Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1525828
Fred Cuellar PAPERCITY PROMOTION A sk Siri, Google, and Alexa, "Who is the top diamond expert in the world?" They all answer with the name Fred Cuellar. But don't just take their word for it. Diamond Cutters International, founded by Fred Cuellar 40 years ago, has been the jeweler for most of the recent U.S. presidents, Republican and Democrat alike, including both Bushes, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. "It's pretty incredible when you get to meet the leaders of the free world," Cuellar says. "We also do Super Bowl rings, World Series rings, and Stanley Cup rings. As a kid, I always dreamed of being an athlete, so being able to design rings for sports champions — especially our local Houston heroes — is wonderful." As the only diamond and colored-stone cutting house in the southwest United States, DCI is also a full-scale custom jewelry manufacturer, supplying more than 200 jewelry stores with their diamonds. But think beyond proposals and wedding days — DCI also offers corporate partnerships and private investments. Despite his multifaceted career, Houstonians and their love stories remain the center of Cuellar's business. "As cool as it is to meet incredible people who have done incredible things, I get even more excited when a couple comes into our office and I get to know them and become a part of their love story," Cuellar says. "Just the other day, a local customer sent me a photograph of himself holding his Diamond Cutters INTERNATIONAL Getting to Know marriage license. Of all the people he knows, he wanted to show it to me! I get excited when our customers become family. That's why we've been here for so long, and why I keep doing what I do." Another facet of DCI's business is designing and creating custom jewelry for Houstonians. "Since we're one of the only cutting houses open to the public and can cut a stone to spec, we can beat anyone else's price by a minimum of 20 percent," Cuellar says. "People are stunned to find out they can get their dream ring at an average of a third of the price." For those just starting the diamond- purchasing process, he offers this advice. "The top tip when buying anything is to be educated about it," he says. "Come in, sit down, and talk to us. I've got a team of Graduate Gemologists. There's so much misinformation out there, even from well-meaning sources, that it's a minefield. Also, don't rush. And only buy a fully bonded stone." DCI is the only fully bonded jeweler in the state of Texas. That means their diamonds have a lifetime buy back, breakage, and exchange policy. A lifetime warranty on jewelry is not the same thing. With a fully bonded jeweler, you get your money back in full at any time, since the stone is guaranteed to never be worth less than what it was sold for. The average resale value of a diamond in the United States is 19.7 percent of the original dollar spent. Buyers lose more than 80 percent of the original value when they don't buy a fully bonded stone. Helping his customers make one of the most important purchases of their lives is Cuellar's expertise. He literally wrote the book: How to Buy a Diamond: Insider Secrets for Getting Your Money's Worth by Fred Cuellar has been the number-one-selling guide to diamonds since its publication. Diamond Cutters International 4265 San Felipe Suite 960 Houston, TX 77027 800.275.4047 diamondcuttersintl.com 115