Show notes
Zameer Kassam is the CEO & Chief Designer at Zameer Kassam Fine Jewelry. His family was in the jewelry business and he grew up working in their stores. He got his MBA at Harvard Business School (HBS). He was a business analyst at McKinsey, he was Director of Strategy & Business Development at MTV India and was the Head of Bridal at De Beers in London before founding his own line. I met Zameer because we are both Friends of The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- You’ve done a lot of interesting things in your career and lived in different places. What are the top three things from those experiences that influenced where you are today?
- 1. Growing up in family jewelry business - would go straight to the shop, learn about diamonds, rubies, gemstones, learn about how clients shop, role you play & value you have in celebrating special moments that people buy jewelry for. Wanted to do something different.
- 2.Time at HBS - a professor challenged them what would you do if you had all the money in the world? He realized he wanted to design jewelry
- 3. Time at De Beers Louis Vuitton (joint venture) - learned how LVMH thinks of design & brand building, masterminds of luxury. He got to go to the diamond mines in Botswana, Africa. He felt like a lot of men were proposing with very similar rings. It was a great experience working at De Beers to understand the business side of fine jewelry
- What steps did you take to start your company? Left his job before his student loans weren't paid. He moved to NY and stayed on his friends couch. A classmate from business school asked him to design an engagement ring for him to propose with. Zameer reached out to his family to understand how to best proceed. Zameer wanted to tell their love story in the ring they designed. He wanted to care for her & protect his wife for the rest of her life, and she is a bit clumsy. She is Columbian, & there is a history of people in her family wearing Columbian emeralds. The friend asked Zameer to create a design where the Columbian emerald is surrounded by Canadian diamonds (like me) that will forever protect her. It was about his love for her and the time he took with Zameer to share the story. The finance was so excited that her fiancé spent so much time with Zameer although he is so busy. Zameer took a lot of consulting roles, because he didn't have a visa to work in the US. 1. Called friends and asked them to be advisors 2. Everything he has to offer has to be communicated person to person (a lot of word of mouth). Create content to share what the finance did for his finance. (1 hour) 3. Be systematic about the process - have a 3 step process. Step 1: Zameer trains the person on what he thinks is worth it vs. not worth it for stones. 2. Learn the love or family story (1 hour) 3. Share notes, sketches and diamonds, take a deposit and start making the ring. It can happen in less than 3 hours in about 3 weeks instead of someone spending a ton of time walking up & down 5th avenue to try to find a ring
- How is Zameer Kassam Fine Jewelry different from other jewelry brands? Do you want something that screams the brand name? Do you want something very sparkly that may not be great quality? What is the objective in the piece of jewelry. Zameer's pieces are more special and personal, and each piece is unique. There is a world of people who are classic and timeless, but they want something different. Find a world where it is classic, but in a personal way. You won't get bored of the piece, and it won't look like it was made in the year it was made, but hard to tell because it is timeless.
- How many people does it take to make one of your rings? 3 people unless something very unique they need expertise for. Usually takes about 3 weeks, but they can rush it. Don't be afraid to look outside your industry for people who can transform your industry. Can be helpful to get another perspective. His team is based in New York City
- Give a story or two that are memorable from collaborating with someone to create an engagement ring. Someone was in Iraq, and wrote his significant other letters through the process. Had never been able to articulate what that meant to him, and was able to do so with Zameer and a piece of jewelry
- Do you mainly concentrate on engagement rings? Or do you create other types of jewelry as well? It doesn't matter the type of jewelry or gender it is for as long as there is a story. A moment in time you want to say something special to the person you love
- How do you find clients? Word of mouth, especially with the content they create. For many clients, they throw a proposal party. Zameer meets with the person who was proposed to to tell her the story of creating the ring, and the letters the finance shared. Zameer meets every client.
- How long does it take to create a piece of your jewelry? It could be as short as 7 days. They have created a very efficient process to create the jewelry. Zameer works with De Beers, and has access to the Forever Mark diamonds and also The Exceptionals - which are the most extraordinary stones. He goes to the places where the gemstones come from, and gets to meet the people who mine them. He can connect it to the ground to the person who found it is incredible.
- What’s the experience like when someone wears one of your pieces on the red carpet?
- What is the story behind the Ashley Judd ring? Wore to the Oscars and represents the Times Up movement. He wanted to do something for a celebrity cause. His team, made mostly of females, wanted to be a part of it. Zameer got to meet Ashley and realized it is broader than it started with to an issue of representation.
- He asked a team member to figure out how many movies that have been nominated for best picture have been produced or directed by a woman. The team came back and said the answer was 5, so he made the ring to represent those women. There was no commercial goal on Zameer's end, so Ashley Judd spoke about it on the red carpet, because it was such a thoughtful ring!
- For people thinking about pursuing their MBA (with concerns about the time & money commitment), do you think it is imperative to have in order to start a business? No, but it is helpful & was formative for Zameer. People have a discomfort with business if they are in the creative industry. If Zameer didn't have a profit objective, he wouldn't have been able to invest in his business and was able to come even more creative. Commercial success can fan the flames of your creativity. There is an element of access. Zameer was able to work in his dream job, because of his MBA. The people he met were incredible - his first clients, the people who let them stay with him, his advisors, etc.
- It is intimidating for someone to find the right engagement ring. How do you help make this process memorable instead of stressful? Zameer's process is fully memorable, special and not intimidating
- Would you be open to a rental model for statement pieces similar to renting art & clothing? No, because he doesn't hold inventory. Everything is one-of-a-kind
- Are you a gemologist? No. A gemology program takes 4 years. He did a night-school program as a kid. He has done it enough that he can write appraisals. It is helpful from a credibility relationship if you don't have an MBA or family connections, but it isn't necessary. It can even lead someone to the wrong conclusions, because it may be too intense for what someone needs. It may be too rigid to be creative. Most creativity happens at the intersection of industries. If three jewelry designers get together, you'll create something beautiful. But, if you get a jeweler together with an engineer and someone in the oil industry, they'll come up with something incredible
- Who are some of the notable people who have worn your jewelry pieces? CEOs, celebrities, etc. Lupita Nyong'o for the Oscars Time's Up Vanity Fair party, the cast of Crazy Rich Asians and more!
- Do you have a continuing relationship with your clients? For example, they start with an engagement ring and go from there? Yes, that is the dream! To start with an engagement ring, move to the wedding band, first child present (push present), anniversaries, big changes and more!
