Turning Life’s Greatest Challenges Into a Meaningful Business

In this inspiring episode, host Dionne Malush sits down with Daniela Sokolowski, founder and CEO of Decore Diamonds, to explore a remarkable journey of resilience, reinvention, and purpose. Daniela shares how she moved from Romania to the United States, started over in New York City, built a career in the competitive diamond industry, and discovered her gift for creating meaningful jewelry that celebrates love, legacy, and life’s most unforgettable moments.

After surviving breast cancer, Daniela developed a deeper appreciation for beauty, faith, confidence, and the small moments that make life meaningful. Her story is a powerful reminder that adversity can strengthen us, setbacks can redirect us, and true success is measured not only by what we build, but by the hope, connection, and meaning we create for others.

Connect with Daniela here:

Website: https://dicuorediamonds.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniela-sokolowski/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danne.danne.750/

Email: daniela@dicuorediamonds.com

Connect with Dionne Malush

• Instagram: @dionnerealtyonepgh
• LinkedIN: /in/dionnemalush
• Website: www.dionnemalush.com
• Facebook: /dmalush
• LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/dionnemalush

Transcript

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Meet Daniela And Her Story

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Today I'm sitting down with the Corey Diamonds founder and CEO, Daniela Sokolowski. Daniela's story is powerful. She came to the United States from Romania, built a career in New York's diamond district, worked for some of the biggest names in the industry, survived breast cancer, and turned all of that into a luxury jewelry brand rooted in meaning, resilience, and heart. What I love about her story is this. She's not just selling diamonds. She's helping people attach emotion, legacy, healing, love, and identity to moments they never want to forget. Daniela, let me ask you this right out of the

Cancer And A New Definition

SPEAKER_00 0:34

gate. When you went through cancer, did it completely change the way you looked at beauty, life, and what it really means?

SPEAKER_01 0:39

Oh, first of all, thank you for having me. But yes, absolutely. Well, I think, I mean, I'm not, I don't want to speak for everybody, but I think an experience like that changes you, changes your outlook on life. Just because it kind of reminds you that you're not immortal. So obviously, the way I look at beauty is more meaningful because now everything that I may have taken for granted before now has more meaning. So yeah, I do look at beauty differently, and I do look at what I do differently, and I do look at my passion differently because that one day could end, and we don't know when that day is gonna come. So, yes, absolutely. It did change me tremendously.

SPEAKER_00 1:18

So, what is one thing you want people to know about you beyond the diamonds and luxury world?

SPEAKER_01 1:23

To know by me, oh, okay, a lot of things. But uh, first of all, yeah, I'm you know, I'm from Romania. I came here with pretty much nothing. I know it sounds cliche, but I did come with nothing. And I mean, I it does have it does have to do with the diamonds. I never saw myself in the diamond industry. I used to work in constructions, I was the HR manager of a company back in Romania. So when I came here and I started to work in diamonds, I had no idea what a diamond is, except for the fact that it's very it was very expensive, obviously. And what do I like people to know about me? I'm I'm very creative and I love I love education. I'm getting my master's degree right now. I'm almost done. I'm writing my thesis, actually. That's so good. Uh you give your master's. What is your master's in? Um my master's is in law and society, and I'm gonna write my my thesis is about the Holocaust in Romania.

SPEAKER_00 2:18

So that's something people don't know about me, for instance. Yeah, for sure. That's that's great.

Starting Over In New York

SPEAKER_00 2:23

So when you came to America from Romania and built your life from the ground up, what were the early years really like emotionally for you?

