Meet the founder of Budrevich Fine Jewellery Studio
I’m Arseniy Budrevich, founder of Budrevich Fine Jewellery Studio.
I was born in Western Russia, to parents who were studying jewellery. From a young age I was raised in that world - art and jewellery – and having been around it for so long, it wasn’t really a surprise that I became interested in it. Always attracted to tools and wanting to do stuff with my hands, I loved art and design technology at school, but I found reading about something and not practicing it, very boring. If I was asked what I wanted to be when I was older, it was always hard to imagine becoming ‘someone’, because that always seemed tied to the things I didn’t like at school.
I started at my dad’s workshop because I wanted to make a chain to wear. I learned the skills it took and thought it was actually something I really enjoyed. I came back again to make another, and the rest is history; I have been hooked ever since. In the end I didn’t have to force myself to ‘become someone’, it just came naturally, and slowly I started to see myself as a jeweller.
Tell us about your experience prior to launching your business
As I mentioned, my father was a jeweller, so growing up I was always around gemstones and precious pieces. In my later teen years, I started working for him and he taught me how to make jewellery using traditional skills. Eventually, having soaked up all the knowledge I could, I decided I wanted to move to London. I didn’t know anyone in London of course, or really much about the UK including the language; everything was a new beginning and it’s been a long road to where we are now.
My first job in London was working for a casting company doing casting cleanup. It was a very big step down in quality from my dad’s perfectionism and the beautiful workshop I had become accustomed to. It was a small, dirty space that produced cheap jewellery, but after knocking on all the doors in Hatton Garden, peddling my services, I had to take what I was offered. I saw it as my first little success, and it gave me a start in the British jewellery industry.
After working in the business for a short time, I offered them my setting services. At this point no one was doing optical diamond setting, but I had already learned it from my father. This gave me an edge, surprising a lot of people, and I have proved along the way that my setting quality has always been incomparable to the competition. The optics allow you to set super small stones with super high accuracy and accuracy is exactly what you want in jewellery.
There’s always a lightbulb moment before the beginning of a new venture. What was that moment for you?
I was renting a bench and stone-setting for trade clients (white-labelling) and after a few years I took stock and realised I had a steady stream of loyal clients who would come to me above anyone else. It was then that it felt right to start something bigger, to branch out and take the plunge.
In February 2016 we launched Budrevich Fine Jewellery Studio, bringing together the best craftsmen in the country and creating the most desirable jewels, all under one roof. I am proud to say I have now been living in the UK for nine years and have been working for myself for eight of those.
Any moments where you thought you’ve bitten off more than you can chew?
After less than a year in the UK I had saved up as much money as I could and went home on holiday. When I was there, I bought a microscope (in St Petersburg) and got a bench as well, having decided to set up a small workshop in my room in London to do some work on the side.
When I came back to the UK, I wanted to take my stone-setting tools back from the casting company I was currently working in, meaning they would have to buy their own, but they refused to give them back and ended up pushing me out.
It wasn’t easy, I spent all my money setting up a bench in my room and when they let me go, I was very stressed, with no plan and very little capital. I started receiving orders and took on as much as possible with barely any spare time; luckily it seems to have worked out.
I will always be grateful to that company - first for giving me a job when I needed one and second for firing me.
How do you set yourself apart from other businesses in your industry?
At Budrevich Fine Jewellery Studio we take each purchase personally, as if we are making it for a loved one and as if the whole world will see it. Our quality is unmatched, and we have an extreme level of attention to detail – customers can always recognize the difference in our pieces.
As one of the few jewellery houses in the country with all craftsmen under one roof, we not only have the ability to create your perfect piece from start to finish, but as the customer, you can have a direct to craftsman relationship. We provide full dedication and in turn we are well recognised and highly regarded in our industry.
What is your day-to-day role within the company?
At heart, I am a jeweller. I try to spend as much time at the bench as I can, but that isn’t always the way it works out! I wake up early and am in the showroom first thing, answering emails and chatting to clients (virtually, up until recently!). Then I spend the rest of the morning setting and if I am lucky can continue on at the bench after lunch. As a business owner you have to make sure all the less exciting admin bits are done before you can do the fun part, which for me, is actually making the jewellery!
With all the success stories around entrepreneurship and how innovative people have to be to take the leap. How do you think you’ve innovated your sector and why?
For four years, we have been handcrafting jewels in our Hatton Garden studio for some of the most renowned high jewellery houses in the world, and we invest exactly the same amount of skill, craftsmanship and attention to detail in our private commissions.
Time-honoured techniques used by jewellers for centuries are combined with the latest technology, resulting in extremely detailed, flawlessly finished jewels. Employing precision microscopes and laser welding machines, the craftsmen at Budrevich are able to see and perfect every tiny detail, resulting in the clean lines and architecturally beautiful silhouettes for which we are renowned.
The antithesis of mass-produced jewels, the creation of a Budrevich jewel requires the kind of skill, expertise and dedication that can only be gained from years of experience and innovation.
What plans do you have for Budrevich Fine Jewellery Studio over the next two years?
We are currently looking at ways to give more clients the opportunity to use our services. Our business has been built on work we have done within the industry – setting for some of the most established jewellers on Bond Street – so we are working on reaching people on more of an individual level.
Over the next 12 months we will be constantly updating the website and streamlining the experience, funnelling people towards booking appointments. As well as this we will be updating our prices and making sure that every aspect of our business is in line with our brand identity.
And of course, continuing to make more beautiful pieces to be treasured forever.
Is it still possible to build a strong and successful business without social media? If yes or no, why?
This is such an interesting question because social media seems to be the focal point for everything. However, when it comes to fine jewellery, platforms like Instagram are used more as a viewing tool, rather than a purchasing tool; people aren’t willing to part with thousands based on a picture with a few likes. Instead, when it comes to a brand like ours, we rely on word of mouth and a loyal customer base – the quality of our designs and the exquisite craftmanship speaks for itself. That being said, we are on social media, and we do use it to post pictures of our pieces, because I do think there is an element of additional trust that comes with a brand having a social presence.
What do you think gives a brand longevity?
Longevity comes through constantly working to better your business, alongside building and maintaining trust within your customer base. Our level of craftsmanship is unparalleled in our industry as we have a much higher standard for the work we put out and it’s because of that we have built a reputation that will see us at the top of our game for years to come.
Describe your brand in three words
Antithesis of mass-production (sorry, technically four words!)
