Shah Luxury is in many ways similar to the more than 100 other jewelry manufacturers in Mumbai’s SEEPZ special economic zone, but the India- and New York-based company differentiates itself by adopting mass-production techniques from other industries to manufacture, personalize and distribute jewelry to retailers and consumers.
“We take inspiration from the likes of Lyft, Uber, Domino’s and Apple,” says Salil Shah, who runs the company with his brother Neil. “We want to use technology to democratize the customer experience. You go into a Levi’s store and there’s a machine that measures your size 20 different ways, and then you get a pair of custom-made jeans. This wouldn’t have been possible 20 or 30 years ago, but technology is bringing this kind of thing to the masses. We believe in this very strongly.”
Shah Luxury specializes in fine bridal and fashion jewellery. Bridal jewellery brands include Carizza, Promezza and Carizza Boutique, and luxury fashion collections include LeCirque, Essentials and SL Boutique.
“From scratch”
Despite both being legally blind, the brothers have been able to manage the company’s growth, and they credit their business education (they both attended prestigious business colleges in the US) and their curiosity about technology, as well as their father, Natwar Shah, who founded the company more than 40 years ago.
Lost wax casting. (Shah Luxury)
Today, the company employs around 575 people, 525 of whom work in its manufacturing unit in India. The New York office handles sales, marketing, fulfillment, local manufacturing and repairs. The jeweler is also involved in sourcing diamonds, and also receives and processes products from customers, for example, measuring stones for remounting and 3D scanning rings.
“Our manufacturing process is built from the ground up for individual personalization, and we embed technology both in our internal operations and on the shop floor. [and] “They’re looking to elevate the consumer experience,” Salil says. “The tools they’re using range from virtual try-ons to holograms. We believe this combination of capabilities and technology will create an experience that’s unlike anything else.”
Building a bridge
The brothers’ emphasis on technology and customization may be best exemplified by their partnership with retailer Ben Bridge Jewelers. Together, they’re creating a customized bridal collection called Bella Ponte, which means “beautiful bridge” in Italian. Through the program, Ben Bridge customers can create their bridal rings using a set of 10 parameters, including metal type, gemstone selection and style, plus the opportunity to collaborate with jewelers and manufacturers for a more personalized experience.
“The Bella Ponte collection is available in stores and customers can shop,” Salil said.[Ben Bridge’s store teams] You can also interact with our team on a daily basis using our custom-built software portal. From this software you can pair center stones and settings, configure individual orders, price remounts, ship items, review past work, get status updates on current jobs and much more.”
Going a step further, the company can create a 3D hologram of a customized ring and display it on a customer’s smartphone, using a cone-shaped plastic holder that attaches to the phone and a ring-shaped “seed” that fits inside the cone.
A beautiful partnership
The Shah brothers and Ben Bridge CEO Lisa Bridge first met at a trade show in 2018.
“They originally caught our eye because they had beautiful jewelry,” Bridge said. “We were trying to create what we wanted. [in terms of] We felt there was a great synergy with Shah in terms of experience, quality of jewelry, and ability to customize.”
Lisa Bridges (Shah Luxury)
She also found other attributes that drew her to partner with the company: “They align perfectly with our values. They care about their employees and their community. They have a passion for innovating and pushing boundaries. They’re great people.”
Main image: Holographic attachment for smartphones. (Shah Luxury)
This article is an excerpt from Rapaport Magazine’s July-August 2024 issue. Read more articles here.
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