SPEAKER_01 2:29

Oh, the early years for Savoy. I mean, you know, uh I loved it here. I loved New York, it was all fun and it was like kind of glamorous, but I was very much homesick. I missed my parents, my brothers, my life, my my lifelong friends. And it was a little, I think it was a little tough, and it was like a pretty long adjustment period. I think my passion for diamonds and jewelry helped with that because I focused, I focused, I channeled my energy and my positivity onto what I was doing. And this is where I discovered that I was even good at it, although I knew nothing about it. I had this talent for sketching. I've always known how to draw. I was always talented at drawing, especially with like pencil drawing, but I never knew that I had this, you know, calling for you know proportions and because when you make jewelry, you have to be good at proportions, at seeing what things are supposed to look like on somebody's hand or whatever, neck, necklace, whatever the case. So I think the first years were a learning curve for me. I grew with, I mean, I grew here socially along with my career, so it's just very much connected into my career because I was it took me a while to make friends and uh eventually I decided to go back to school, but that was years after. Did you come here alone? Yes, I came here alone. I came here alone and I met my first husband. So this is why I stayed basically, but it wasn't my intention originally. I was just I was just taking a break from uh chain. I was in between jobs and I wanted to visit. I came here, I met my first husband, I never left. That was it, you never left. That is so I never left. And then after you know, we got divorced, I was like, what am I gonna go back? I have my life here already. Sure. How old were you when you came here? I was 31. Yeah, I was 31.

SPEAKER_00 4:27

That's a lot. I mean, I can't imagine going. Me personally, it's at 57. I can't imagine just taking you off and going to a brand new country where I I don't know and I don't maybe don't speak as well, you know. So it's so it's scary.

SPEAKER_01 4:38

I think it was easy because I already spoke English. Maybe not as well as now, but I I already spoke English. I used to work for a company back in Romania where everybody was speaking English. So we I that maybe that made it a little easier. I'm not sure, but it wasn't too bad. But yeah, you know what? If you asked me this question 16 years ago in my first year, I came here almost 17 years ago. Okay. I've just told you, oh my god, this is horrible. I want to go back. I hate it. Yeah, I'm sure.

SPEAKER_00 5:07

I'm sure.

Building Trust Beyond The Ring

SPEAKER_00 5:08

So let me ask you this was there a moment when you realized you weren't just good at jewelry, you had a gift for creating emotional experiences for people.

SPEAKER_01 5:16

Yes, it was a moment when I saw the feedback from people, the way like I was interacting with them. A lot of times I sell remotely, and it is harder than selling in person because I have to connect with people like you and I connect right now, right? Uh, or over the phone. And I think I connected in the beginning with the underdog situation. They loved the fact that I was not somebody big, I was not a chain, I was not, I don't know, I'm not gonna give names. I don't like giving names. But then I was not somebody they they saw on TV and they gave me a chance, and I'm very grateful for that. So I realized that my connection with them was went beyond the jewelry, beyond the knowledge, understanding who they were, understanding their stories. A lot of times I work with other immigrants, I work with other women that had breast cancer, I work with kids, sorry, young kids, kids, not any kids, you know, in their 20s, but the kids, their kids to me as I'm in my late 40s. So they their parents aren't whatever they they so many people were touched by cancer, and I don't want to, I don't monetize on my, you know, my I'm happy that I'm healthy, I don't want to be sick again. That's not the point. But they relate and they are like, they want to see a positive story. I'm a positive story. I'm a I'm somebody who overcame that, and I was not doing well. I'm I I must I must tell you, when I was sick, and it's been now, God bless, knock on wood, seven and a half years of being cancer free. I wasn't doing well, like mentally, emotionally. It like completely, I mean, I know it completely turned my life upside down. I know, I know that people relate to that, and people resonate with stories like that, and they want to see positivity, they want to have find hope through others, through, you know, through the eyes of others, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_00 7:03

So I know for a fact cancer changes people. So, how did that season change your mindset and your priorities?

SPEAKER_01 7:09

Well, obviously, I don't sweat the little things anymore. I don't get I don't stress as much as in of course I stress, of course I stress, but it's constructive stress. Right. But I don't stress over things I cannot control anymore. I don't, I mean, I don't feel I felt guilty for getting sick. I'm not kidding you. I felt I felt guilty. Like, what have I done wrong? I work out, I was I was never like you know, a person who didn't take care of themselves. So I didn't understand what I did wrong, but I don't think like that anymore. I put that aside me. I'm looking ahead and I take my life one day at a time. I look at the beauty of life in small but meaningful things. Before I was, I always say that I was Daniela, the invincible, Daniela that wanted to do everything. Daniela still does everything, but she takes it in lightly. How should I say, or more light, lighter, lighter, yeah, yeah, lighter. So Daniela is not so tough on herself anymore. I do find myself in that that I you know follow that path every now and then, and I bring myself back. I'm like, okay, snack, snap out of it. This is not good for you. Remember what happened when you were like that.

