We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Gili Mor. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Gili below.

Gili, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One deeply underappreciated facet of entrepreneurship is the kind of crazy stuff we have to deal with as business owners. Sometimes it’s crazy positive sometimes it’s crazy negative, but crazy experiences unite entrepreneurs regardless of industry. Can you share a crazy story with our readers?

We had a high-end client inquiring about the most expensive ring on our website, he wanted to come and take a look at it in person since it was exactly what he was looking for and within his budget. We set up a time for him to come in and showed him the diamond ring which was in the 70k range. He was impressed but wanted to see another option, knowing that I have a really good diamond and that I priced it very competitively I would probably bring another one in and eventually sell mine.
In the diamond industry, jewelry store owners and diamond dealers often source diamonds from other dealers since there are various combinations of carat, cuts, colors and clarities and we can’t have it all so I called my friend who is a diamond dealer in Miami and asked him if he had anything within that range and price point, he mentioned it was nearly impossible but he will try and find me one. An hour passed and he called me back telling me he is in the elevator in the diamond building in Miami with another diamond dealer who came from Israel to sell his goods and that he had the exact diamond I was looking for for a little more than my client wanted to spend, I was a little skeptical because it was same carat weight like my diamond and the same color and clarity so I didn’t see any reason to ship it for hundreds of dollars just to show the same thing for more money. My friend then assured me that this was a special diamond and that I needed to see it to believe it, mind you this was all happening while they were in the elevator and he was pushing me to give an immediate answer since the other dealer was flying back to Israel the same day but he was willing to leave the diamond here to show the client.
I ended up getting the diamond in and sure enough it was one of the most beautiful diamonds I ever held in my hand, the client came the next day and I couldn’t hold back my enthusiasm about that diamond, the client agreed with me and purchased the diamond then and there, we made a custom design ring and everyone was happy.
In my business, there are surprises almost every day but to think that this diamond was there at the same place and time I needed it to be proves to me that every diamond has a home.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My story begins with my dad, he was a diamond cutter in Israel and ever since I remember, he used to take me with him to work and showed me the different aspects of cutting and polishing diamonds.
When I was 26 I started working for a wholesale company with offices in Tel Aviv and Dallas, I was traveling across the US selling diamonds out of a briefcase. After a few years In that company, I moved to Houston and opened my own business. I was still doing wholesale until we decided to open Diamond Exchange Houston and provide great deals and wholesale prices directly to the public.
We specialize in custom-design engagement rings and diamond jewelry.
We work hard to keep our standards high and we appreciate every single client we have because they trust us and gives us the opportunity to create their dream ring and we delivered.
Our clients share their stories with us and often their proposal photos which we love to see because it gives us endless inspiration to keep going and help couples start their new journey and tie the knot.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

In the diamond industry, your reputation is more valuable than the money in your bank account so to build it you have to stand behind your word and often put your money where your mouth is. It’s not for everybody, you need to have a very thick skin and take big risks.
In my case I got a lot of help from people I knew before, they trusted me and gave me the tools I needed to start on my own.
Our reputation with our clients comes down to the quality of our work and the fact we stand behind our promises.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

We do not sell on our website for a simple reason, we had an order through the website that was paid for with a stolen credit card and we almost got scammed.
We sell on Etsy and some other platforms and we recommend to businesses that want to get their name out there, that the fees are worth it because it gets your product to clients that would not find you otherwise.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://diamondexchangehouston.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diamondexchangehouston/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diamondexchangehouston
• Twitter: https://x.com/htowndiamonds
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DiamondExchangeHouston
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/diamond-exchange-houston-houston

Image Credits

Gili Mor