Creating unique jewelry, including Harry Potter engagement ring - SILive.com
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Alexander Anthony Gattas Jr. saw the writing on the wall, so to speak.
Having grown up in the jewelry business, he knew in the age of eCommerce, the local jeweler’s role was going to change.
That’s when he came up with the idea of a ring concierge.
“The idea came about as I was managing my father’s jewelry store and engaging with customers on a daily basis. I was noticing major changes in the jewelry industry,” said Gattas, who launched H.I.T. JEWELS Inc. in November 2017.
“On the retail and business side, more and more customers were buying jewelry online, and even customers coming in-store were looking for a specific design that they had already seen online. It often times made it difficult to complete a sale, and it was hurting local jewelers,” he added.
Alexander Anthony Gattas Jr. saw the writing on the wall, so to speak. Having grown up in the jewelry business, he knew in the age of eCommerce, the local jeweler’s role was going to change.
HARRY POTTER-INSPIRED RING
As a ring concierge, he has the ability to brainstorm with his clients and come up with unique ideas. In fact, the outcome of a recent brainstorming session was a Harry Potter-inspired engagement ring.
“The most interesting ring that I have customized to date was a Harry Potter-inspired engagement ring. I worked with a couple in West Brighton to completely create and customize a diamond triangle halo setting to represent the ‘Deathly Hallows’ symbol,” said Gattas.
“We also threw in the ‘Snitch’ along with its diamond wings running along the band, which was a bonus. It allows for the citrine solitaire to catch your eye if you can’t catch the ‘Snitch’,” he added.
WHAT IS A RING CONCIERGE?
Like a wine connoisseur, a ring concierge is essentially a diamond expert.
"A ring concierge is a jewelry consultant and designer with years of experience in the industry who puts his clienteles’ interests as a priority and exhausts all options to make them something that fits within their criteria,” said Gattas.
“It’s my responsibility to educate and negotiate on behalf of my clients. One of the toughest things for clients, especially when looking for an engagement ring, is how to select a diamond. Most people do it once in their lives and don’t know the difference between cut, carat, color, or clarity. In addition, diamond prices can vary greatly and look exactly the same to the naked eye,” he added.
And as a ring concierge, he doesn’t have large overhead costs associated with running a brick-and-mortar business.
“The difference between me and a jewelry store owner is that there are not over $1 million dollars worth of inventory that I am trying to get rid of, and my overhead is minimal in comparison to that of a storefront,” said Gattas.
“It allows me to solely focus on what my customer wants in their designs instead of peddling the inventory I have on-hand,” he added.
WHAT DOES H.I.T. STAND FOR?
Gattas said he named his business with his best personality traits -- honesty, integrity and trust -- in mind.
“'H' is for honesty, which I take pride on in all the work that I do. I will tell you what I think is the best route for you to go and why. 'I' for integrity. I will never cut any corners for my own financial gain. 'T' is for trust, which is measured by my clientele and the vendors I do business with,” he said.
“These are the three core principles I utilize in any and all of my transactions that I do, otherwise, I would truly feel that my job wasn’t done,” added Gattas.
H.I.T. JEWELS INC. AT A GLANCE
Website: HITJEWELS.COM
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/HITJEWELS/
New Businesses in Focus is a weekly column that relates the stories of new Staten Island businesses owners.
If you have a new business on Staten Island, e-mail porpora@siadvance.com.
MORE NEW BUSINESSES IN FOCUS COLUMNS:
FOLLOW TRACEY PORPORA ON FACEBOOK and TWITTER