SPEAKER_00 8:17

I always call that a pattern interrupter. You just need something to interrupt the pattern, right? Stop you from going there.

SPEAKER_01 8:23

I felt like it was a complete

Money, Status, And Real Success

SPEAKER_01 8:25

reset.

SPEAKER_00 8:25

Yeah. I can't be happier. I this so I think this question for a lot of people is important because you worked in one of the most competitive industries in the world. What did you learn about people, money, status, and confidence from being around that luxury every day? So here you are going through one of the biggest trials of your life, and you have all these luxury people around you. And what did that do for you? Did you see things in a different way with them? Um, how money changed them, you mean?

SPEAKER_01 8:53

I mean, obviously, money changes a lot of people. And then I did see people progressing into people that I didn't like afterwards, but I also saw people that actually did more, became more charitable, became more invested in other things. So I think it all depends. It's obviously it's a male-dominated industry. Okay, let's start by that. And I'm not saying it in a negative way, but I guess that also sets me apart. I'm one of the fewest ladies that are on their own in this industry. I don't have any, I don't have partners. I don't have any partner, okay? I don't work with anybody, and I think people like that. People say, okay, wow, this is great. You're doing it on your own. So I did, I think money changes people, but I think money will hopefully not change me. I'm not there yet. Listen, I'm doing okay. I'm I'm happy with what I have. But I feel like the fact that I had cancer made me look at money completely differently. And I don't even care or think about what you know, what how much money others have or how successful they are, because I I measure success differently. For me, success it translates into people sending me uh messages with the pictures of their engagements and how much she loved the ring, how much the whole family complimented the ring and how happy the moment was. So I think for me, those are things I'm not really interested in. I don't give.

SPEAKER_00 10:22

They're too trivial. Yeah, it

Why Diamonds Are From The Heart

SPEAKER_00 10:24

makes sense. So one thing I read about you is that you said your jewelry comes from the heart. What does that actually mean to you personally?

SPEAKER_01 10:30

I think this is how I look at jewelry. Listen, jewelry, I mean, uh maybe I'm biased, but I feel like fine jewelry by the by by the fact alone that you pay more than something you picked up in a in a you know street fair or whatever, flea market. I think it needs to mean more than just the blink. I think it needs to speak to you. It needs to mean at least if it's gifted. And I do believe that jewelry is gifted from somebody's heart, right? That's what that's my slogan. Because diamond, because diamonds are gifted from the heart. And I do believe that, because I don't believe anybody would spend thousands and thousands of dollars for for their significant others if they didn't love them. So I do look at jewelry as something very sentimental, and the process needs to reflect that. It shouldn't feel stressful, it shouldn't feel like a hassle, it shouldn't feel, and believe me, getting engaged is stressful enough. If picking the ring adds on to it, you know, and it does. Um sometimes it does. I want to make sure that I alleviate that part of the process, that I'm the one who makes it easier for them, so that that little piece, actually, it's kind of big, but it's actually the stress-free part. And I I have been doing this successfully, at least this is the feedback I feedback I get, because people trust my opinion, and I'm honest, I'm transparent, and I'm not afraid to say no. If you pick something that I think is wrong or it's not gonna hold value, or it's not worth it, I will tell you. Of course, ultimately, the decision is yours.

SPEAKER_00 12:09

I love that. And so you said most people buy from the heart, but some people buy jewelry for status, and others buy because it marks a moment they never want to forget, right? Like some people, so what are some of the stories that stay with you? Like, tell a little story about one of the most memorable times in your career.

SPEAKER_01 12:25

You know, for status, I could maybe count a few people that I worked with when I made some statement pieces, and maybe that was for status, but it still came from the heart because the the husband wanted you know, the wife or to have that piece because the wife has been eyeing that piece for a while. So it did mean status, but it's still coming from emotion. So, yeah, and then the stories.

