Vancouver Fashion eZine - Online Magazine | Jewellery Designer

As Suman Bakshi walks over to me, I'm already thinking "Wow, this woman must really rock." If she had a theme song it would be Independent Woman by Destiny's Child since she "buys her own diamonds and buys her own rings." Yet with her beautiful complexion, perfectly arched eyebrows and white smile, she carries a modest persona and a comfortable exterior.

Her direct eye contact was striking and her conversationalist approach to the interview felt distinctly… real. Plus, get this, as a business woman she's not just all about the money. "I love rings and I could keep making myself buy rings, but I just don't believe in having one on each finger," she laughs. "I'm not all about money, it's about giving people options they thought they'd never have."

The individualistic almost 40-year-old has been tailoring the demands of Lux Jewels for over three years, but seems relaxed and energetic, although she just sprinted to Blenz on Granville from a team business meeting.

She patiently takes it on herself to educate me about the technicalities of jewelry. "You can't compare one diamond to the next, they're all different. Even if they all look the same, they're not the same," she says, sketching diagrams on my notepad.

Educating the customer is an important tidbit that sets Lux Jewels apart from mainstream stores. "I know other jewelers out there who talk about educating the consumer and so on, but my way of educating someone is more like I'm your friend, I'm sitting here telling you here's how it is, and I'm not trying to force a sale."

It's no surprise that Bakshi values knowledge, as she herself has invested in roughly eight years of post-secondary education before building herself up as a business entrepreneur. Her attendance at Langara College earned her a diploma in fine arts. Soon after, she found herself at Kwantlen College for the graphic design program. But after completing that, she still wasn't done. Bakshi was quickly recognized by the government for her business entrepreneurship potential. She was then chosen to be funded in BCIT's BEST program, noted for its ability to prepare individuals for self-employment. This encouraged her to experiment with different career paths.

"I started my own business after BCIT, a wedding business that didn't pan out. Just because it's a good idea doesn't mean it will work out," explains Bakshi with a smile. "I started consulting and my friend told me about a diamond broker."

Sha-bam, the rest was history. As she entered the jewelry business and started her own, she quickly learned how to tailor it with the use of contacts and web-design, especially important since Lux Jewels operates without a storefront. She soon began to learn that throwing yourself in head first is the best way to find success and learn from your mistakes.

"I do value education, however as an entrepreneur, I've learned it's not the most important thing in life," she said, hardly dazed by blender sounds behind our chairs.

In regard to Vancouver's often bashed fashion scene, Bakshi is still hardly intimidated. Although she admits that at times it is lackluster, clients steadily demand fashion-focused jewelry, relying on trends, so long as they maintain open minds.

"Fashion… people think retail, shows, that's what's hard," explains Bakshi. "Vancouver is transient about these things… Vancouver can't keep up with that. When it comes to jewelry, it's a higher end to the fashion market," she adds.

For such pieces, Lux Jewels is there to save the day. "We are bombarded by media, so when people look at rings, they look at what's out there. They want those rings but it doesn't mean they can necessarily always afford them, or they can afford them, but they don't want to pay those prices," says Bakshi about the struggle to find fashionable and affordable jewelry. "So coming to me is the best option because they're going to get a high-quality diamond and they'll get it for great value."

Besides a well-earned reputation in Vancouver, Lux Jewels is steadily building on an international level. The friendly but professional manner of the company has made serving customers who reside in the UK and Australia an amicable task. But one thing, worldwide, remains the same, and that's the company's up close and intimate service mandate so customers can get exactly what they want. For Bakshi, this entails going as far to meet people "some place where they don't feel pressured to buy anything, because I'm sitting in front of them, and they're having a conversation with a real person."

The traveling aspect of her career has become a natural and expected part of her life. "Oh my goodness, I go all over North America and the U.S. all the time," she casually explains. "I travel over to the U.K. and overseas at least once a year."

No matter how big the international boom for Bakshi becomes, she'll always be about maintaining authenticity, and the company's Canadian identity will keep it strong at its roots. "Everything is made in Canada, I do all my business in Canada, I support Canadian businesses, and Canadian suppliers," says Bakshi. "I designed all of my website… all of the people you see on it are clients or friends… a lot of people wouldn't know it, but that's how real I keep it."

For more details check out the website at www.luxjewels.net and give Bakshi a call for some one-on-one at 604-889-5227.