A dozen years ago, Libby Diament started selling her designs at craft fairs in New York City while working for MAC Cosmetics. After work at MAC, she worked on a comprehensive jewelry training program in the evenings and in 2010, Libby took a deep dive and went full-time in her jewelry business, and Diament Jewelry was born.
“I tell people that I literally pounded the pavement,” Diament says. “For about eight years, I traveled around the U.S. doing craft shows; I love jewelry because I enjoy working with my hands.”
Diament loves that pieces of jewelry are usually sentimental and treasured items. She is particularly fond of vintage jewelry because of the high quality and uniqueness of each piece.
“When the opportunity to open the shop at The Wharf in DC came along, I jumped at the opportunity,” Diament says. “I tapped my network of the small brands that I met through the craft show circuit and I know that I wanted to support them in my shop.”
Diament Jewelry’s flagship Wharf store opened in April 2018.
The shop now sells over 250 brands and prides itself on featuring smaller, indie brands. After finding success in DC the last four years, Diament decided to expand into Northern Virginia. Baby items have done well at her shop, so the new Shirlington location will have a strong baby focus, while still selling lots of gifts and jewelry.
“I think two stores is a great balance at the moment, they are the kind of yin and yang of each other,” Diament says. “The Wharf is crazy and bustling and Shirlington is laid-back and charming.”
Diament hopes to provide an intimate feel in her Northern Virginia shop. “I love the casual, small-town vibe that Shirlington brings,” she adds. “It’s a place that you always keep coming back to … free parking is always a huge bonus!”
As far as what to expect when you browse the store, Diament recommends taking the time to look around a bit to find the perfect piece. The feminist area is a huge draw for people and items often sell out quickly.
“Sometimes we call the store ‘Dicks and Stickers LLC’ because we sell so many stickers and these great sweatshirts from Femfetti.com that say ‘Don’t be a Dick,’” Diament says.
Many celebrities have been spotted wearing Diament Jewelry, like Jennifer Love Hewitt, Elle Fanning, Cher Lloyd, Rachel Bilson, Giada de Laurentiis, Meredith Vieira, Ann Veal, and Glee’s Becca Tobin and Heather Morris.
“A friend of mine is a stylist in LA and started adorning the celebrities from Glee with my pieces,” Diament says. “They were huge at the time, so this was super exciting — it’s always great to have a friend in show business.”
Diaments hopes to expand to at least one more location in the coming years. She does want to keep the small and unique feeling of her stores a top priority. Her website and blog, diamentjewelry.com, has been a huge area of growth for the business, particularly with the challenge of COVID the last few years. You can now find about 50 percent of what Diament sells in the stores online as well.
“I hope that the business continues to grow so that I can continue to hire more amazing employees and to nurture their skills and love for retail,” Diament says. “I’m really passionate about helping other women in business in any way I can.”
Diament Jewelry’s Shirlington location opened in June in Shirlington Village at 4017B Campbell Ave., Arlington.
Feature image by Libby Diament
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