In 2010, Libby Diament was working for Mac Cosmetics in New York, selling homemade jewelry to colleagues at her desk and building up her savings account. Once she hit $30,000, the Boston University business school alum quit her day job and hit the craft-show circuit.
“I never looked back,” says Diament, who hails from the Philadelphia area and now lives in Northern Virginia.
Diament Jewelry opened its second retail location in June, moving into the Shirlington space formerly occupied by The Cookery. The sun-filled shop—which sells baby gifts, accessories and home items in addition to jewelry—almost didn’t happen, given the advice Diament long received to stick to the web and avoid the cost of a brick-and-mortar space. In 2018, she opened her first storefront, at the Wharf in D.C., anyway.
“It’s funny because it’s worked the exact opposite—it’s propelled my brand so much further having the store.”
For more than a decade, Diament has sold her jewelry pieces online, many of them derived from the “big treasure box” of vintage baubles she’s amassed from visits to antique malls and other shops. Some vintage finds are sold as is; other times, she dissects old jewelry, repurposing the metal, stones and other components to make new pieces. The Shirlington boutique also carries jewelry from a host of other designers, some of whom Diament met in her craft-show days.
Giftable baby items account for nearly half of shop’s stock, from cheeky onesies to toddler-size dinosaur stuffies.
The space’s vibrant, colorful design is meant to mimic a swimming pool, with aqua paint creeping halfway up the walls and a forthcoming mini lifeguard stand to be built by Diament’s father. “We’re very mom and pop,” she says.
Shelves are also stocked with an array of clever home accessories and gifts, such as socks proclaiming the wearer “Perfect in Every Way” and beer-can candles. Several local brands are featured throughout the shop, including home items from The Neighborgoods and jewelry from Rachel Pfeffer. And the store makes gift-giving a bit simpler by doling out free tissue paper with your purchase.
“The formula we follow for the business is: really unique products that are still affordable, so anybody that comes in can still find something,” says the proprietor.
A third storefront is “definitely” part of Diament’s business plan, but she’s hesitant to expand too quickly.
“Based on what customers say, I think having a really strong, intimate feel is really important, and having a store with a soul,” she says. “The reason people want to support these kind of stores is because there’s a personal connection.”
Diament Jewelry is located at 4017B Campbell Ave., Arlington. The store is open 10 a.m.-8 p.m. daily.