Royal Tiara Alert! Queen Maxima of the Netherlands Wows in Diamonds During Germany State Visit
The last member of the British royal family to sport a tiara was Princess Beatrice on her wedding day last July
Royal Tiara Alert! Queen Maxima of the Netherlands Wows in Diamonds During Germany State Visit
It’s the royal moment we’ve all been waiting for: the much-anticipated return of the tiara!
Queen Maxima of the Netherlands brought an end to the royal tiara drought on Monday evening, sporting a sparkling headpiece during a state banquet in Germany. The wife of King Willem-Alexander the Stuart Tiara with a one-shoulder purple gown covered in floral embroidery.
Get push notifications with news, features and more.
Maxima, who recently celebrated her 50th birthday, also wore large diamond earrings — which are detachable clusters from the top of the tiara.
The Dutch royal couple attended a scaled-down yet glamorous state dinner at Schloss Bellevue in Berlin with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife, Elke Budebender, as part of their three-day visit to their neighboring country.
Queen Maxima Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander | Credit: ADAM BERRY/AFP via Getty
Queen Maxima’s tiara moment marks the first time in months that a royal family member has sported one, as the coronavirus pandemic has nearly eliminated large-scale events and visits to other countries.
Queen Maxima Queen Maxima | Credit: Patrick van Katwijk/Getty
Queen Maxima Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander | Credit: ADAM BERRY/AFP via Getty
The last member of the British royal family to sport a tiara was Queen Elizabeth’s granddaughter Princess Beatrice on her wedding day last July.
Princess Beatrice, who is expecting her first child with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, wore the historic Queen Mary diamond fringe tiara — the same accessory that her grandmother wore when she wed Prince Philip in 1947. (It was also worn by Princess Anne in 1974.)
Lynn Tu Brings Family Approach To New Diamonds Direct Store In Greenville
Kathy Laughlin
Lynn Tu’s life path has always shimmered with diamonds.
“There’s something about the lure of the sparkles that I just can’t resist,” Tu says, smiling.
During the past 25 years, those sparkles have taken her from Vietnam to South Carolina. It’s a journey defined by business, family, relationships, diamonds … and the stories that go with them – first in her family’s business a continent away and now as Vice President of the new Diamonds Direct store in Greenville.
“In what profession do you get to share so many special moments of people’s lives?” Tu asks. “The human side is so rewarding. I definitely love it. But definitely, this is all I know.”
Tu’s family came to the United States in 1980, and she took over the family business. She sold it 10 years later when she married and had a son. “I decided to either be married to the business, or to my family. Obviously, I chose my family.”
She assumed her career was over, until her sister began pleading with her to join Diamonds Direct in Charlotte, the first of the company’s 23 stores and still the flagship.
After three years, Tu relented. She sold jewelry in the showroom for five years before being asked to oversee the store in Charleston and the store that opened April 17 on Woodruff Road near I-85. Her sister, Kim Tu-Chau, has stayed at the Charlotte store.
Tu is more of an ambassador than an executive.
“We’re not in the jewelry business, we’re in the hospitality business,” says Tu, who lives in Mount Pleasant with her family and travels to Greenville twice a month.
“It’s all about these people. The product – they can go down the street and buy the ring. The purchase is the purchase. We’re interested in you. Where can you get the same experience? You become part of the family. And you take care of your family. So when you’re with us, you’re with us for life.”
The new Greenville store gleams with modern lighting and glass cases that house about 4,000 pieces of jewelry; about 80% are diamonds. Igor Zak is the general manager.
Diamonds Direct began 60 years ago as a wholesale operation, based in Israel and the U.S., according to the company’s website. The first showroom opened in 1995, with the goal of sourcing diamonds and selling directly to the consumer, eliminating the middleman.
Along the way, Diamonds Direct adopted uniquely consumer-friendly policies: financing, a 30-day return policy, responsibly sourced gems, custom work, a lifetime guarantee and service, and an education.
“We educate you. If it takes one hour just for the education part, it’s one hour,” Tu says.
The first ring is the most special, she explains. “You might have multiple rings after. But it’s that first that means the most. We guide you in the direction that is best for you. Then we’re part of your story.”
Diamonds Direct’s trade-in policy might be its most unusual benefit.
A year (or more) after a purchase, customers can bring back their diamond pendant necklace, diamond stud earrings or diamond engagement ring, then trade their stone for a larger one. The customer even receives 10% more in credit than they originally paid. Tu says that diamonds appreciate in value, so some of that increased value goes back to the buyer.
“Diamonds ‘shrink’ on you,” she says, laughing. “You are used to looking at the same size, day-in and day-out. You hit a big milestone, and you want a bigger stone. To help you out, we’ll give you the additional 10%. It is a huge benefit. You just pay the difference for the new diamond. It makes it easier for every one of us to slowly get to the size we want.”
Every person who works at Diamonds Direct starts in the showroom selling jewelry – as a “rhino,” the company’s mascot, Tu explains. (“Rhinos charge in a pack. Rhinos don’t give up. We have thick skin. We work hard. We’re genuine.”)
Tu had one customer in Charlotte who came in every year. “I’d see her twice a year, Christmas and her anniversary.” The woman upgraded the diamonds in her engagement ring and her earrings each year, with a 10% trade-in bonus.
“I heard from her by text. ‘Lynn, I want to come to see you.’ I said, ‘Oh, I’m not there this year.’ So, she’s going to go see my sister.”
