In an interview with REVOLT, founder of Aryeh & Co. sat down to discuss how he first got into the jewelry industry and what inspired his latest REVOLT custom pieces.
"When I first spoke with Dunnie [West], we wanted to make something meaningful and we wanted something that represents the company in a great light," said Aryeh when asked about the process of creating the REVOLT pieces. "I sent the images to my designer and it goes on his computer screen for us to work out all the dimensions, diamond sizes, and all that. He then draws it up on the computer and, in the meantime, we’re sorting out all the diamonds because different diamonds are required in different spots and they all have to match. When the designer sends over the pictures and we approve them, then a wax model of the pendant is printed just to see it in person and how it sits on the neck.
"Once that’s approved, we send it to the casting department and it’ll be melted and casted into a setting. It goes to get pre-polished and then goes to the setting department. They work as efficiently as they can to set all the stones and I think it averages around 200 stones per piece, and we made four of them. After it’s all polished and done, we work on finding the right chain. The diamonds themselves make the chain pop, so we went with a more subtle chain to provide a sleeker look. We make designer jewelry so it didn’t have to be too flashy but more elegant."
When asked how he got into being a professional jeweler and having his own company, Aryeh said, "In the jewelry industry — or at least within New York — there’s this perception that is pretty accurate where people get into the business through their family. I actually didn’t have any family in the industry. When I got into the industry, I was actually attending school at Queens College and I’ve always had a go-getter mentality. If there was a company I wanted to work for or something I wanted to try, I’d always try to build relationships and make that opportunity.
"At age 19, I had a mentor who started showing me the ropes. The salary wasn’t even a salary. It was probably like $100 or $200 a week. It was pretty much a full-time role and not even an internship. I had rent to pay, I was in school full-time, and I had a lot going on, but I thought it was worthwhile. Two years in, I didn’t really see growth. We were doing manufacturing for retail stores and I felt like I hit a ceiling. I made relationships with diamond dealers, wholesalers, and jewelers. I decided to go out on my own with the relationships I had."
Information originally sourced from REVOLT.
