Diamonds Are This Girl’s Best Friend
Leeron Ofer represents the younger generation in her family’s diamond business and shares tips and trends on how to get that sparkle in unique ways.
After 37 years with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and now with the AJT, , Jaffe’s focus is lifestyle, art, dining, fashion, and community events with emphasis on Jewish movers and shakers.
Ideal Diamond Corporation’s Leeron Ofer, 35, offers her expert advice on diamonds, trends, bling, and everything weddings. After graduating North Springs High School and the College of Charleston, Ofer was off to New York City in 2018 to master her diamond grading/gemology course from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).
Here she offers advice to new brides and beyond, saying, “Be bold! Choose something different and unique, and always choose bigger if possible, while remaining classy and elegant. Choose what you want, not what your friends want … you are the one that has to wear it and love it. Try on all the shapes to be sure. Try to stay away from halos around the center diamond, especially if it’s a larger stone, it will just take attention away from the main focus. I recommend a halo for smaller diamond to make it look bigger!”
Leeron always knew she wanted to get into the diamond business, watching her dad, Sam, manage and run it as his own business. She recalled, “Yes, I was that daughter who was interested in learning from Dad. Growing up, I always knew I wanted to join the business. Having my dad as mentor made it even easier. I started traveling with him to meet clients and attend diamond shows around the world and instantly was hooked! When I graduated college, I went out on my own to get hard working experience from other employers, non-diamond related businesses.”
Now her focus is on marketing and social media, learning new trends and diamond ring designs. Since she is certified, she sells to private clients one-on-one and travels for sales. Social media includes Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok as well as going to networking parties around Atlanta to raise awareness and meet new clients.
In terms of men’s fashion, Leeron is selling more gold wedding bands, and sees the hammered look trending for 2024. She commented, “Men are going for something different than the classic plain gold or platinum comfort fit band right now.”
For ladies, she is also seeing thicker gold bands, and has designed rings that have been either “bubble like” or a gold band and a big diamond slanted off to the side. Overall, she predicts more nontraditional engagement rings like a two-stone ring or diamonds in a Bezel setting for ladies this year.
Brides are particular about shape — in past generations, Marquis and pear were trending; and some fall back on the “Tiffany round solitaire.” Leeron predicts that Radiant and Emerald Cuts will be on brides’ minds in the near future.
Savvy buyers know about clarity and color and the balance with size. Ofer proffers this suggestion, “One of my favorite ways to get more bang for the buck is I tell my clients, go down in clarity and up in the color, depending on which diamond shape as some shapes, (i.e. Emerald cut) are cut with facets where the inclusions will be more noticeable, other shapes are much easier to hide. Plus, who is looking at your diamond with a loupe or microscope? Another tip is go for a plain, simple engagement ring band, then really jazz it up with a big sparkly wedding band behind it!”
Diamond discussions spill into the “L” word … “Labgrown.” Approximately 50 percent of Ideal’s sales last year and so far into 2024 have been labgrown. Ofer shrugs, “As far as a lab as a ‘fad,’ who knows what the future will hold?”
Then the age-old question, “Shall we strive for a perfect stone?” Without hesitation, Ofer comments, “No, no one is perfect, so why have the perfect stone!”
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