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

Learnings at Scale

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