Today, the woman has a 3-carat diamond in the center of her engagement ring and 2-carat earrings.
“I don’t know of any mom-and-pop that can do that – or any big corporations that can do that,” Tu says. “That’s why people come back to us. That’s why it’s Diamonds Direct, and not anywhere else. You can text me at 7 a.m., and I’ll still respond to you.”
That personal connection is what sold Tu on a career with the company.
During her first month, a couple celebrating their 50th anniversary wanted to purchase new wedding rings. But the woman was conflicted about what to do with her original diamond.
“She thought about trading it in, but as I talked to her, she started getting sad. And I said, ‘Keep the stone. I will set the diamond in a solitaire necklace so that you can wear it closer to your heart. It’s your most sentimental. It’s your first piece.”
The woman was incredulous. Tu told the woman she would “absolutely” reset the diamond and that the price would be “absolutely zero.”
“This was my first month. I didn’t even know we could do that. I just did it.”
Later, she told the manager that she’d just given away $500 in merchandise. When she detailed the entire story, he wholeheartedly approved and even sweetened the offer.
The manager told her: “Make sure you set it in platinum, not in white gold, so they can preserve it forever.”
“In what world does that happen?” Tu asks.
Tu – whose story was shaped by diamonds, then set her career aside – decided at that moment that Diamonds Direct was “home.”
“I said, ‘You’ve got me for life.’”
Local jewelers see business boom after COVID–19
Local jewelers see business boom after COVID–19
June 30, 2021 | Carolyn Noel
SPRINGFIELD/CHICOPEE/HOLYOKE – The coronavirus pandemic forced the world to slow down and stop. Many events, such as engagements, parties and weddings, were put on hold. With COVID-19 positivity rates down and over 50 percent of the United States population now vaccinated, there is a sense of normalcy returning again. Many local jewelers are now seeing a rise in sales of engagement rings, wedding bands and diamond earrings.
According to wedding website The Knot, “The vast majority of weddings had to be modified in some capacity due to COVID-19 (96 percent). The good news is that for nearly 93 percent of engaged couples, the pandemic didn’t cancel their wedding celebrations altogether.”
The Knot said that a majority of couples set their sights on dates in 2021 instead.
Springfield’s Smith & Son Jewelers was forced to close in March 2020 because of the pandemic. When they reopened, owner Michele Smith said that they were extremely busy.
Smith said that they saw many people picking up repairs they had dropped off before the shutdown and also buying engagement rings. With ring sales up, Smith said that customers might have realized how uncertain the world was and that they shouldn’t wait to get engaged.
“People were realizing what was going on in the world and maybe that life is short and to not put everything off in life,” she said.
This year, Smith said that customers are purchasing rings at an even higher rate than 2020. She said that they are doing “very good” when it comes to sales. Having a sense of normalcy and a busier wedding season feels great, according to Smith.
“It feels good. It really does. It’s nice to see people’s smiles again and just nice to be with our customers. We have a great customer base and family generations that come in, because we’re fourth generation as well, so it’s just really nice to see all of that,” she said.
Smith & Sons Jewelers has a live case of engagement rings in their store where customers can come in and purchase a ring in the same day.
Smith said that they also offer custom-made rings, which can take anywhere from two to eight weeks to make depending on certain factors.
Sayegh Jewelers in Chicopee also offers both ready-made and custom rings in their stores. Eddy Sayegh, owner of Sayegh Jewelers, said that their ring sales were down last year but are up for 2021.
“Engagement rings and wedding bands are a lot better than last year and even better than 2019, at least at this location in Chicopee,” said Sayegh.
Sayegh attributes this to the postponement of weddings in 2020 which is bringing people in now to buy their bands. He also said that extra stimulus money might have helped people buy rings and jewelry this year.
After a slower year in 2020, Sayegh said that it feels great to have customers back.
“It feels good. We’re very busy at both of our stores. A lot of repairs and orders. It’s good and we’re not worried. We feel very confident,” he said.
Furnari Jewelers in Holyoke is also experiencing higher engagement and wedding band sales post-pandemic. Owner Joe Furnari attributes this to extra money and also a strengthening of relationships.
“The whole jewelry industry, from those I’ve talked to, has been up a lot since reopening. I think people aren’t going on the vacations they used to and I think people are appreciating each other more too,” said Furnari. “People were able to spend more time together and decided, hey we got through this tough period in our world’s history, let’s get married and keep doing it.”
Furnari said that despite having to close their store in March 2020 due to government mandates, they are now back and better than ever.
“It’s been one of the best years so far,” he said.
Getting back to the way of life before COVID-19 feels great in all aspects of life, said Furnari. Business is booming and the world is taking time to appreciate their loved ones after a period of uncertainty, he added.
“It feels great. Not just for business, but for everyday life aspects. Just to get back to the way things were,” said Furnari. “I think there’s a deeper appreciation for it now which is fantastic. It’s all the small things people appreciate, and I think it’s strengthened a lot of people’s relationships, too, in every aspect, not just with loved ones but I think people appreciate their children more, their parents, their friends…it’s a deeper appreciation, because for a while we didn’t have it. Sometimes you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone, but now it’s back so you appreciate it.”
Those interested in learning more about Smith & Sons Jewelers are encouraged to visit their website at https://www.smithandsonjewelers.com/. Information on Sayegh Jewelers can be found at https://www.sayeghjewelers.com/ and information on Furnari Jewelers can be found at https://www.furnarijewelers.com/.