Founder's Story
The Untold Truth About Diamonds: Daniela Sokolowski on Redefining Luxury | S2 Ep. 172
Sun, 09 Feb 2025
In this episode of Founder's Story, Daniela Sokolowski, founder and CEO of DiCuore Diamonds, shares her journey from working with industry giants like De Beers to starting her bespoke jewelry brand. Daniela opens up about her entrepreneurial spark, the emotional significance of her work, and how her journey as a cancer survivor has fueled her mission to empower others.Key Takeaways:The Spark of Entrepreneurship: Daniela reflects on her early career in the diamond industry and how her passion for jewelry design and customer relationships led to the creation of DiCuore Diamonds.The Name Behind the Brand: "DiCuore," meaning "from the heart" in Italian, reflects the emotional essence of her custom jewelry pieces.Bespoke vs. Retail Jewelry: Daniela explains the personalized process of creating bespoke jewelry, emphasizing customer education and collaboration as key differentiators from mall retail experiences.Challenges in the Diamond Industry: Daniela discusses how these shifts are reshaping the industry from the rise of lab-grown diamonds to market volatility.Motivation Through Adversity: As a six-year cancer survivor, Daniela talks about how her experience inspired her to pursue her passion, uplift others, and build a brand rooted in resilience and authenticity.Connect with Daniela:Visit her jewelry studio: 1460 Broadway, Manhattan, New YorkWebsite: dicuorediamonds.comSocial Media: @DiCuoreDiamondsOur Sponsors:* Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://www.avocadogreenmattress.com* Check out Indeed: https://indeed.com/FOUNDERSSTORY* Check out Kinsta: https://kinsta.com* Check out Northwest Registered Agent and use my code FOUNDERS for a great deal: https://northwestregisteredagent.com* Check out Plus500: https://plus500.com* Check out Rosetta Stone and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.rosettastone.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Chapter 1: What is the spark of entrepreneurship for Daniela Sokolowski?
Hey everyone, welcome back to Founders Story. Today we have Daniela Sokolowski. And Daniela, you are the founder and CEO of Decore Diamonds, which I love the name. I really love the name. So I want to first start off with understanding about what was the spark in entrepreneurship for you and why did you go into the diamonds? But can you explain also the name?
Because it's a beautiful Italian sounding name and I really want to understand what does it mean?
Chapter 2: What does the name 'DiCuore' mean and how was the brand founded?
Yes, it is Italian. Actually, it means from the cart. And it's interesting how I got into this. I've been working in this industry for quite a long time. I moved to the US in 2009, and that was pretty much my first serious job. I started to work for a diamond dealer. Then I moved on to work for De Beers. I'm not sure if you're familiar, but De Beers is pretty big diamond mining company.
And over the years, I discovered the passion for making jewelry and designing pieces.
um the core i didn't really plan on opening the core in the beginning i mean it wasn't like a plan okay five years from now i'm gonna open the quarter it wasn't anything like that i was working as a chief operating officer for another jeweler here in manhattan i'm actually based in manhattan and things didn't work out in my uh at my job so i
I just decided to go on my own because, like I said, I love jewelry. I love making jewelry. And I had very good feedback from my customers over the years. And I opened Decoré in January 2024. So it's a little over a year now. And the reason for the name is it actually reflects how I look at joy.
I know it's a very emotional process, you know, getting engaged, buying something for, you know, for your wife on your anniversary or even the other way around for your husband as well. And it's a business that is very emotionally charged. And this is how I look at it from the heart. So this is how I came up with the name.
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Chapter 3: How does Daniela approach bespoke jewelry design?
I love that from the heart. So in my short experiences of buying diamonds, I can relate to this, the emotional attachment just in the buying process, but then in the piece or product that you have that could last a lifetime. And are you seeing a big increase in people that want something that's more custom or bespoke versus the cookie cutter stuff that you might see at the mall?
Yes, but it depends. I mean, there's people who just want to have something special, something different. In fact, a lot of customers do say that they want something different, but at the end, they settle for buying something from the mall. However, I
it just so happened that i have i get referrals from a lot of people and then i make that process very easy and i explain to them and i explain to them that no it's not more expensive no it's not that going to be something you won't like in fact you're very much involved you're 100 involved in the process first of all there's no pressure like at the mall nobody pulls a tray in front of you shows you 10 pieces and okay choose no we sit
In the beginning, I don't have anything, not one piece, nothing. We just sit, we get to know each other. I ask you, first of all, I want to know what the occasion is because it's very important. Then I start asking questions about the partner and I start asking, sometimes they come with a friend and I gather information and we come up with some ideas.
Sometimes they also already know what they want. And they say, I want something that nobody has. And I said, OK, listen, we cannot reinvent the wheel. We have to understand what's the shape, what she likes. Does she want a big stone? Does she have a metal preference? And we do a process of education.
The main difference between bespoke and regular jewelry is that there's a lot of education involved. When you sit with me, I spend about an hour, an hour and a half with you, even two if necessary. Nobody pays anything. Nobody has any kind of obligation to pay anything. And they get educated.
