Ramez Khoja never expected jewelry to become his career.
After high school, he went to college for musical theater. Then COVID changed the plan and brought him back into the family jewelry business—not as the kid who spent school breaks around the store, but as an adult beginning to understand why customers kept coming back and where the business could grow.
In this episode of Bling Talks, Anthony Haddad sits down with Ramez Khoja of Shaan’s Jewelers in Augusta, Georgia to talk about the realities of operating and evolving a family jewelry business.
Ramez shares how the business grew gradually from smaller-ticket merchandise into gold, diamonds, custom jewelry, and luxury watches. He also explains what makes selling jewelry inside a mall different, why customers may negotiate more when competing stores are only steps away, and why great salespeople have to adapt their communication style to whoever walks through the door.
The conversation also gets into Rolex and Cartier, custom watches, aftermarket parts, and Ramez’s perspective on icing out a Rolex—especially when someone is thinking about the watch as an asset rather than simply buying it because they love the look.
Anthony and Ramez then move into customer follow-up, CRM systems, GoHighLevel, iMessage, and the challenge of introducing new technology to experienced employees who have been working successfully for years.
Ramez also explains how he has started using AI to help employees create more personal customer responses and repair updates—without losing the human side of the relationship.
And one of the most memorable parts of the conversation comes when Ramez shares the story of being pepper-sprayed during a Rolex theft by someone he trusted, and how that experience changed his approach to security and encouraged stronger communication between local jewelers.
𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐃𝐄
• Growing a jewelry business from a mall kiosk
• Ramez’s unexpected path from musical theater to jewelry
• Why COVID brought him into the family business
• Expanding into gold, diamonds, custom jewelry, and luxury watches
• What makes mall jewelry sales different
• Why mall customers may negotiate more
• Rolex, Cartier, and custom watch conversations
• Whether icing out a Rolex can affect its value
• Original vs. aftermarket watch components
• Adapting your sales approach to different customers
• Customer follow-up inside a jewelry store
• GoHighLevel vs. iMessage
• Why personal communication still matters
• Using AI to help employees communicate with customers
• The challenge of introducing new technology to experienced staff
• Building stronger communication between local jewelers
• The Rolex theft that changed Ramez’s approach to trust and security
𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐑𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐙 𝐊𝐇𝐎𝐉𝐀
Ramez Khoja is part of the family behind Shaan’s Jewelers in Augusta, Georgia. In this conversation, he shares his experience growing up around the jewelry business, later entering it full-time, and helping introduce new ideas around products, sales, technology, customer communication, and AI.
𝐆𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐖𝐄𝐁𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐄
Shaan’s Jewelers
https://www.shaansjewelers.com/
𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐓
Anthony Haddad is the host of Bling Talks and founder of JewelryBox.ai. He interviews jewelry leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators, and business builders to uncover the strategies, challenges, and stories shaping the future of jewelry and modern business.
𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐒
Bling Talks brings together jewelers, entrepreneurs, innovators, and business leaders for real conversations about sales, marketing, technology, growth, challenges, and the future of the jewelry industry.
Listen and learn more:
https://jewelrybox.ai/bling-talks-podcast
𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐖 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐉𝐄𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐑𝐘 𝐁𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐉𝐄𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐑𝐘𝐁𝐎𝐗.𝐀𝐈
JewelryBox.ai helps jewelry businesses improve marketing, lead generation, customer communication, sales follow-up, content, CRM, funnels, and automation without managing disconnected systems.
Learn More:
https://jewelrybox.ai/
Book a Demo:
https://jewelrybox.ai/demo-call
Free AI Tools:
https://jewelrybox.ai/top-10-tools
Watch Bling Talks on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@Jewelryboxai
Comments regarding watches, resale value, or investments reflect the speakers’ individual perspectives and are not financial advice.
