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Share What do Lupita Nyong'o, Ashley Judd and the cast of Crazy Rich Asians have in common?! Interview with Harvard MBA turned red carpet jeweler, Zameer Kassam!
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What do Lupita Nyong'o, Ashley Judd and the cast of Crazy Rich Asians have in common?! Interview with Harvard MBA turned red carpet jeweler, Zameer Kassam!
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 anoth
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By Delia Folk and Alison Bruhn
4.9
7171 ratings
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 anoth