From Reluctant Heir to
Custom Powerhouse
How Malakan Transformed the Diamond Family an $800k operation into an $8 million custom jewelry destination.
When Michael Haddad reluctantly stepped into his father Rocky Haddad’s jewelry business 18 years ago, The Diamond Family in Manchester, Missouri was overing around $800,000 in revenue after Rocky had operated it for 30 years. The torch was passed down and Michael took the company into the digital age by building a new website, relaunching their social media presence, and expanding their custom work beyond traditional services like resizing rings or changing heads for bigger stones.
Since Michael Haddad joined the company, their revenue has increased by almost 20 times. they are now a custom powerhouse in the St. Louis area, projecting $8 million in revenue this year and completing approximately 100 custom designs with Malakan each month – a transformation Haddad attributes largely to his partnership with Malakan’s custom design services.
The collaboration exemplifies how independent jewelers can thrive in today’s market by offering truly bespoke experiences. When a customer walks into The Diamond Family with a vision — whether inspired by family history, personal milestones or unique aesthetic preferences — the team knows they can rely on Malakan’s concierge service to turn that vision into reality.
Personalized jewelry design offers jewelry stores a powerful path to enhanced profitability through traditionally higher margins. For The Diamond Family, custom design services have become the cornerstone of success. “Custom work has made our business,” explains Haddad, the store’s president and owner. “Malakan is a huge part of our success. I consider them like an actual partner — they’re not just a vendor to me. They’re friends, they’re family. We can’t image working with anyone else.”
The partnership began when Haddad’s younger brother expressed interest in learning CAD design. Someone mentioned Varun Nandaniya at Malakan, leading to a conversation that changed everything.
What followed was exponential growth. The Diamond Family went from producing two or three custom pieces monthly in 2010 to their current volume of 100 pieces — representing a 3,000% increase that mirrors the broader success of Malakan’s team of over 190 CAD designers who produce more than 600 custom jewelry designs daily.
Haddad credits Malakan as an essential partner in The Diamond Family’s success. “When it comes to custom jewelry, no one does it better,” he explains. The combination of CADs delivered within 24 hours and exceptional craftsmanship for both companies.
The speed and reliability mirror what other Malakan partners experience. “If you send me a picture at eight o’clock tonight asking how much this would cost in yellow gold with bigger diamonds, by the time I wake up in the morning, there’s a picture in my email,” says Haddad.
This level of service has enabled extraordinary projects, including sourcing a 17-carat rough diamond from a mine and custom cutting it for one client — literally taking a stone “from earth to finger.”
The partnership extends Malakan’s commitment to making custom jewelry accessible and profitable for independent retailers. With zero employee turnover since opening their current location in 2017 and consistent word-of-mouth growth, The Diamond Family exemplifies how the right custom design partner can transform an entire business trajectory.
“They care,” Haddad says simply. “They’re real humans that actually show you who they are, be transparent, be honest. The money will come.
For more information on partnering with Malakan for your store’s custom designs services, contact the company directly.
E: info@malakandiamond.com P: (559) 431-1500 • (800) 953-9357 W: malakan.com
The Diamond Family’s key to success? Treating everyone like family, from staff to customers PLUS depending upon Malakan for all of its custom design work.
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