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OPULENCE
Cut SUCCESS for
Setting the ‘Stone’ for a New Era in Jewelry. BY ANNIE STOPAK
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sense of creativity. His tactile, hands-on nature felt wholeheartedly sincere, especially after he pulled a pair of button earrings from his desk—highlighting the precision, hard work and attention to detail in every visible crevice.
Of course, all gems are mesmerizing, but jewelry experts like Ron Arbusman find pleasure in every design aspect, developing a rich quality around the details. Ron emphasized that these pieces aren’t about adding the final touch to your outfit, but rather, creating the foundation for the rest of your style. It’s an idea that most mainstream retailers either don’t recognize or don’t find necessary to highlight if sales are high.
Small business owners suffer greatly when it comes to the jewelry industry. Many passionate owners, like Ron, attend trade shows alone while mass retailers pile in with a powerful, six-person buying team to divide and conquer. In these moments, start-up brands may lack the reputation to leverage their relationships with distributors; not to mention, there are pressures to ensure pricing and material are suitable before investing money, which is a heavy weight to bear. But that doesn’t scare Ron. “It’s me versus them,” Ron said. “Who’s going to get the better product?”
It was obvious, after moments of being acquainted with him, that Ron had an artist’s
The luxury jewelry industry is at an all-time high for competitiveness. Although in past decades,
hether it’s his captivating persona or his undeniable love for fine jewelry, Ron Arbusman has plenty to share in the world of fine gems. I sat down virtually with the founder and CEO of Ammrada to discuss the glimmering nuances of his chic Miami-based jewelry brand and capture the true essence of what makes his accouterments story-worthy.
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it has lived up to its fame, acting as a symbol of prestige, wealth and pristine business acumen, the last three years have made a negative impact on small business owners trying to stand out amongst an oversaturated field of commercial jewelry brands. The growth of conglomerate e-commerce platforms such as Net-a-Porter and Farfetch has diluted the luxury jewelry market because (like Amazon) they offer a wide selection of inventory and varying brands at a one-stop-shop, making it more difficult than ever for smallname retailers to compete. Their competitive advantage lies in their smart and effective use of analyzing customer feedback in ways that smaller companies may not have the tools in place for. Also, the rise in sustainable fashion has created a shift to the paid subscription model where customers not only have access to a variety of jewelry at a fair price, but they can test out items and send them back to retrieve