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Chapter 4: What are the differences between bespoke and retail jewelry?
And they understand, first of all, they understand, okay, so what would I like to get my significant other? What does she like? If she is also involved, I mean, the couple, you know, if the partner is also involved, it's always easier. But I also like this, you know, the surprise, the surprise element.
So I help my customers feel at ease, not only by, you know, not throwing money out the window, but by knowing that the piece we deliver. the partner or whoever receives that will love it. And that's the main difference between sitting at the mall. And I'm not going to get into like, of course, it's better quality because that might be a little subjective, but it is.
But when you know what you want, when you know that, you know, that's the metal you prefer. I talk about metals, for instance, was the difference between 14K and 18K. Why should you choose platinum? A lot of people come and say, oh, I'm going to choose platinum because platinum is more expensive. And I tell them, actually, it's not like that.
So that's the main difference is that I sit and I educate them. And they learn about lab-grown diamonds, natural diamonds, metals, materials. And then we design together based on their ideas. And they seem to love that.
I think it's a great learning experience. I went the route of more the custom bespoke, what you're referring to, what you guys offer. And I really learned a lot and I spent many days learning to understand and I find it very interesting. So people that are out there that are looking to purchase diamonds, is there two or three tips or things that they should know before they even start the process?
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Chapter 5: What should you know before purchasing diamonds?
Well, you know, I prefer clients that don't know. I mean, not that they don't know anything, because when you think you know something, there's a lot of misinformation on the internet. Everybody can write everything, and you know that. So tips. Of course, you also have to check if the person is legit, right? The people check about me. If you Google my name, there's a lot of information.
There's reviews. There are reviews. There's some written material about me. So you want to feel like that you're working with somebody who's legit, somebody who knows. At the same time, it's also a matter of common sense. If I buy something myself, I check reviews, I look up online, I go see in person, I invite my clients.
A lot of my work is done remotely, but I invite my clients if they're local to come in, see the stone, not only rely on the videos. Of course, I give them videos and very high end, realistic renderings and all that. But I invited him. I said, come and sit with me in my studio. See that I'm the real deal. Ask me questions. But to tell you tips, I don't know.
I mean, I cannot say, okay, buying at the mall is not a good route to go. It all depends on what's easier for you. If it's easier for you to just go and pick one of the five pieces that they show you, yeah, absolutely go to them all.
If it's easier for you to be like, you know, more educated, like yourself, you said you learned a lot and you like the learning process and you feel like, okay, my God, I learned so much about it. Now I feel ready to purchase. I think going with somebody like me is very important. It's easier.
And it actually delivers a result that is better than just picking something under pressure in a mall because you are kind of under pressure, especially if you're pressured by time. I don't know. I find bespoke jewelry very interesting and very special. I did my own ring like that. Well, I did my own ring because obviously I'm a jeweler. But I feel like knowing about what you're purchasing.
and designing together with your designer. Even if you came across a picture or you have something already that you inherited from your grandma, but you want to turn it into something else, working with me is the route to go. Again, to give tips. I mean, it's very, very personal.
Yeah, no, that's great. Thank you for that. I think that lays a lot of the groundwork for people to understand where to get started and how to get started. So as somebody who's been a six-year cancer survivor, I know you immigrated from Romania, which we were just talking about, because a lot of my family comes from Romania, and I'm very interested to visit one day. What has...
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Chapter 6: How has Daniela's personal journey influenced her business?
continued to keep you motivated?
Well, you know, when you face a diagnosis like that, you know, it puts your entire life into perspective. And one thing I learned about myself is that I'm stronger than I thought I was, obviously. And this was one of the reasons that why I did open the court, to be honest, was like, I want to do what I love. I just want to do this jewelry, this passion. I want to cultivate it on my own.
I don't want to work for anybody else. And I know that I can deliver an experience that people will love. I also look to uplift women that have been in my situation and are undergoing treatment. And I work with a nonprofit organization to help women that are going through cancer because there's a lot of stigma around this disease, unfortunately.
A lot of people, you know, when they found out, even my own friends, when they found out I was sick, you know, their reactions were very mixed. So people think that once you're, you know, you're diagnosed with something, not everybody, obviously, some people don't think that, but your life is over. And I want to be a story of, you know, inspiring other women.
I want to show women that you can still do what you love. You can still do what you're passionate about it. And then this diagnosis should not deter you. And it did not deter me. So how do I find my motivation? Of course, every now and then, I may also feel a little like, oh, wow, there's always that question looming. What if I get sick again? But you can't think like that.
You got to live life and you got to see all the positives in life. And I love what I do. And I love what I do. And it's so interesting that people, my customers, they, a lot of them relate to my story. And a lot of them tell me, you know, my mother had cancer or, you know, my aunt and, and then we, you know, they relate to my story and then we talk a little and then we find common grounds and
They get so comfortable. You know, they all of a sudden it's not like they trust me more, but they look at me as, you know, this person is a strong person. She loves what she does. She wants to succeed. And in a way, it was my business as well. So, yeah, I'm staying motivated because I don't think you have any other choice.
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