Cartier Legacy to Lab Diamonds: Disrupting Designer Jewelry with Jean Dousset | E8

Jean Dousset, noted jewelry designer and descendant of Louis Cartier joins Max on the pod. Jean Dousset’s namesake brand creates custom pieces for high-profile clients, including Eva Longoria and Paris Hilton. Dousset also pioneered the use of lab-grown diamonds in fine jewelry, making stones of the best cut and clarity available to a wider range of consumers. Discover how Dousset turned a small brand specializing in high jewelry into an industry disrupter.

 

(00:00) Introduction to the Jewelry World (00:19) Family Legacy and Early Career (01:21) First Steps in High Jewelry Sales (03:45) Training and Craftsmanship (07:55) Developing a Unique Design Philosophy (12:00) Retail Challenges and Career Growth (27:57) The Impact of Online Diamond Sales (34:12) Simplifying the Diamond Selection Process (35:44) Building the First Website (37:09) Starting from Scratch: The eBay Store (37:47) Learning the Craft of Jewelry Making (39:51) Bootstrapping the Business (42:59) Opening the First Showroom (45:54) Scaling the Business (47:54) The Lab-Grown Unlock (57:05) Advice for Aspiring Jewelry Designers (59:29) Conclusion and Final Thoughts