Di’Amore Fine Jewelers

Apr 11

In their own words

“Once you start playing with diamonds, I don’t think you leave. I absolutely love it. It’s such a beautiful world when I walk into the store and see all these customers who have worked with my father since I was young. I used to play with some of these clients in the store as a child, and now they’re building their stories and their future with us, which is really neat.”

-Monali Pandya

Jason’s Interview with Monali

Jason

Today, we get to talk to Monali from Di’Amore Fine Jewelers in Waco, Texas. Tell us your story in the family business.

Monali

I grew up in a house of eleven people. My father raised me to be more of a tomboy, so jewelry was not in my foresight for most of my life. We have the businesses, I would help out during Christmas. I would help out during holidays, summers, but I was young. Growing up here in Waco, Texas, I went to UT Austin.

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I rebelled. My father asked me to do fashion design since he saw me take my curtains down one day and make my prom dress out of it. He thought that I had design in my future. I rebelled and did finance.

Soon after, I was working in Houston and my father bought the building we're in currently. He was renovating it and asked me to come to an IJO show with him, which is an Independent Jewelers Organization convention. There’s a lot of education, a lot of jewelry. He said, “Come with me to learn the marketing aspect, because that's where I'm lacking. I would love for you to kind of help me out and build a strategy.” I was there for three days. I came back so confused. I called my brother, and I said, “I don't know why I'm about to say this, but I feel like I should quit my job and go work with Dad so I can help him build the new store.”

That was Sunday. On Monday, I put in my two weeks’ notice crazy enough. And it's been six years. Once you start playing with diamonds, I don't think you leave. And I absolutely love it. It was probably the best decision I've made. It's such a beautiful world when you walk into the store and you see all these customers come in that have worked with your father since you were young. I used to play with some of these clients in the store as a child and now they're building their stories and their future with us.

Jason
What is it about jewelry that gets you motivated to come to work every day?

Monali
I grew up in an Indian family and gold was a very precious thing, yellow gold, specifically 22 carats, has a beautiful color to it. It's very raw. In an Indian tradition, you give gold bangles as a wedding gift and you also give a necklace, kind of like your modern-day engagement ring. I saw my mother wearing it, I saw my aunts wearing it, and it just reminds you that there's meaning behind everything. It's just a constant reminder of what it all meant. I came in being a tomboy, and I found the love for jewelry because it's something that's so precious.

It's a way to say something without saying something. I recently got engaged and I know when I look down at my ring, it's not what he said, it's how I feel about our relationship. It's something that you put on and when you look in the mirror, it’s more than a piece of jewelry. One of my favorite parts is when people bring the jewelry that my father made for them. He was a master jeweler, he went to one of the top jewelry schools in the nation and graduated number one in the history of the college. That was back in 1989. I get to see these pieces that come in that he's made for clients and I'm the one who gets to remake them for the next generation.

Jason
I know your whole family has done so much for the community. I want to talk about some of the key causes. Are there any that are top of mind?

Monali
One is the Freedom Ball, which goes back to veterans. You help raise money for the foundation and they honor the Goldstar women who've lost their significant others in battle or overseas. There's about thirty women there. We gift them jewelry every year to commemorate how brave they've been through this whole process. That's one that touches our hearts. We also work with the American Heart Association, Susan G. Komen. There's one foundation that we work with in Dallas called Joon Yoon, an organization that helps children in Africa who've been affected by AIDS. They give them a future. They give them treatment, they get them help. We work with Humane Society, no-kill shelters, hospital foundations. And the list goes on.

Jason
Are there any key brands that you’re passionate about?

Monali
We carry various brands. Our store’s over 4,000 square feet. We carry Tacori, Roberto Coin, Gabriel and Co., Simon G., Vahan. We do a lot of engagement rings. I actually have my own line here, it's called Monali as well.

Every aspect of the ring is touched by a different hand. It's completely handcrafted. The crafting is specialized.

I went to GIA in Carlsbad and graded diamonds for nine hours a day. There's just so much information when it comes to jewelry that it's hard to pick and choose what applies to you. And that's how you can start with finding the right information. Most is based off of a gift for someone. They want a memory. So, when you're looking for information about value, it's really important to know what do you value first? That's usually what I ask a client. A lot of people don't realize when it comes to diamonds specifically, the most important part, which you probably know, is the cut. I say that’s probably the biggest thing that I have to educate clients on is that really most of the value is coming from how well the cutter cuts the diamond or gemstone to unlock the beauty of it. Really the most important factor is cut, which I think most people are not aware of.

Jason
Here's your chance to say whatever you like to Meet the Jewelers. Tell us whatever you like.

Monali
My grandmother was a freedom fighter. She lived in India during the time when the British were ruling and then she was there when the Partition happened. The whole reason I have this story is because of her. She has taught us to make use of whatever we have, no matter how big or small it is. There is no diamond too big or too small to share how you feel with someone. I always say, it's not about what you give, it's about how you give. When you're giving this piece of jewelry, just know that it no longer becomes a piece of jewelry. Once it touches somebody's skin, it just becomes a part of them.