Market Street Diamonds

Jan 1

In their own words

“Clients take their time and listen to music. We offer a lot of information and support. We manufacture most of the jewelry that we sell in-house. We also have a whiskey bar called The Setting. While a client is waiting for a piece of jewelry, they can go downstairs and have their favorite scotch or a glass of wine, or they can sit in our showroom. It’s a community, a good place to hang out and get retail therapy.”

-Dino Lonzano

Jason’s Interview with Dino

Jason

Today is a really neat one. We get to talk to Dino Lonzano from Market Street Diamonds in D.C. Dino, how did you get into the industry?

Dino

My introduction to this industry was in a pink mohawk in 1985, wearing a suit that my mother had purchased in a new BMW. I was fifteen years old, and she asked me if I wanted to drive her to services. I said, “Absolutely. I'm going to drive you to services.” So, I drove her car. After we went to services, we went to her jeweler. Her jeweler that day was a small manufacturer who had ten international goldsmiths working for him. Short-staffed that day, he threw me a set of keys and said, “Show one piece at a time, and only one piece.” That was my first day in the industry. I’ve been working in the jewelry industry since.”

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Jason
I want to hear about the location—it's so gorgeous. I love the brick finish, beautiful art. What is it like when somebody comes into your store?

Dino
We have a very non-aggressive temperament in our business. It’s like coming to an environment of an arctician. We have a lot of beautiful merchandise that’s displayed. Clients take their time, listen to music. We offer wine, sparkling water, and give a lot of information. A lot of our clients are always looking to create something new or it's a repair. We also manufacture most of the jewelry that we sell in-house. It's a three-story building. We also have a whiskey bar that's incorporated into the building, called The Setting. While a client is waiting for a piece of jewelry, they can go downstairs and have their favorite Scotch, glass of wine, or they can sit in our showroom. It’s a community.

Jason
Tell us some of the new trends and concepts in your store.

Dino
It's really interesting. Our clients come to us with the concept of incorporating their idea of what they want into an image that they found on Instagram or Facebook. Every client is completely different. Trends are completely different. D.C. is a very conservative marketplace, but it's a place that appreciates quality, good product, good service, and good pricing as well.

Jason
Tell us about the uniqueness that you offer.

Dino
If clients want to incorporate something from an heirloom, we’ll make sure that we can make that not just strong from an engineering standpoint, but beautiful from an artistic point of view.

Jason
I want to hear about your give-back programs and the causes you support.

Dino
Luke’s Wings is a nonprofit that we're very strong with supporting—they're able to find airplane tickets for family members visiting family members at NIH or Walter Reed because of a bad incident that they experienced overseas protecting our beautiful nation. We're very involved with giving back to the community when it comes to creating pieces for auction. We work to make sure we keep parks clean and safe for tourists, neighbors, and the people that unfortunately are living on the streets.

Jason
It seems like you've really made your jewelry store different. What is the Dino experience?

Dino
At the end of the day, it's all about just doing the right thing. It's all about transparency. Respect and appreciate the clients that come into your business. We really don't market or advertise. There's only one event that I believe in, I'm a strong advocate, and it's our Pride event that we have here in D.C. It brings in about 500,000 visitors. It's the only thing I really invest in besides Luke’s Wings. At the end of the day, it's all about going above and beyond for your clients.

Jason
I want to hear about the perfect proposal.

Dino
I have clients that have taken their future fiancé on a plane and have left beds of roses, saying, “Will you marry me?” on the ground. Whether it’s the United States, the Himalayas, Machu Picchu, to something as simple as a baseball game. However one decides to do it is okay by me.

Jason
Talk about a time when a client came in and wanted to design something.

Dino
There was a time that we had a client that wanted a very special—Dr. Post over at the Smithsonian, the Hope Diamond. The Hope Diamond is a product that everyone in North America has heard of and the tragedies behind it. I had a client that really wanted to get something as close as the Hope Diamond as possible. This was 2015, during the turn of lab-grown diamonds. I was able to work with a scientist in St. Petersburg, Russia, and we were able to grow a seed, a crystal that was this beautiful blue color. We were able to laser inscribe along the girdle, my client’s proposal dates and special quotes. It was a beautiful experience and the ring turned out to be pretty spectacular. And she said yes by the way.

We've been working with lab-grown now for about six years. It's turned out to be something that's been very positive.

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

Dino
If you roll up your sleeves and don't dilute who you are and what you believe in, it's gonna work. It’s a new exciting time and I'm glad to be here to enjoy it.