SPEAKER_00 12:55

Can you repeat the last part of the question? Others buy because it marks a moment, right? Yeah, and that they never want to forget. So, what are some of the stories that stay with you, or just one or two that have really touched your heart?

SPEAKER_01 13:07

Well, obviously, every single engagement is emotional. Um, my uh one of my most recent um projects is my godmother's son got engaged. They did the ring with me, and I known I've known him for a while, and he was in high school, so now so now they're getting engaged. So that's a special story. It was a special story for me, and important. It was important for me that he was happy, and you know, his future wife was happy. Uh, but there's so many stories. I think I think every story is special. Uh, but I did make something very special recently with a stone that was from with a diamond that was from the 30s, 1930s. Oh nice, and the piece uh we actually recreated the same ring, but kind of more up to date, more modern, more mother fit. How cool do we honor the grandma? The ring was made, so the story is from the 1930s, but the ring was made somewhere around 1941, right before the war. So this is something that is special, not only because of the story, obviously, it was passed on uh, you know, to the next generation and then to the next generation, but it's something that I don't come across very often, even for me as a jeweler. I love seeing stones like that. Yeah, I love

Confidence Through Adversity And Rest

SPEAKER_01 14:25

that.

SPEAKER_00 14:25

So you speak multiple languages, you've earned degrees and you're still working on one. You build a luxury brand in New York, which I love New York City. Where does that drive come from?

SPEAKER_01 14:35

You know, I don't know. I think it's also it also comes from my dad. My dad was a very ambitious person and he couldn't do everything that he he wanted to do, and he always you know instilled that into me and motivate motivated me to push my boundaries. And I was always the more ambitious, you know, girl more in the family. I think it's just who I am. I don't know. I mean, I also don't have kids of my own, okay. So I feel like I have some more time than other people, you know? Yeah. Yeah. I'm the cool aunt, you know. So I guess that also gave me more time to do, you know, to do things that I love. But I also believe that you should pursue your dreams. And I wanted to graduate school. I didn't have the money when I was very young. I wanted, I can then I went to school in Romania, then I came to the US, and I wanted to go back to school and earn degrees in the US. So I did it. Even if I did it a little later than other people, like you know, I'm in my late 40s. There's some people in my class that are, you know, you know, kind of the same age, or but a lot of them are much younger, right? But I don't see that as a, you know, what I I mean, it doesn't make me feel in any way quite the contrary. I feel proud that I'm able to do it, and I'm happy that I'm healthy and able to do it. So I always say that while you're happy and healthy, you can achieve pretty much everything. I agree with you. And anything. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:04

So you've had some diversity adversity in your life, right? And what did that teach you about confidence? Like, how does adversity play a role in your confidence?

SPEAKER_01 16:12

Well, I always say that if I beat cancer, everything else is gonna be a walk in the park. I don't feel like anything else can take me down. And I think that that really boosted my my um my confidence. Like, I'm thinking to myself, okay, you know, sometimes there are obstacles, even in like, you know, my relationship with you know, peers in the industry, there are little obstacles or whatever. But then I'm like, I always come back to come on, go, this is nothing for you. You you've you've overcome so much more. You've and I also think about like, you know, how I came to the US and how I slept on a broken couch and all that. And now that is, you know, I'm not I'm not spoiled or anything, but I did have some sort of a comfort back home. And when I came here, I had to start over from zero, and then you know, getting sick and that obviously kind of changed things, and I've been saying that. So I guess it does boost your confidence, but it also makes you feel grounded to not feel overly confident, to not get how should they say cocky or I don't know what you know what I mean? You know what I mean? Invincible, yeah, invincible, right? Yeah, I don't want to be arrogant, I don't want to be invisible, invincible, I just want to be confident but grounded.

SPEAKER_00 17:23

So I think a lot of women listening will relate to this because you know they're going through a lot. We are as a society just going through a lot right now. How do you stay feminine, strong, and grounded, like you said, while carrying so much responsibility?

SPEAKER_01 17:36

I sleep eight hours.

SPEAKER_00 17:39

That's a good one. How do you have time to sleep for eight hours? That's the question.

