Marli New York’s Next Diamond Act
The female-founded brand is expanding its categories and retail footprint.
Maral Artinian (Courtesy of Marli New York)
Diamond-focused fine jeweler Marli New York is hitting its stride. Founded by Maral Artinian in 2014—a third-generation jeweler whose family business dates to the 1950s in Armenia and whose current company was founded in Bangkok in 1999—Marli New York has just opened its second Big Apple boutique and added watches to its architecturally inspired design offerings. As the brand expands its categories and retail footprint, Only Natural Diamonds spoke to the female founder, the first woman in her family to found her own label, about its fast ascent into the fine jewelry space.
Meet the Expert
- Roxanne Robinson is an award-winning journalist with over 25 years of experience between New York and Paris.
- She covers the luxury and fashion industries, spending 18 years as WWD’s Accessories and Jewelry Director.
- She is the New York Contributing Editor for Fashion Network, and regularly contributes to the New York Times, the CFDA, Forbes, and more.
How Maral Artinian Built Marli New York as a Female Founder
OND: How did the family’s role in the jewelry industry inspire your journey to found Marli New York?
MA: Growing up surrounded by jewelry gave me something I carry into everything I create: the understanding that craftsmanship isn’t just a skill; it’s a mindset. That foundation shaped the vision behind Marli. I wanted to create a brand where design and craftsmanship speak the same language, where neither is ever compromised for the other. A brand that fuses creativity and craft into something that resonates with the modern generation.
OND: You became a female founder in an industry traditionally known to be populated by men helming brands creatively or on the business side. How did you navigate this space?
MA: Building a global brand has taught me that people don’t just notice your designs; they pay attention to your decisions. Leadership is how you show up, and industry peers and clients can feel it when those things don’t align.
As a female founder and creative director, there’s pressure to be polished and strategic, yet not too emotional, even though emotion is inseparable from everything I do. Creativity gives me emotion, and emotion drives every decision I make. The moments I have grown most were when I trusted that balance with authenticity.
How Natural Diamonds Shape Every Marli New York Creation
OND: How do natural diamonds influence your designs?
MA: Natural diamonds are powerful for their beauty, and the fact that they come from the earth gives them rare authenticity, natural energy, and unreplicated value. It’s profound to know that what you hold in your hand is as old as the earth, and that craftsmen transformed this raw, ancient material into something extraordinary.
Reverence for the stone is woven into everything Marli creates. We believe beauty lives in precision: the way light moves through a diamond, and the relationship between the setting and stone. In that balance, both should always be in conversation, each making the other more itself.
OND: How has Marli New York evolved since its inception over 10 years ago?
Marli New York has undergone dynamic evolution, growing alongside our customers, culture, and the ways people live and express themselves. Rooted in self-expression, we celebrate this achievement while building on it, becoming a part of clients’ journeys: the graduations, the weddings, and the smaller moments in between. The vision remains the same; the community grows; that is what evolution looks like.
The New York Architecture Behind Marli New York’s Signature Style
OND: New York plays a role in your story and design inspiration. What part of your journey and the city’s iconic architecture inspires your creations?
MA: Stepping onto a New York street for the first time felt like the city was making a promise. No matter what I was carrying from before, New York was offering something entirely new: the freedom to simply be.
New York never stands still. It is always evolving, pushing forward, reinventing itself while staying rooted in what makes it iconic. So does Marli. The energy here is part of our DNA: dynamic, modern, and constantly looking ahead. Then there is the architecture — bold and precise, commanding presence without ever needing to announce itself. That duality became the inspiration behind everything I create.
Why Marli New York Entered the World of Fine Watches
OND: How did Marli New York evolve into watches?
MA: Growing up surrounded by workshops and diamonds gave me a deep understanding of discipline in craft. Watchmaking felt like a natural evolution of that foundation and a new medium for Marli’s design language.
Watchmaking is one of the most technically demanding design worlds. Rather than create a conventional timepiece, we wanted a distinct design language that is bold, modern, and rooted in the craft of fine jewelry. Emotion without precision is incomplete; we bring these things together.
Inside Marli New York’s Expanding Retail Universe
OND: Why was Madison Avenue the right choice for Marli, New York’s second location?
MA: Madison Avenue is where New York’s ambition and elegance meet, where fashion and fine jewelry have converged for generations, and where brands establish their legacy.
Our boutique experience feels like our jewelry: intentional, precise, and alive with the spirit of New York. The Marli client is the client, whether they are in New York, Dubai, or London, but each location carries its own energy. The intimacy of the boutique experience is where the real relationship between a client and their jewelry begins.
How Marli New York Found Its Place on the Red Carpet
OND: Tell us about Marli New York on the red carpet?
MA: I created Marli for someone with a clear sense of self who expresses that fearlessly. Whether on the red carpet or in a quiet moment alone, both are equally sacred. So, when celebrities like Rihanna, Demi Moore or Cynthia Erivo wear Marli, it feels natural. Marli was created with that kind of woman in mind.
A piece worn every single day until it becomes part of you, until you forget it’s there and yet somehow, it’s woven into your story—that’s where true connection lives. That is what we are building toward with every creation, and those public moments are a reminder that the feeling translates.
OND: What’s next for Marli New York?
MA: Marli Timepieces opened something new in me as a creator—a new dimension to explore. I am building, imagining, and allowing the work to lead. Every evolution of Marli has felt like something that revealed itself at the right time.
Our community excited me. The connection between Marli and the people who wear it continues to grow in meaningful ways. With that momentum, the next chapter is new forms of craft, new design expressions, and new ways for people to make it their own.
