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RAPAPORT... Gems One launched the Epic 101, a new branded special-cut diamond that features 101 facets and employs what the company identified as a faceting architecture designed to provide maximum light performance. The company is marketing the Epic 101 to authorized dealers to gain a competitive advantage in the bridal category. Anuj Jain, the president of Gems One, said, “We see a special opportunity with the Epic 101 for our customers to expand their market share, as well as increase margins in the loose diamond category in their stores. The specialty cut category is clearly expanding in the independent space and with our broad national distribution, we expect to be able to create an optimized dealer network with this brand fairly quickly.” David Broyles, the co-owner of Calvin Broyles Jewelers, said, “With over 40 years’ experience working with companies like Lazare Kaplan and Hearts On Fire, I’ve personally examined thousands of very beautiful diamonds and I can tell you that the Epic 101 that Gems One has sent me are absolutely gorgeous. We’re known for the quality of the diamonds we sell and this is definitely a diamond that we would be proud to sell in our market.” Gems One intends to limit the dealer network offering the Epic 101 to 70 in the initial phase. George Prout, the vice president of sales and marketing at Gem One, said, “We’re taking the appropriate steps to ensure an excellent experience for our dealers. We’ve deployed considerable resources to provide the tools our customers will need to get maximum benefit from the brand, from the Epic 101 website iFrame to a wide variety of advertising support materials. And we’re even allowing new dealers to submit some of their own diamonds for recutting into Epic 101’s, to make it cost-effective to have a nice assortment of loose Epics on hand from the moment they start as an authorized Epic 101 dealer.”
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