Today we’d like to introduce you to Amit Berger.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
After several years in the hospitality industry, I was young and looking to make a change in my career. From being a partner in a restaurant, I decided to change my path and went to work for a diamond company in the Israeli Diamond Exchange. I started from the bottom and learned everything about diamonds—manufacturing, diamond cutting, diamond grading, the entire process—and began selling diamonds in the marketplace. It was an exciting business move for me! Big dealers from the U.S. were buying from us in Tel Aviv, so after some time I accepted an offer to move to the United States to expand the wholesale side of the business and sell to retailers here in the U.S. From there, I focused on selling diamonds to jewelers across the country. It was during that time we noticed the dramatic margins retailers were charging customers on the diamonds we were selling to them. This experience inspired us to open our retail concept, and thus, Diamonds Direct was born in 1995 in Charlotte, NC. This allowed us to offer our wholesale products and prices directly to the end customer. While Diamonds Direct was growing and maturing, I continued to focus on the wholesale side of the business, traveling for weeks at a time between Tel Aviv and the United States and developing our big book of wholesale clients including large retailers all over the country. By early 2004, Diamonds Direct was thriving. My brother relocated his family to Charlotte to run the retail side of the business and they began attracting clients from all over the Southeast. Years later, my brother and I started discussing the opportunity to expand the Diamonds Direct concept into new markets. By 2008 our dreams became reality and I decided to leave the wholesale side to move to Birmingham, AL and open Diamonds Direct’s second location. I really enjoyed making the change from wholesale to retail because working with customers is such an intimate and personal experience. It brought me back to my days in the hospitality industry and from a career standpoint, this was very full circle for me. I find it very motivating and rewarding. Today, Diamonds Direct has 14 stores and we’re still growing. I made the move to Dallas in 2016 to oversee our growth in the Texas market where we currently have three stores. We are truly blessed to have grown so quickly, and the best part is, we still run this company like a family operated business. Our company culture is one of the things that keeps me motivated and our resources attract the best talent from all over the U.S. Our team of diamond professionals ensures the Diamonds Direct promise is kept for every customer that walks in our doors.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting and growing a company is never a smooth road, but the challenges are really part of the fun. Those struggles become part of the core that makes you a stronger, more resilient and agile company. As I mentioned before, we did not want to lose our company culture and our many signature brands promise to our rapid growth. Customer service is paramount here— before, during, and after the sale. I really try to be involved in every deal and interaction with our customers. We don’t take anything for granted at Diamonds Direct. Our success is rooted in the fact that we stick to the basics and do them exceptionally. Our industry requires constant reevaluations of yourself, the product quality and selling strategy. This ensures we are also constantly innovating and helps us in our belief of not cutting corners. The struggle to be excellent and to give customers an incomparable experience requires us to stay alert, aware and ahead of the industry. We are breaking boundaries every day here.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Diamonds Direct Dallas – what should we know?
Diamonds Direct is a diamond powerhouse. We are diamond people. Throughout the years we have been in the manufacturing, cutting and wholesaling business. Although we are, and always will be, focused on the bridal market, we carry a huge selection of fine fashion, precious and semi-precious colored stone and pearl jewelry in all our stores as well. We have an unmatched inventory of GIA certified diamonds right in our showroom—probably 10 times more than the average store—and guarantee the best price in the industry. At Diamonds Direct, we believe in selection, education and experience and bring the best of everything under one roof. We focus on educating our customers about the industry and give them the tools they need to make good and smart buying decisions for themselves. We also believe that selection and education go hand in hand. You can’t fully understand the diamond education we provide without seeing many diamonds of varying size and quality. We pair this buying experience with a truly hands-on introduction to the diamond world. Our environment is always relaxed, hands-on, friendly, and informative.
Our diamonds come directly from our cutters and we cherry pick the very best for our showrooms. As a retailer, we have the best warrantees and guarantees in the industry and we pride ourselves on working with our customers and go the extra mile to meet their every need. It’s a gift to be involved in people’s life changing moments each and every day.
I am extremely proud to see Diamonds Direct change the industry in every market we enter. We set the bar higher causing others to work harder to compete. The customer is always first in our mind and we are in the business of educating them in a way that helps maximize their budget, not just selling diamonds. We strive to be honest, fair and empower our customers to feel like experts when they leave our showroom. No company out there can do what we do.
We guarantee the best price—period and carry the best designers in the industry. All of this ensures no risk shopping environment for our customers.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Every person in the company deserves credit, and with our business model it’s all about the people. We have a team of owners and partners, but everyone who works for Diamonds Direct is focused on the same thing—the customer. We empower our employees to make decisions as if they are the business owner, resulting in happy customers and fulfilled, happy employees. We all share a vision and work tirelessly to reach a mutual goal. In the end, as one, we are breaking industry boundaries and revolutionizing the diamond business.
Contact Info:
- Address: 8127 Preston Rd., Dallas, TX 75225
- Website: https://diamondsdirect.com/dallas
- Phone: (972) 342-6663
- Email: infoDTX@diamondsdirect.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diamondsdirect/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diamondsdirectstore/
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/diamondsdirect/
Image Credit:
Diamonds Direct
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