Joel and Avi started Olympian Diamonds in 1991 out of an office measuring about 15 by 6 feet, not counting the doorway. They had a fax machine, an old safe the size of a washing machine, shuttered windows facing the other side of the building, and they were good to go. As the company grew over the years, they never forgot their humble beginnings. Customer satisfaction has always been at the focal point of the company’s strategy. It’s the main facet of the company and it always will be. We answered our own phones then, and we still personally take care of every call, e-mail, and Facebook Message now.
In 1995, we moved to our present location in downtown Chicago, facing Lake Michigan with a bird’s eye view of Millennium Park. It has become a treasured landmark in Jeweler’s Row and Olympian has established its reputation for personal service, great values, and sensitivity to their customers’ needs. Two years later, we annexed the office next door and migrated to computer systems.
Now that the stage was set, Olympian just needed its crown jewel, and in 2001, they found one. Her name was Aleah Siegel Arundale. A scion of a Michigan jewelry family dating back five generations, Aleah had just graduated with honors from Loyola University and was ready to continue her family legacy.
Some people might consider selling diamonds to be a skill or even an artform. For Aleah, it’s more like a natural instinct. Selling diamonds on the road taught her endless jewelry selling tips, which she shares in a 12,000 member strong (and extremely loved) weekly newsletter. She is a regular contributor to every major jewelry magazine.
Aleah’s creativity and generosity is only matched by her legendary dedication to helping retail jewelers. Her motto is: “Let’s help each other shine”, and her endless love of retail jewelers led her to create the largest group of retail jewelers in America: a Facebook group called “Jewelers Helping Jewelers”. JHJ connects 15,000 jewelers in real time, 24/7.
In 2010, we saw a growing need in the market for larger diamonds at lower costs. That’s when we opened our sister company, Advanced Enhanced Diamonds. Advanced Enhanced offers quality natural diamonds that are fracture filled to give them an extra luster at considerably lower prices.
In 2016, We gave birth to another business, Chicago Jewelry Buyers, where we offer to buy diamonds from around Chicagoland for competitive prices.
Joel Jacobson
Joel is a native Chicagoan, and his uncle was actually a pioneering member of the diamond Bourse in Israel. Joel studied mechanical engineering and earned an MBA in Chicago and began his career working in the aircraft and nuclear power industries before embarking on his path as a diamond dealer. His engineering background gives him a deep appreciation of the geometry of diamonds, and his MBA helps ensure that our jeweler’s financial interests are always kept foremost in all Olympian decisions. Joel’s wife is an artist and graphic designer who looks after their four sons, two daughters and grandkids with great flair.
Avi Malotek
Avi was also born in Chicago. He is a man whose loyalty is unwavering, as attested by his lifelong love of the White Sox. He graduated college with a specialty in political science, and remains a voracious reader of books about history and politics- which makes him fun to talk to and also means he knows something about and is interested in every locale he talks to. Avi worked in retail sales before joining the diamond industry, where he honed his commitment to customer service as the defining value of a successful business, and the defining value of Olympian Diamonds. Avi’s wife is an attorney who currently specializes in family: specifically their twin sons and two daughters.
Aleah Arundale
Some people might consider selling diamonds to be a skill or even an artform. For Aleah, it’s more like a natural instinct. Aleah Arundale is a 3rd generation GIA Graduate Gemologist, a 5th generation jeweler turned loose diamond wholesaler. Selling diamonds on the road taught her endless jewelry selling tips, which she shares in a 12,000 member strong (and extremely loved) weekly newsletter. She is a regular contributor to every major jewelry magazine.
Aleah’s creativity and generosity is only matched by her legendary dedication to helping retail jewelers. Her motto is: “Let’s help each other shine”, and her endless love of retail jewelers led her to create the largest group of retail jewelers in America: a Facebook group called “Jewelers Helping Jewelers”. JHJ connects 15,000 jewelers in real time, 24/7.
Sign up for her Jewelry Sales Tips Newsletter by e-mailing her at Aleah@olympiandiamonds.com or calling 800-882-8900. “We are all in this jewelry business together, let’s help each other shine!”
Aleah’s husband is a patent attorney who enjoys camping out and craft beer, when he is not helping keep up with their young son and daughter.
So what does it take to make a great diamond company?
There may not be a definite recipe, but we think it helps that members of Olympian have many interests. Call us and you may be speaking to someone who: Brews his own beer; DJ’s in his spare time; Completed a University Honors program in dance (ballet, modern, jazz, tap. And she also enjoys singing and acting!); Papercuts in his spare time; Enjoys soccer when he is not boxing!; Is an interior design student, who also enjoys cooking and travel; Enjoys ultimate Frisbee; Cares for her friend’s dogs; Is a pastry chef; Raises chickens in a Chicago back yard; Guy who bakes and incredible sour dough bread…