Some jewelers have celebrity brand ambassadors, glitzy A-list stars who look great in a piece of jewelry. To stand out, New York–based Ultimate Diamond decided to go in another direction, launching That Bling Babe as its unofficial spokesperson.
That Bling Babe is none other than Danielle Leeann Chin, Ultimate Diamond’s stylist and brand strategist, who has more than 10 years of experience in luxury-brand strategy. Her Instagram is popping, and some of her reels have gained more than 10 million views since the company launched it fewer than six months ago.
Last month, Ultimate Diamond opened its first online store as well. Yes, you read that right: Until recently, the family- and minority-owned company had only a website and a social media presence that was updated…well, not so regularly. Chin set out to change all that and get the company to go digital the right way.
Chin says the idea is to create a balance between her millennial-focused, personality-driven content as That Bling Babe and the authoritative voice on Ultimate Diamond’s Instagram, e-commerce site, and other social media.
That Bling Babe is not only different in terms of creating a personal relationship with people interested in jewelry on all-important platforms such as Instagram, Chin says, but it is also key to giving female consumers the information they need to make smart buying decisions for themselves, partners, or others.
“When we started talking about what we wanted to do, one thing that stood out was a missing segment on social media of jewelers talking to women,” Chin says. “A lot of the content focuses on aesthetics and style. We wanted to offer a technical point of view, allowing women from a business perspective to make good use of their resources and smart investments.”
So far, the content is connecting—Chin’s reel about “What my mom thinks I do in the Diamond District” and what she actually does gained those 10 million–plus views. In the first part, a serious-looking Chin studies a diamond through a jeweler’s loupe. In the reel’s second part, she’s sizing a ring like a boss.
“It’s providing a real person behind the company, humanizing the process of buying a ring or understanding the process,” Chin says.
Chin says she curates That Bling Babe to be more casual, friendly, and educational. She tackles topics such as money-saving tips on buying an engagement ring—something millennials and Gen Z are hugely interested in—as well as other areas of interest, including the differences between mined and lab-grown diamonds.
Ultimate Diamond describes itself as the longest-standing wholesale–gone–retail jeweler in New York City’s famous Diamond District since 1959. Bill Kung, the second-generation owner along with his wife, Roni, says he wanted to go bigger on social media and with an online store now because of the changes he sees in consumer behavior.
“Digital was a missing piece for us,” Kung says. “Wherever I travel, I see people using their smartphones. Everybody uses their phones for everything now. It’s the biggest platform that exists, and it’s on 24/7. We had to play catchup, and I wanted to get on board fast. So, we’re putting ourselves out there.”
Chin says that is what she is doing between the two sides of Ultimate Diamond—both as its brand voice and her work as That Bling Babe.
“We want to be transparent,” Chin says. “You have to be an authority, but you also have to form relationships with everyday people. I’m an everyday person, just like our clients. We know it’s a big investment for them, so we try to think about what an everyday consumer might want to know.”
Top: Danielle Leeann Chin is repositioning herself as That Bling Babe on Instagram to help boost millennial and Gen Z diamond knowledge, especially among female consumers, as part of her work at New York–based Ultimate Diamond (all photos courtesy of Ultimate Diamond).
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