“ Join us from the days of old, when jewelry was made for you— not just sold.”
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BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
Diamond Designs
The Home of Jewelry in the North Hills
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You could say that jewelry runs in the Duffy family. The family business has been providing some of the most unique designs handcrafted with European methodology for over a quarter of a century. And owners Charles and Christy Ann Duffy have each been in the jewelry business for over 40 years.
“ It’ s how we met,” said Christy Ann.“ Charles and I were professional jewelers. I was his competitor, working for a store downtown.”
The couple decided to combine their talents of diamond setting and design, and take things to the next level. They left the city, and opened up Diamond Designs— Wexford’ s longest-running jewelry store.
Together, along with their daughter, Alicia, the Duffys are the perfect combination of jewelers: Charles is a professional diamond setter, Christy Ann is a professional jeweler and certified diamond grader, and Alicia is a certified diamond grader and designer in a CAD program. CAD, or computer aided design, allows clients to see exactly how their piece will look before it’ s crafted by hand, using Old- World methods. The CAD program marries the technology of today with craftsmanship that has spanned generations. The end result is a piece of jewelry that not only is a work of art, but a true statement of personality and taste.
“ Like any other form of art, fashion, music, dance, or film, individuality is what most of our clients want,” Alicia said.“ The design process through CAD helps our clients get that customized piece without wondering what the final product will look like. Our clients aren’ t limited to the items in our showroom. Our CAD program is the made-to-order of the jewelry world. It’ s been a great tool to help clients express themselves and create one-ofa-kind heirloom pieces.”
In keeping with the family theme, the Duffys hung their shingle at a residential home in Wexford rather than a commercial storefront. The living room of the home serves as a showroom, with other rooms utilized in similar ways. When they had the opportunity, they purchased the building so they could truly call it their own.
“ Everybody in Wexford knows us and this store,” Christy Ann said.“ We want everybody feeling like they’ re at home here. And we have people coming in [ often ]— they sit in the sitting area, drink coffee and talk. It’ s such a unique atmosphere for a jewelry store and I’ d say 99 percent of our customers are referred to us by clients who just want them to see how we stand out.”
While the atmosphere is homey, serious jewelry work takes place at Diamond Designs. Everyone on staff is operating at an artisan’ s level. They don’ t consider their work to be just jewelry, they consider it art, and pride themselves in utilizing Old-World European techniques to craft the creations that have made their reputation.
All of their stones are unique and one-of-a-kind pieces that come from vendors in Brazil and Africa. All of their diamonds are cut by an Israeli master cutter in New York and arrive at the store loose and waiting for their permanent settings.
If you would like to see more of their work, check out the website at Diamonddesignjewelers. net, or stop by the store where you can feel at home, at 140 Church Road in Wexford, 15090. You can also call 724.934.2777 for more information on all the services they provide.
“ Join us from the days of old, when jewelry was made for you— not just sold.”
North Allegheny | Fall 2016 | icmags. com 57