SPEAKER_01 17:44

Yeah, I uh try to find time for myself to you know see my friends, go on trips. I love going on trips. Although when you have a business, you work on your own trips. So I wake up at 6 a.m. Between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. I work, and I take, you know, and take off between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. That's a big gap. Between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. I work, and then I take, I I I go enjoy, then I come back, I work, and I try to, you know, kind of juggle everything, but I do take time take some time for myself too. And traveling the world is something I really love, and I will not give up, I will not give that up for anything. Uh so I try to kind of manage my time wisely so that I don't fall behind with my jobs and you know, I don't wanna I don't wanna disappoint my customers. I think that's very, very important to me, and it will always be very important to me.

SPEAKER_00 18:39

I don't take enough time for myself, I do know that. But I, you know, I spend a lot of time learning things on the computer and trying to I try to mask all the grief in my life, and so I do things and I just keep filling up my calendar with stuff. And I'm I've talked about this quite a bit on the show, and you know, I finally feel like it's time, it's time for me to do something for myself. And I don't know what that answer is, I don't know what it is, but I'm listening to you. I mean, it means a lot coming from you, and you're you know, another business owner like myself, you know, we've been through a lot. I've been through a lot too. I've been changed from a different country, and you know, I didn't do that, but I've been through a lot my whole life. It's just been one thing after another. And I don't know why I keep getting all these stories to tell, but for some reason I guess I just have to help a lot more people. So absolutely. Yeah, so thank you for that.

Faith, Hope, And Finding The Light

SPEAKER_00 19:24

So, what role has faith, hope, or purpose played in your journey?

SPEAKER_01 19:28

Well, faith, it's it's actually very interesting because I was never really I mean, I was always spiritual, but I was never really, you know, religious. So I mean I wasn't going to church or but for some reason I felt the presence of God so strongly when I was going through my health crisis in a way that, you know, I look, I'm getting goosebumps. In a way that I can't explain it. I felt like it was even my darkest moments, I felt the presence of God, and I felt the need of connected with connecting, sorry, with the divinity, which never happened before. And I stay, I've been staying very spiritual ever since. And he kind of showed me, I mean, I'm not gonna say that I owe my life to God and things like that, because I don't think it's me and I think it's too cliche, but I did find that peace and strength within from believing that somebody was watching over me. And I felt that somebody was watching over me, whether it was my dad or God, but I felt that. And I did find, and sometimes I played, I felt very hopeless, I have to admit. And I think if anybody who went through cancer says that they didn't, I believe, I would tell you just they they lie. I mean, no, there you feel hopeless, you feel like you're gonna die, you feel like your life is over, but then there's a you know, um how is it a gleam of hope every now and then that keeps you going. And then one day you find the light, you see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it's so bright, and it's so powerful, and it was so powerful for me that I felt like, okay, I got this, it's behind me. Now I can move on.

SPEAKER_00 21:09

I was gonna ask you what advice you would give to someone that was rebuilding their life after setback or illness or divorce or failure or loss. But you just said it, you just keep searching for the light, right?

SPEAKER_01 21:18

The light yes, and I mean, I don't know about I mean, I don't know, I wouldn't say much. I I I am not an expert in relationships or things like that, so I don't know, but I feel like you gotta believe in yourself no matter what, because at the end of the day, you know yourself the best, and you know you've been like I think like that. Okay, so I've carried myself for 40 years and I got cancer, and I made it through in a one in a way or another. Why not now? Same with divorce, same with any setback. Why not now? Maybe it takes a little bit more effort, maybe it takes a great amount of effort, but you can still do it. And sometimes, believe me, look, I said. I'm having my mammogram in two days. So I am scared. I'm scared. But then I'm thinking, I got this, everything will be okay. Everything will be fine. And whatever it is, I will face it.

SPEAKER_00 22:12

Because what choice do I have? You don't have a choice. Keep on being you because you're amazing. So what motivates you now in this stage of your life?

