How Barbara Martin Built this Diamond Web Site

From Geodes and Garnets to Diamonds … and this Web Site!

I'm Barbara Martin, and this is the diamonds web site of MY dreams. Did you ever think about starting a web site on something you are passionate about? I did -- many times -- and now I'm building one! If you have any questions about it, please use the contact form to ask ... I'd love to hear from you.Did you have a rock collection when you were a kid? I tried to. My dream stone back then was a geode with purple in the middle. I spent many childhood days looking at the ground “rock hunting” in hopes of finding gems and jewels, but sadly I never found a geode!

I did convince all the girls in my second grade class that the little red sparkly chips in the rock wall of the school building were rubies. We spent recess digging them out with hair pins. One day the principal explained they were little bits of garnet and maybe we should leave them there for other little girls who came after us to admire and enjoy. So we gave up prospecting for rubies and decided diamonds would be better anyway.

Diamonds stuck in the back of my mind, of course. Doesn't every girl dream of diamonds? As a teenager, I was shocked to see that some of the great crown jewels of Europe are not very exciting to the (untrained) eye. The really old ones look like lumpy bits of colored stone, sometimes with a rough crystal shape, vaguely interesting but not thrilling like "real" jewels should be! Truly, these stones are awesome but they haven’t been fully cut or fashioned so they don't always look like what we see in a jeweler's window.

More recently, I visited the fabulous "Tiaras" special exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Now THAT was the real deal, complete with photos of the tiaras being worn to grand occasions! Exactly what I had been yearning to see: Diamonds!

In my daily life I am not much of a fashionista or glitter diva. I live in jeans. My jewelry is not expensive: a big silver bracelet or a watch with some turquoise on it, or a lovely gold signet ring with a bit of mosaic made from a tie pin that belonged to my mother’s great uncle who worked at Tiffany’s at New York, as the story goes. So maybe there is a little touch of the "rock hound" in my blood, after all?

I've often admired jewelers’ display windows, wondering how they came up with the designs (and the prices.) I was always so mystified by the people who dealt in jewelry – especially the antique and unique estate pieces -- how did they know what they had? Was it even a real diamond? I reckoned it was just too intimidating to even begin to try to figure it all out. And then eBay came along, with diamonds sold on web sites and still I thought, no way would I risk spending serious money on something I knew nothing about. No, thanks!

By now my daughter and her friends were in their late teens and becoming interested in, well, you know, the diamond engagement rings. Bridal magazines came into the house. One teen proclaimed her total preference for “A BIG ONE!”; one thought "a pretty one" would be great and another said it was the “symbolism” of the diamond ring that counted. But what makes one prettier than another? Or cost more? Diamonds are ALL pretty! And none of them are cheap! And as we looked at web sites selling diamonds, we became even more leery than we had been before. How can you tell from a catalog description?

I've also been taking some classes with smart people in their 20’s who are full of angst over the whole diamond engagement ring thing. Everyone has an opinion!

As I became more focused on diamonds I started to pay closer attention to people and their feelings about diamonds. You can bet I met a lot of guys of all ages who were sweating their choices. There are some middle aged women who regret their rings for one reason or another. And I've met so many successful, talented women who feel ready to buy a little bling just to treat themselves to something special because they deserve it.

I live in Los Angeles, home to Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, Hollywood and the red carpet, and I see more diamonds than ever and I've started reading and researching. My family will tell you I never do things in moderation, it is a complete all or nothing proposition. So, true to form, I became fascinated with “everything diamond.”

Beyond reading and visiting diamonds at the jewelry stores, I am studying to become a Certified Jewelry Professional through the world famous Gemological Institute of America or GIA. This includes a special course devoted to only diamonds.

And now I want to share what I’ve learned and hopefully help others in their diamond quests, whatever direction it may take you. Whether it is just for fun, in books and movies, as a history buff, or as a person window shopping – or someone seriously shopping for a diamond or to enhance the enjoyment you get out of your own diamond jewelry.

You might wonder how I decided to create a web site like this. That answer is convoluted, too, but in essence I had been writing on the internet for other people for many years and decided I wanted to write for myself, on my own site, about a topic I love. So here we are: www.diamond-of-your-dreams.com Enjoy!

Sincerely, Barbara Martin

ps I’d love to hear your diamond story … use the contact form if you’d like.

pps If you think maybe you’d like a web site of your own, with lots of support and the tools you need to make it happen, don’t hesitate to ask me.