Aryeh Rephun, founder of New York-based Aryeh & Co., shared his experiences as an entrepreneur in the bespoke-jewelry sector in an interview on the Rapaport Diamond Podcast.
Rephun talked with Rapaport’s Joshua Freedman about the market for customized pieces and how consumers have responded to his company’s designs. He described changes in the segment, including how artificial intelligence (AI) is streamlining the production process.
“Now you can literally just speak into an app or write down whatever is on your mind, and it will turn it into an image,” he said. “It helps with creativity: As you’re talking to a customer, you can just type out whatever they’re saying and come up with a rough image of what they want.”
He also spoke about how he sources diamonds, assessed the impact of high gold prices, gave his opinion on synthetics, and explained how he sees the retail market ahead of the holiday.
“The market over the summer was pretty slow, and I feel like there is a buildup even now,” Rephun observed. “We are experiencing customers gearing up already, thinking about gifts for holidays. I’m not sure exactly what to attribute it to, but I do feel like there’s an excitement around jewelry.”
Listen to the podcast here:
This podcast is brought to you by GIA — protecting consumers and supporting the global gem and jewelry trade since 1931 through research, education, and laboratory services.
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