Manat Kaur

Ring Premier is a luxury diamond jewelry concierge service based in New York specializing in the creation of hyper curated, high-end pieces and engagement rings.

Manat Kaur is the founder of Ring Premier, the luxury diamond jewelry concierge service based in New York. Growing up in a family who has manufactured fashion for chain stores in America for many generations, Kaur witnessed the behind-the-scenes of the glitz and glam. She inherited their knowledge and expertise in manufacturing, cultivating a deep sense of appreciation and understanding of the overlooked inner workings of the multibillion-dollar industry.

Though initially, she planned to study fashion in the Big Apple in preparation to help her family’s business, Kaur eventually dropped out of fashion school because she felt that the studies and how they were taught were no longer relevant to today’s industry. Instead, she decided to fulfill her childhood dream of working in the fine jewelry industry, kickstarting her own business in the tight-knit and discreet world of diamonds at the tender age of 24. Over the last five years, Kaur actively worked with more than 150 to 200 retail stores across America as well as a few in Europe. Coupled with her background in manufacturing, she thoroughly understands jewelry production and demands at the grassroots level, from manufacturing, and consumer behavior to retail sales.

While Kaur underwent comprehensive diamond training with GIA and gained years of hands-on industry experience to obtain the technical expertise needed to excel in her new domain, she believes that just the technical knowledge is not enough to guarantee complete satisfaction for her customers. Bringing her fashion-oriented perspective bred from years of watching her family operate in the fashion industry, she ensures her customers find their perfect diamond through her modern and hands-on approach.

With an eye for detail and perfection, Kaur’s specialty is in custom jewelry. She works with a carefully-selected team of competent specialists of artisans, designers, setters and more with decades of experience to create exquisite jewelry.

Today, Ring Premier works toward its mission of producing one of a kind physical memories through luxury and affordable jewelry pieces for the everyday, modern woman.

Where did the idea for Ring Premier come from?

When I was helping my sister shop for wedding rings, I noticed that there weren’t many options for customization available. Because I wanted my sister to have her perfect ring, I worked with her to design and produce her bespoke ring. The final product came out beautifully and she received a lot of compliments for the ring, which opened many doors for me.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

The first thing I do every morning is take some time for myself to meditate, clear my head and get ready for the day. I find that this helps me to maximize productivity and focus when I manage orders, speak with vendors, procure local and international supplies and take up client consultations.

How do you bring ideas to life?

When I meet with a client in a virtual or in-person private consultation, I listen to their ideas and go over their visual mood board, painting a picture of their ideal piece of jewelry. If they don’t have one, we will create one for them. Based on the mood board, my team and I hand-sketch four to five iterations based on their description. We then move on to picking the center stone for the engagement ring from a handpicked assortment of six to eight options, all curated from the client’s wishes, design and budget. Then with the center stone finalized, the design selected and the fine details ironed over with the client, we move on to production, crafting the client’s dream jewelry. Finally, we deliver the ring. This entire process takes about four to six weeks.

What’s one trend that excites you?

The multiple-stone rings trend is very compelling to me, whether it’s two or three-stone engagement rings. I’m drawn to how they stray from traditional rings with one large center stone, as they deliver the glam and trend factor by featuring more than one large stone.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

I’d say my patience helps me work efficiently. I have worked with so many different types of people and have learned to stay calm and focused while listening to them. Because I am patient with myself and my clients, I can understand and adapt to their vision entirely. My patience minimizes the room for error and allows me to move full steam ahead.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Keep your composure and keep moving forward. It will always work out in the end.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

I believe that while our mind informs us of the practicality of decisions, we should always listen to our heart and intuition because our heart guides us towards the direction that we need to be going in in a much stronger way that you might not always be able to convey or articulate.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Write everything down and reflect on as much as possible. Every meeting, conversation, commitment, or idea should always be written down and kept handy. This helps you to stay organized, keeps you accountable, minimizes the room for error, and keeps you growing.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

Being financially conservative has helped a lot with growing this business, but not in the sense that I would cut corners or make compromises about quality. I have learnt to be financially responsible by distinguishing what’s required for sustainable and sensible growth and what’s not suitable for long-term development.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

I think as entrepreneurs, especially at the start, you are bound to make mistakes often. But that’s all they are, mistakes. Whether it’s an interaction with a supplier that you felt as if you could’ve handled better or whatnot, these are bound to happen. However, I think it’s crucial that failure isn’t interpreted as the destination, but rather an inevitable road bump on a long journey.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Retail arbitrage. I know many people have been hesitant to pull the trigger on opening their own business, but if you believe in a product, work hard to find wholesale dealers and market it yourself. If you’re passionate about your business, put in the effort and sell for more than you’re buying, you will be well on your way to building your brand for minimal costs.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

One of my best recent spends was taking my family out for dinner after a good few weeks of being preoccupied with work. It can often be easy to get stuck in the day-to-day, the to-do lists and scheduled meetings, but I think it’s important to never lose sight of what’s important, which is your family and their well-being. So regardless of how busy you are, it’s crucial for me to make my loved ones feel valued.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

Facebook or Instagram. They both have allowed me to connect with so many resourceful talents and even some great clients, so these social media platforms have definitely helped me advance the quality of my work and gain traction.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

“Rich Dad Poor Dad” was an eye-opening book that explained finances and the human behaviors tied to them.

What is your favorite quote?

“There’s something so special about a woman who dominates in a man’s world. It takes a certain grace, strength, intelligence, fearlessness, and the nerve to never take no for an answer.”
– Rihanna

Key Learnings:

• Don’t get upset about disrespect from people you don’t respect. Don’t let what others say about you hold you back from pursuing your dreams. As a woman, I get told every day that I’m not good enough and won’t succeed in this industry. Rather than accepting that, I’ve used their words as motivation to prove them all wrong.
• There’s nothing you can’t learn to do if you put your heart to it.
• Nothing can beat hard work when it comes to achieving your dreams. Strive to work harder and harder every day.