[ PLACEHOLDER: Founder photo ]
I’ve always had a slightly annoying habit: when someone tells me, “That’s just how it’s done,” my first reaction is usually, why?
I grew up in Antwerp in a family already connected to diamonds, so jewellery was never fully foreign to me. But I didn’t start there — I studied computer science, built an AI-based diamond pricing model at KGK, and later an algorithm at The Narrative Company to rank Twitter influence.
I also had a habit of writing down random startup ideas. I’d find a problem, pull it apart, keep asking questions, and usually take the idea far enough to build a pitch deck before deciding whether it deserved to exist. Most of them didn’t. Arviah started the same way.
The thing I couldn’t stop thinking about
When I started spending more time around jewellery manufacturing, I noticed almost everyone was saying the same thing: best price, best finishing, best craftsmanship, something “different.” After a while, even I couldn’t tell the difference between genuinely great manufacturers and everyone claiming to be one. And I knew some of them personally.
The exact same design can get completely different quotes depending on who makes it, how, what they specialise in, and what margin sits on top.
There’s a Gujarati saying I grew up hearing around diamonds, roughly translated as “diamonds never fit perfectly into a fixed stamp.” Two people can look at the same stone differently. Every diamond has its own characteristics, pricing is complicated, and grading systems only get you so far before judgement takes over.
That uncertainty is part of what makes diamonds interesting and buying jewellery unnecessarily confusing.
So I decided not to start another jewellery brand
At one point, while training in jewellery, I noticed how many people had taken similar courses, learned from similar places, and gone on to launch their own brands. I wondered what I was learning that they hadn’t.
I wanted to use the skills I already had to approach the problem differently, which became Arviah.
Apparently, that isn’t how things are done
When I started explaining the idea behind Arviah, I heard the same response a lot: customers won’t understand that, people don’t buy jewellery that way, people won’t trust it.
But that argument always struck me as strange. How do you know people don’t want something they’ve never been given the option to try?
I’d rather tell you not to buy something
This is probably the easiest way to explain how I think about customers.
If I think something isn’t worth the money, I’ll say so. If there’s an easier way to make it, I’ll tell you. If changing something saves money without changing what you actually care about, I’ll suggest it. And if someone else genuinely has the better option, go with them.
It’s not the most sophisticated sales strategy, but I’d rather lose a sale than give someone a bad deal. I don’t want Arviah to work because we’re better at selling the story. I want it to work because the customer can see the logic behind the decision.
Outside the jewellery world
I’m 22 and currently spending a lot of my time in Mumbai, learning more about jewellery and the industry. I listen to a lot of music and I’ll play almost any sport put in front of me, including ones I’ve never played before.
I enjoy watching business shows, still write down startup ideas, and still take some far enough to build a full pitch deck before deciding whether they deserve to exist. That’s exactly how Arviah began — the difference is, this time, I couldn’t convince myself to stop.
What I’m trying to build
I used to think building something genuinely different would be relatively easy. It isn’t. In jewellery especially, differentiating yourself from thousands of talented artisans, manufacturers, and brands is hard.
I’ve changed my mind about that completely. But I haven’t changed my mind about the problem.
The person buying jewellery should understand more of what they are paying for. They should have more than one option. They should be able to question the price. And “trust me” shouldn’t have to be the entire business model.
I don’t know if Arviah will change the jewellery industry, some would say that’s a fairly ridiculous thing for a 22-year-old to claim. But I know what I want it to stand for: think differently, ask better questions, and never make money off a customer simply because they didn’t know enough to ask.
If you leave Arviah feeling like you understood your jewellery a little better than when you arrived, we’re probably doing something right.