Introducing Pietra, the Fine Jewelry Marketplace that Connects Jewelry Designers and Customers
NEW YORK, Aug. 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Pietra, a fine jewelry platform that connects jewelers directly to customers, launches today on PietraStudio.com. Pietra is a first-of-its-kind online marketplace, where customers can work with a global network of jewelers to custom create the jewelry designs of their dreams. Pietra, which is available via website and app, offers both a vast portal where customers can purchase existing jewelry pieces from renowned jewelry brands, as well as a seamless interface in which they can work one-on-one with specific jewelers to bring custom design to life.
With global fine jewelry sales expected to hit $250 billion by 2020, Pietra is well timed to help move the industry from the historically physical to the digital. Currently only 4% of all fine jewelry sales are transacted online.
"Right now the experience of buying jewelry online is antiquated and intimidating," said Pietra Co-Founder and CEO Ronak Trivedi. "When you're buying one of life's most meaningful purchases, whether it's for an engagement, anniversary or your own promotion, you want that process to be meaningful, easy, and, of course, trusted. You want a connection with the designer and to understand the story behind the piece. Pietra was created for those of us who don't 'know a guy' but still want the authentic, artisan, and deeply personal experience of collaborating with a jeweler."
Experience for Customers
Pietra currently provides consumers with access to more than 100 leading jewelry designers from around the world, steadily growing this count each week. The roster runs the gamut from local and treasured mom-and-pop shops to the jewelers who create pieces worn by A-list celebrities to some of the world's hottest jewelry designers, such as CVC Stones, Diane Kordas, Stephen Webster, and Brent Neale.
Pietra's online experience features two avenues for purchase: an active marketplace with ready-to-wear jewelry pieces available for immediate sale, much like a standard e-commerce site, as well as a custom design portal. This portal is catered to two groups: those who know exactly what they want and those who need inspiration. The former group can peruse a catalog of designers and initiate conversations directly. The latter is assisted by a Pietra concierge, who uses a brief survey to connect the customer to the most fitting designers. In both cases, customers can have conversations with multiple jewelers to start the collaborative design and pricing process.
Enthusiasm from Jewelers
"Pietra is poised to disrupt the jewelry industry in a way that benefits exceptional design talent worldwide," said Ashley Bryan, Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer. "The industry has traditionally been difficult for new designers to enter because of how capital intensive it is to sell on consignment. Pietra's platform reduces overhead such as inventory risk and back-end logistics, and empowers designers to do what they do best: design custom jewelry pieces for customers around the world."
From Charlie De Viel Castel, Founder of CVC Stones: "I chose to partner with Pietra because of their ability to partner technology with the old world of fine jewelry, and empower people to design pieces themselves based on their own personal style."
From Hayley Smith, designer of Serpent and Swan: "As a jewelry designer, I love working with Pietra. It helps me to get in touch with clients who I might not have been able to ever find. The customers I have worked with and met through Pietra have been amazing!"
From Katey Walker, designer & founder of Katey Walker Jewelry: "I love Pietra because it lets clients use a super cool platform to create custom pieces. It's the first place where customers can work directly with designers from all over the world."
Site Logistics
"Historically, part of the hesitation in jewelers harnessing the power of e-commerce has been the overall security concerns that arise when dealing with high value goods like fine jewelry, not to mention inventory risk and lack of customer knowledge," said Jaden Levitt, Co-Founder and COO of Pietra. "Pietra realizes this and has created a platform that addresses all these potential deterrents for both vendor and customer."
On the brand side, Pietra provides jewelers a virtual boutique on web and mobile and handles all the infrastructure needed to run the business, including payments, secure shipping, insurance, customer service, and marketing integration by way of promotions, social media, and reviews. All of this currently comes at no fee to the jeweler, and enables jewelry brands to effectively launch their business without the burden of inventory.
For customers, Pietra offers a secure portal in which to discover and collaborate with designers, free alterations, the aforementioned concierge service, fair market prices, and the ability to pay via credit or wire transfers securely. The site is fully equipped for fraud detection on both sides (customer and brand), as well.
Founders & Investment
The founding team behind Pietra includes CEO Ronak Trivedi, a former Uber Product Manager behind UberPOOL; Chief Brand Officer Ashley Bryan, a fashion industry veteran; CTO Pan Pan, former Senior Engineering Manager at Uber; and COO Jaden Levitt, who previously founded a startup services firm that supported creative brands like Glossier.
Pietra is backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Greenbay Ventures, Third Kind Venture Capital, and Abstract Ventures, as well as Joan Smalls, Scooter Braun, Michael Ovitz, Will Smith through The Dreamers Fund, and Robert Downey Jr. through Downey Ventures.
For more information, please visit www.pietrastudio.com or @shoppietra on Instagram.
PRESS CONTACTS:
Sogole Kane and Arturo Diaz
Kane Diaz Public Relations
[email protected]
SOURCE Pietra
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