Conversations with Emily Iaquinta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Iaquinta. 

Hi Emily, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
My name is Emily and I am the founder and designer behind Young Diane (jewelry). A Michigan native, I moved to New York City in Autumn of 2010. 

My inspiration for my business came from wanting to look and feel my best amidst a pandemic that eliminated the opportunity to play dress-up before going out. That’s when I got the idea to start making jewelry to reflect my theatrical taste, that could be paired down (Hello sweatpants uniform of 2020) or dressed up for special occasions… 

Young Diane is an alias created from my middle name honoring “elder” Diane, my grandmother. It’s also a play on Vampire Weekend’s song “Diane Young”, which was the first song on a playlist my brother sent me right when the lockdown started. 

I absolutely love working with pearls, as they are a medium that always feels elegant and ethereal. I also use stainless steel, mainly because I can’t stand when jewelry tarnishes! Luckily, stainless steel doesn’t fade or deteriorate and is also waterproof. 

Since opening an Etsy shop in 2020, Young Diane has expanded to multiple e-commerce sites, including livestream selling. 

Young Diane was featured in June 2021’s New York Times article, “This Is The Summer The Youth Own New York” (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/12/style/nyc-summer.html) 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not smooth! 

When I first began my business venture, I had had an artistic background, but no jewelry-making technique. 

My first designs were extremely simple, using small glass beads and silk thread to hand knot. When I began using pearls, I then had to change the tools I was working with and switched over to wire to support the weight of the beads. Also because of the pandemic, I couldn’t join a hands-on class so my teacher was ever knowledgeable, YouTube. 

I have spent hours and hours of research to learn how to run a business. From building a website, packaging, product photography (pearls are especially tricky to photograph due to their luster), social media strategy, wholesale purchasing, pricing inventory, and so much more. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I wanted to create jewelry that you can feel cool in. 

It took a year to develop my personal style, which oddly comes with some layer of shame because you can look at some creatives and know they live, sleep, sweat, and breath their art. I learned how to develop my design by leading with texture inspiration, mainly unique shapes, and balanced symmetry. 

Besides being featured in the New York Times in 2021, I am most proud of keeping a clean workspace (most of the time). Most recently, I have had my jewelry featured in Annie DiRusso’s “Call It Off” music video. 

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
Email me! Emily at youngdianeshop@gmail.com for collaborations and media inquiries. 

To support, please follow @youngdianeny on all social platforms and comment if you found me through #voyagemichiganmagazine! 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.youngdiane.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/youngdianeny
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/YoungDianeShop