What is the history of the business?
We opened our doors in December 2014. The directors (Daniel and Elizabeth) had worked together in different jewellers over the last decade and when working for a small family jewellers they were unfortunate enough to be made redundant. They used the redundancy money and personal savings to create Diadem Jewellery.
We opened our website on Mother’s Day 2015, with over 1000 products. We were also the first ever British high street jewellers to accept Bitcoin.
Speak me through the inspiration behind Diadem jewellery
We’re both local to Altrincham and saw an opportunity for a unique jewellers in the beautiful old market town. We’ve established the business as a go-to destination for gorgeous, yet affordable jewellery. We opted to have mainly British designers specialising in handmade pieces as well as our Diadem collection created in-store by Daniel.
You have some unique designs stocked at the store, how were they chosen?
Over the years in business we have developed great relationships with our designers. We rely on feedback and suggestions from our customers; if they suggest we stock a designer they like, we’ll look into how feasible it would be. We like to specialise in handmade pieces from the UK but also stock other products from further afield.
When and why did you make the decision to trade with cryptocurrencies?
We’ve been following Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies for years. It made sense to have a wide range of payment options. Our second ever online purchase was paid for in Bitcoin – the payments are secure, fast, affordable, irreversible and decentralised from any banks. That means we have to pay very little to convert the payment back into cash, it reduces the likelihood of fraudulent transactions, and the money is with us in (usually) less than two hours.
How has that changed the way you do business?
The best thing about being a small independent business is that we can adapt to a changing world much quicker. For us, it meant that we had to train our staff to accept payments (which involves no monetary spend). In regards to accepting online payments, we were able to set this up on our website in less than 15 minutes.
You were named Retailer of the Year, how do you maintain a successful business method?
We put our customers at the heart of every decision we make. We’re not just jewellers, we’re also customers, so we know what great service looks like and we try our best to replicate that.
How do you stand out from other jewellery retailers?
Affordability, outstanding customer service and a great selection of beautiful jewellery both online and in store. We believed that Altrincham desired a more alternative selection of jewellery and it really has worked. We learnt quickly that taking risks and following your instincts works, and we’ve stuck with that approach ever since.
What has been your highlight of 2017?
It has to be winning the ‘Retailer of the Year Award 2017’. We were surprised and honoured that we had been nominated
What are Diadem’s plans for 2018?
Increasing our product range, choice of jewellery designers and (hopefully) growing our business. We’re also hoping to expand our Diadem collection and looking for designers to partner with.
