Michael Fried
Hey there! My name is Michael Fried, the CEO of The Diamond Pro. I was born and raised in New York City. While I am a New Yorker at heart, I have lived all over the world. I’m currently living in Brno, Czech Republic. I have 20+ years of experience. The first ten years I worked my way up the ladder for one of the largest diamond manufacturers in the world. For the last ten years I have been educating diamond consumers and helping people avoid all the rocks and shoals as they navigate their way to the perfect engagement ring.
In the last ten years I have secret shopped thousands of stores worldwide to give our readers the most accurate information out there. I have written hundreds of articles on every topic applicable to buying diamonds and diamond jewelry. We strive to help every reader get the best bang for their buck while making one of the most stressful purchases of their lives.
While studying International Business and Accounting in New York, I started to work part time at Leo Schachter (one of the leading diamond polishers in the world). I started out part time doing administrative work, but I quickly became more involved in the diamond side of the business.
After two years there, the company sent me to their global headquarters for an intense diamond training regimen. As Ira explained, we weren’t just learning the academic knowledge of gemology.
We learned how to evaluate every facet (pun intended) of the diamond trade in order to maximize the value of every diamond that came through our company.
Northern Tip of Ireland
While we learned all aspects of the business, I specialized in 1ct+ certified diamonds – specifically fancy shapes (non-round). I returned to New York and ran the fancy shape division.
My main focus was developing relationships with traditional brick and mortar independent retailers. I traveled around the US extensively learning the ins and outs of the jewelry retail trade.
After leaving Leo Schachter in 2007, I worked at another major diamond polisher called Moshe Namdar. I became increasingly disenchanted with the business, and finally walked away at the end of 2009. I have been travelling ever since, occasionally having worked at an independent retailer.
When Ira first started The Diamond Pro, I was very impressed with the idea. I loved the concept of utilizing our expertise to empower the consumer. I was excited when Ira brought me on board early on to handle the day-to-day management of the website, including my favorite part – interacting with our fantastic readership!
I am an avid traveler who has been to more than 75 countries across the globe. I have lived in Israel, England, New Zealand, Australia, Croatia and now the Czech Republic. I am most comfortable when I am in a foreign land, not knowing how to find the right train and arguing with some border police who I need to communicate with using hand signals.
I am honored to be recognized as a diamond industry expert by Time, People, Money, The Daily Mirror, NerdWallet, The Times Herald, Yahoo Finance Australia, The Art of Charm, The Washington Diplomat, The Next Web, and more.
James Allen is the leader in online diamond sales. Their imaging technology is the same as inspecting a diamond with a jeweler's loupe. They have the largest exclusive loose diamond inventory online and fantastic prices. They also have the nicest collection of lab created diamonds online. Now save 25% off settings AND 3% off Earth Diamonds during James Allen HUGE limited time sale!- No questions asked returns within 30 days of shipment. James Allen will send you a paid shipping label to return the ring.
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