Mervis Diamonds expands beyond Beltway

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(Brig Cabe/Examiner)
Ronnie Mervis, owner of Mervis Diamond Importers, in his study at home, Tuesday in Bethesda.

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Not surprisingly, it’s the heart-shaped diamond necklaces that are his biggest sellers in February.

“We never have enough of those,” said Ronnie Mervis, owner of the iconic Washington area Mervis Diamond Importers. “Everybody wants to wear their heart, not on their sleeve, but around their neck.”

Mervis Diamonds, known to most Washingtonians from the radio ads that feature Mervis’ South African-accented voice, has been the go-to diamond store for thousands of area residents for more than 15 years. His well-known catch phrase, “Nobody pays retail anymore. Why should you?” has been in heavy rotation on local radio stations for years. Mervis’ commercials reach out to consumers with his pitch that Mervis Diamonds cuts out the middle man and imports their diamonds directly from South Africa, bringing lower prices to the customer.

Most recently, Mervis tweaked his commercials in response to the movie “Blood Diamond,” which criticized the African diamond trade. “[We wanted] to let our customers know they weren’t getting a diamond that was tainted in anyway,” he said.

Founded in 1990, Mervis Diamond Importers has locations in the upscale retail enclaves of Tysons Corner, Chevy Chase and K Street. Starting in 2008, Mervis Diamonds will expand beyond the Washington area with new locations in Baltimore and Richmond, as well as plans for a retail Web site in 10 different languages to target a worldwide customer base. Mervis will also open its fourth Washington area store in Rockville this summer and is scouting a Prince George’s County location for a 2008 opening.

“We’ve built [Mervis] up from a baby business to the dominant player in the Washington area,” said Mervis, 60.

After 15 years in business, he decided to expand because the brand has made a name for itself beyond the Beltway and he wants to capitalize on that.

“We have a big reputation all over,” he said. For example, couples that come to Washington for conventions often make a trip to Mervis, he said.

“One of them will be at the convention,” Mervis said. “And the other one will be shopping like crazy.”

The private company doesn’t release financials, but Mervis will say it typically sells about 20,000 engagement rings a year, which is the store’s specialty.

“We like to say we send 20,000 people down the aisle a year,” he said. “It’s a fabulous business. We deal in happy events.”

kwilmeth@dcexaminer.com

SEE THE LATEST ON THIS STORY

EMAIL STORY

PRINT STORY

21 days ago: Region’s food, gas, energy prices fuel retail inflation

74 days ago: Shopping parties help struggling retailers with sales

100 days ago: Businesses, retailers recognizing downtown’s current, future health

102 days ago: Shoppers ‘buying less, being smart about what they buy’

102 days ago: Consumers changing habits as prices increase

119 days ago: Retail sales rise, jobless claims fall for April

200 days ago: Value City closing Baltimore-area stores

273 days ago: Stores report modest retail numbers, some inflated by 2007 sales calendar

388 days ago: Back-to-school sales expected to surpass $18 billion

434 days ago: Expansion planned for Westfield Annapolis mall