Aurate sits somewhere between Fifth Avenue's legacy jewelers and the brands that take a cue from Etsy's aesthetic. At least, that's how the company's co-founder (and designer) Sophie Kahn describes it: "There was nothing really in the middle," she said on this week's episode of the Glossy Podcast.

The direct-to-consumer company's products start around $50 and go up from there. Many customers have an eye for the higher-end stuff. "Something like the top 40% of our sales are generated by 10% of our customers," Kahn said. "I think that's a testament to [the fact that] once you feel our product, you kind of fall in love with it," she said. "We're going up against the big guys that have way more funding, way more everything. The only thing we have, hopefully, is the hearts of our women."

On the Glossy Podcast, Kahn discussed her career path from Marc Jacobs to DTC fine jewelry, the company's use of crowdsourcing to steer product development and its plans for international expansion.