SPEAKER_01 22:22

I think, and with no, you know, false modesty, I'm really good at what I do. I think I I'm mastering the trade. I love the fact that I'm finally able to get my master's degree and I'm looking forward to finalizing my thesis. But what motivates me to everything, everything that's happening, even the little things, everything motivates me. The fact that I see, I hear the, you know, the birds uh chirping at my window, a beautiful home overlooking my hat. Everything is beautiful. I want to see beautiful beauty in everything because things could be much worse. And why not seizing the day? Why not seeing the positivity, the you know, the half uh the glass half full? Sorry. So I uh this is what I do. I I mean every day is a new chapter of your life, you know. Every day is something new. Definitely. I love that. It's a green way blank spl blank slate, you know.

SPEAKER_00 23:15

So why not? So when people leave an interaction with you, how do you want them to feel? So you say that again, I didn't understand. Whenever people were working with you and they leave the interaction with you, how do you want them to feel?

SPEAKER_01 23:27

Well, I want them to feel confident in their choice. Okay, it's they purchase, right? I mean, at the end of the day, it's not only the story, it's also an act of a transaction, it's an act of purchase. I want them to feel confident they made the right choice in their purchase, that they didn't, you know, throw more money out the window. I want them to feel comfortable. And I don't want them again, like I said them earlier in the interview, I don't want them to feel stressed. They don't have enough, enough stress in their life. This is not supposed to be stressful. This is supposed to be memorable, and this is supposed to mark a memorable milestone. So I I I do try my best to be to to respond right away, to be always available, obviously within reason. If they text me at 2 a.m., I'm not gonna respond. But I'm I'm making myself available. I'm very I'm really, really probably the most responsive uh company I know. So yeah, so I think I just want them to feel happy with their with what they're purchasing.

What’s Next For Decore Diamonds

SPEAKER_01 24:25

So what's next for you in the Corey Diamonds? Well, what's next for me? For me is I want this company to be always not a big company, not a huge company, to be a company that is uh well known for their service, a company that's active, a company where I'm still the interface. I don't want to leave my customers to my assistants, or that's not what I want to do. I know that at one point it's gonna become you know challenging as I get more and more clients to do that, but my imprint will always be there. Daniela will always oversee. I will be the one, my jewelers, the jewelers that I work with are amazing, and I'm very blessed to be working with the best jewelers in the United States. By the way, I work only with people in the United States, not because I have anything against anybody, okay? Not like that. And by the way, the the stones I'm being I'm sourcing from overseas because they don't exist in the United States, but I want to support small businesses in the United States so they could become bigger businesses. And uh that's uh what I've been doing throughout my whole career, to be really honest. So um, yeah, so I want Diquore to become a name that people respect. And they love and they love working with me as well. What does the core mean? Decore means, oh, I forgot to say it. Decore means from the heart in Italian, which I'm not I'm not Italian, okay. Everybody says, but you're not Italian. Okay, nobody knows Romanian. Why would I put an Romanian name? So Diquore sounds, you know, some people a lot of people actually know what it means because there's a lot of Italian Americans, and uh, so yeah, decore means from the heart because exactly what I said, this is how I look at jewelry, and because diamonds are gifted from the heart.

SPEAKER_00 26:11

I'd love that. Your story is a reminder to me that success is never just about business, it's about resilience, reinvention, and turning pain into purpose and creating something meaningful from it. Thank you for being vulnerable, authentic, and inspiring today, Daniela. I am I'm in awe of you and I think you're amazing. I I hope to meet you in person someday. When I come to New York, I'm looking you up, don't worry. Absolutely. It's been a while, and I'm definitely in the mood for some New York pizza. So thank you for being on here with me

How To Connect And Closing

SPEAKER_00 26:40

today. And if people want to connect with you, how do they find you?

SPEAKER_01 26:43

Yes, so well, my uh my shop, my studio is in Manhattan on Broadway, um, 1460 Broadway, uh, by appointments. So they should email me at Daniela, D-A-N-I-E-L-A at Decore Diamonds, D-I-C-U-O-R-E, diamonds.com.

SPEAKER_00 27:07

Love it. Thank you so much. And it's it's been a pleasure. So wish you, I wish you the best in your new upcoming master's degree. Is that what you're getting? Master's, right? Yes. And also, good luck in your at your appointment. I'll say an extra prayer for you today because you're gonna be great. Everything's gonna be great. You gotta keep believing. Thank you, Daniela.