In conversation with David Gusky, Founder of DAVIDOR (Exclusive Interview)

What motivated you to pursue a career in jewellery? 

My family was in the jewelry business for 40 years.  I was always fascinated by the process of taking a design and bringing it to life.  I had a passion to design, create and jewelry seemed like a natural fit and passion to develop. The ability to sculpt and mold precious metals and stones and create something so precious really spoke to me since I was young.

Which is the range of your jewellery? 

DAVIDOR is in the fine and high jewelry sector of the business.  All of our pieces are handmade in Paris in precious metals (18k gold and platinum, precious stones (diamonds and gemstones) as well as ceramic.  Every piece is serial numbered as well.  For women we offer a variety of collections from L’Arc de DAVIDOR ($800-$42,000+), L’Arc Voyage ($600-$7,500+) to L’Arc DECO & Les Jardins de DAVIDOR (High Jewelry Collections $74,500-$300,000+).  We produce beautiful cufflinks for men in Arch Florale, Diamant Sculptural and Couleur Sculptual collections and have a wide range of pieces for men from the unisex L’Arc de DAVIDOR and L’Arc Voyage Collections.

What is your consumer profile?

Our consumer is a women with a passion for luxury, craftsmanship and quality.  He and she are sophisticated with their own taste and desires with a passion for something new, different and less commonly seen.

Jewellery and watches are two luxury sectors associated by consumers with an investment criteria in mind, including collecting. Tell us more. 

In the case of DAVIDOR, we believe we are building a heritage brand with a collectability to each piece.  Every piece is not only handmade but also serial numbered.  We produce a limited amount of pieces each year and sell in a limited number of locations to maintain exclusivity for the brand.

To what extent jewellery nowadays is associated to luxury lifestyle? What are the key trends of in jewellery this year and what is what desirable / ‘WOW factors’ consumers are seeking?

I think jewelry is absolutely linked to a luxury lifestyle in our sector.  Lifestyles have changed.  Clients want to be able to wear their jewelry daily, not keep their pieces in a safe for a special occasion.  Even a high jewelry piece today must be thought out as to how can the client wear the piece more day to day.

You have several locations at major luxury department stores. To what extent do you think jewellery will be sold online?

DAVIDOR has a growing business online both on davidor.com and with our exclusive retailers.  At the end of the day, clients want convenience.  Some prefer an in person visit to a boutique and other prefer to discretely buy from home!

Are you considering diversifying into watches or fragrances? 

Yes, these are absolutely brand extensions we will develop as we grow and evolve.  Everything we create must be with thought, intention and at the right time for the market.

What about a capsule collection with a couture fashion brand or a luxury shoemaker? 

At this time we do not have any plans to do this, but should the right opportunity develop, you never know!

You recently opened a superb pop-up at Bal Harbour Shops. Tell us more. For expansion, what is your business model? Do you also consider franchising?

I am very proud to share the opening of our first US pop-up boutique at Bal Harbour Shops.  The boutique was inspired by our Parisian roots and the tropical environment of Miami.  The boutique will remain open until our flagship boutique at Bal Harbour Shops opens in the late spring/early summer 2021.  Our business model is centered on developing our own brand experiences through opening pop-ups, key permanent boutiques, attending direct to consumer exhibitions like in Doha and other parts of the Middle East.

We are working on always improving our online experience for clients to feel comfortable and confident shopping online, worldwide with a user friendly, content rich site.  We will also continue to develop our wholesale business with exclusive authorized DAVIDOR retailers that we believe can provide an on brand client experience. Regarding franchising, this is certainly of interest to us in certain markets where this model remains quite strong.

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