

I think in her career she has learned how to select and evaluate diamonds, like many of us have learned here on PS, so she sounds like us. However, I have felt all along that entry into the jewelry business is closed to most diamond geeks because we don’t have the Rolodex of contacts developed by being in the business (from sources to cutters to setters/jewelers). Honestly, with a full Rolodex and gumption, some of us could be in the business of $35k and up diamond rings. Some PSers do hours (days, months, years) of consulting and advising. For free, here. But fair enough, we don’t have experience in the business. The other thing she is good at self promotion, she has gotten coverage in a lot of various magazines. I think she’s probably working hard and providing a comprehensive and educated service for people making a very big investment.

 

[denverappraiser]

Is this different from any other jeweler who specializes in custom sales? I don't mean to be overly critical of her, I don't know her at all, but there's nothing in this article that suggests she's doing anything different from nearly every custom jeweler out there. This is news?

 

[bludiva]

Is this different from any other jeweler who specializes in custom sales? I don't mean to be overly critical of her, I don't know her at all, but there's nothing in this article that suggests she's doing anything different from nearly every custom jeweler out there. This is news?

I don't think it's news so much as it is PR. I am guessing what's interesting is she educates her customers on some similar topics that are discussed on PS a lot when people ask for help selecting a stone. @LightBright is right that people here basically do this service for free

 

[denverappraiser]

I don't think it's news so much as it is PR. I am guessing what's interesting is she educates her customers on some similar topics that are discussed on PS a lot when people ask for help selecting a stone. @LightBright is right that people here basically do this service for free

She vets her suppliers (I presume) and runs interference for them so they can get back to work rather than dealing with customers. She evaluates lab documents and explains them. It sounds like she inspects and does quality control on jewelry. She educates customers. Those are all good things and I don't have a problem with any of them, but that's pretty much the job description of a jeweler. She claims to be good at it, and maybe she is. Then again, maybe I'm just irked that I wasted a perfectly good NYT paywall click to read this ad.

 

[bludiva]

Then again, maybe I'm just irked that I wasted a perfectly good NYT paywall click to read this ad.

 

[mojoriley]

She vets her suppliers (I presume) and runs interference for them so they can get back to work rather than dealing with customers. She evaluates lab documents and explains them. It sounds like she inspects and does quality control on jewelry. She educates customers. Those are all good things and I don't have a problem with any of them, but that's pretty much the job description of a jeweler. She claims to be good at it, and maybe she is. Then again, maybe I'm just irked that I wasted a perfectly good NYT paywall click to read this ad.

Use an incognito window next time- unlimited articles!

 

[clcat120]

I follow her on IG along with a bunch of other private jewelers such as Vechler, Sam from IceRock_Diamond... I personally saw more unique design and more appealing stones from some other IGers. Particularly interested in Sam’s recent journey to visit artisanal diamond miners in Sierra Leone in the spirit of the talk here about supply chain due diligence...