The National Herald — the newspaper of record for the Greek diaspora, publishing since 1915 — has profiled our founder, Dimitrios Koukoulis, and the workshop behind Black Pearl of Queens.
Read the full interview: Dimitrios Koukoulis on His Jewelry Designs & His Black Pearl of Queens Brand — by Eleni Sakellis, The National Herald, August 10, 2026.
Our thanks to Eleni Sakellis and the TNH team for the care they took with the story.
The short version, in his own words
I was born on Samos, the island of Pythagoras, and grew up on Rhodes. I was studying software engineering there, and outside of school I did karate — I competed in the Greek National Championship and placed third in the country in my category.
I came to the United States afterward as a kind of celebration, to see what was on this continent. I walked into a wedding band factory in Long Island City almost by accident. People were working under microscopes, others programming CNC machines, others doing everything by hand — polishing, setting diamonds, assembling, melting metal. Something in me went off.
What caught me was the idea that a person can make an object that outlives them and gets passed down. A few months later, in 2016, I changed careers.
I learned it piece by piece: polishing, cutting, setting, finishing. In 2019 I took classes at Studio Jewelers in Manhattan and learned engagement rings and full diamond setting. A year and a half after that I found CAD software and taught myself from YouTube videos and by making mistakes on the 3D printer, over and over. For about three and a half years I'd stay up all night every other night and go straight to work in the morning, just to learn it properly.
Today every piece starts in my head, goes into CAD or into carved wax, and gets finished by hand at my bench in Woodside.
The pieces featured in the article
- ICXC NIKA Greek Medallion Pendant
- Byzantine Cross Pendant — Natural Champagne Diamond
- Gold Basket Weave Wedding Band
- Champagne Diamond Bezel Engagement Ring
- Champagne Diamond Ribbed Signet Ring
Everything is designed in-house and made to order in solid 14K gold.
Work with us
Every piece is made to order from our Woodside, Queens workshop. If you'd like something built for you — an engagement ring, a wedding band, or a piece that doesn't exist yet — get in touch or browse the collections.
