Debra Baltarshanski Email & Phone Number

New York, Ny, Us

New York, New York

Specialist in baguette and fancy shaped diamonds, assisting jewelry manufacturers and retail jewelers for their customized needs. " Utilize experience and industry acumen to provide complete cycle of fine jewelry sales, from product purchasing & design to sales & marketing. " Specialize in selection, layout design, and custom cutting of diamond intensive jewelry. Create designer line of fine jewelry for strong independents and mass merchants. " Leverage expertise to select products for all customers simultaneously to save time and expense, sourcing and purchasing diamonds via domestic wholesalers and overseas manufacturers. " Foster strategic relationships with domestic/international suppliers, negotiating pricing and terms to ensure desired profit margins. " Develop new partnerships and purchase new jewelry lines at major trade shows in Italy, Switzerland, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Las Vegas JCK. " Work with factories globally, attend domestic & international trade shows, and purchase materials, to maintain constant knowledge of trends and products. " Identify trends and strategies to deliver appropriate variation of trends to diverse clientele. Leverage industry knowledge to determine how & when to present trends to client. " Ensure welcoming, service-orientated atmosphere for existing and new clients who appreciate the care and effort that goes into personally selecting diamonds & colored gemstones. " Serve diverse clientele, including domestic wholesalers (including NYC), strong independent retailers (many with AGS affiliation) and regional chains, with the same dedication and quality standards." Support digital team by assisting with web content, site layout, and social media platforms, providing all copy. " Orchestrated entire photoshoot for recent launch of Collections portfolio, developing concept for each product layout, locating materials & props, and leading session.

Greater New York City Area

• Developed company from scratch with complete responsibility regarding P&L, budget management, design, merchandising, and sales of semi-precious and base metals.• Partner with non-profit organizations to promote causes at state and local fairs.• Increase client base via industry specific groups targeting non-profits and referrals.

West Des Moines, Iowa

Supported sales as subject matter expert within Diamond Department. Served in full time and part time capacities throughout tenure.• Ensured sales and customer satisfaction through consultative sales approach, further developing client base by attending community events.• Designed products and oversaw manufacturing, keeping clients up-to-date on progress of custom designs through sketches and wax models.

Greater Chicago Area

Purchased, graded, and priced branded & certified diamonds for distribution to independent jewelers throughout United States.• Developed in-house diamond jewelry line focusing on trends. Responsible for 50%+ of sales, annually.• Utilized state-of-the-art Gemex technology. Responsible for grading. Documented personalized branded grading reports for program diamonds to ensure quality and provide diagram for identification.• Sourced and selected pre-certified and non-certified diamonds from overseas and domestic sources.• Increased profit margins by establishing vendor relationships and negotiating prices.

Greater New York City Area

Leveraged technical ability to drive acquisition, selling, and production for individual, high net worth clients as well as retail/wholesale operations.• Purchased ~$3M + domestic and international merchandise annually for multi-million-dollar accounts while controlling $300K+ inventory and determining & maintaining profit margins for clients, including Zales, Jared, Macy’s, and JC Penney. Example:o Categorized diamonds into 5 quality parameters JC Penney; maintained +/- 1% rejection rate for loose diamond division through quality control inspections; created yearly pricing updates based on market increase and availability.

Greater New York City Area

Developed strong technical foundation concerning all areas necessary to be diamond grader while working on Graduate Gemologist Program.• Completed full documentation indicating quality and distinction of loose diamonds for grading reports, updates, and verifications distributed by The Gem Trade Laboratory.

Diamonds Graduate

Bachelor Of Fine Arts (B.F.A.), Photography (Major) Art History (Minor)