An idea is like a diamond, which has to be precisely made and polished to bring out its brilliance. In the case of Mark Webb and Greg Berdan, the idea literally is a diamond.

It all began when Berdan’s college roommate, Webb’s youngest brother, introduced the two. Berdan and Webb both knew immediately that they had a lot in common and it was just a matter of time before they got together to form Stardiamond, LLC.

Berdan, with a background of over 15 years as an entrepreneur including seven start-up companies, 14 years of international business experience, and a number of patents and trademarks under his belt, was the business partner Webb lacked.

After graduating from GIA, Webb became a fixture in the jewelry scene for more than three decades of which owning his own Jewellery location for the last 20 years. Together Webb and Berdan bring over 45 years of business experience to Stardiamond. Since starting Stardiamond Webb has closed his retail store to better focus attention and creativity on this new venture – but that doesn’t mean he’s forgotten about his loyal customers. At the push of a button, opens the door to a by-appointment-only private showroom designed after those of the diamond merchants that Webb frequents in his world travels.

“Greg knows how to work the trade markets in order to get the products in front of the people making the big decisions,” Webb says. “Mark knows the diamond business and brings an invaluable background from an operating standpoint,” Berdan remarks. Together, they bring an incredible amount of creativity and knowledge to their company and clients.

Since the start of the partnership, Stardiamond has twenty registered patents, with more in pending status. In developing their unique designs, they’ve had to reinvent the wheel – or chisel, as the case may be, by utilizing state-of-the-art computer technology and revamping existing tooling to do the precise cuts.

“The Liberty Star (as seen above) was well received in the U.S., but has international appeal as well. Several of the biggest diamond manufacturers in the world are seriously looking at the new designs to add to their collections and customer base. The diamonds that are designed here are primarily intended for manufacturers and will eventually be available at local jewelry stores,” Webb says.

“Our mission is to be unique and real to our customers and ourselves. We are not selling instruments with back-filled illumination or magnification tools to see what our product is about,” Berdan remarks. “As our name implies, Stardiamond is seeing a star within the diamond, both in loose stones and mounted settings. Our customers should enjoy our cuts and the thought put into the program; we’ve provided protection with patents and trademarks so they can have a proprietary cut and brand that truly is what it says it is – a Stardiamond!”

With the recent attention being given to Stardiamond, Webb and Berdan could relocate their business headquarters and operations to any one of the diamond capitals of the world. They regularly take meetings with some of the largest and most respected diamond manufacturers and retailers in New York, Europe and Asia but still prefer to call Washington state their home. “We like to do big business,” Berdan says, “but also live a simpler life where we can enjoy the love and support of our families.”