Exclusive Interview with Patrick Baruel, co-founder of Maison Jaubalet, a custom-designed fine Jewellery store located on the prestigious Place Vendome, Paris
At 3DPrintingIndustry we love sharing with you successful applications of the 3D Printing technology. It’s therefore natural that we could not miss the opportunity to present you how Maison Jaubalet is beautifully incorporating 3D Printing into its process to craft unique custom-designed fine pieces of stunning jewellery. I had the chance recently to interview Patrick Baruel, the co-founder and CEO of Jaubalet, a Fine Jewellery house located in one of the most prestigious address in the world, Place Vendome, in Central Paris.
Patrick started the company in 2008, with a vision to produce and sell fine jewellery directly from the internet, with no stock but only a showroom on Place Vendome. Patrick spent 15 years at Hermes before starting Jaubalet. The Maison starting at the peak of the financial crisis. It took several years for Patrick and his team of expert craftsmen to refine their business model.
Maison Jaubalet: the Fine Jewellery 3.0
In 2008 Patrick started by selling high end fine custom-designed jewellery to customers who were visiting the showroom Place Vendome. The e-commerce part of the business was pretty small. All changed in 2012, when the company made a strategic move with the decision to incorporate 3D Printing into the centuries old process of creating fine jewellery pieces. Patrick invested into a resin 3D Printer and offer his customers the possibility to receive a resin version of the custom-designed jewellery for validation before purchase.
With the 3D Printer, Maison Jaubalet streamlined its process to produce unique custom-designed fine jewelleries. First the customer send a sketch or a description of this dreamed jewellery. Jaubalet team of craftsmen will get back to the customer with some possible drawings. When the design has been agreed, Patrick’s team will produce a 3D design of the jewellery, 3D Print a resin version of it and post-process it before shipping it to the customer, who will have the possibility to try the unique piece before the expert craftsmen at Maison Jaubalet will start making the final jewellery. With the combination of an efficient e-commerce platform, 3D Printing capabilities and high quality craftsmanship, Maison Jaubalet is becoming an emblem of “Traditions meeting Technology”, demonstrating how a centuries old industry can project itself into the XXI Century. Patrick likes to see his Maison as the World’s first Fine Jewellery 3.0.
A growing business
The unique business proposition helped growing the company. Since 2012 revenue has steadily increased, leading Patrick to dedicate 100% of his time to manage the company, after he left definitely Hermes in 2014. Successful gentlemen in their mid 30s now constitute the majority of the customers. They appreciate the comfort of the e-commerce platform and the pleasure to be able to purchase unique custom-designed fine jewellery matching perfectly their taste. They feel in total control with the possibility to have the piece tried by their partner before they purchase it. When Patrick started the business nearly 10 years ago, over 80% of the revenue were coming from the sales of very high end jewellery pieces sold in a traditional way involving visits to the show-room or to the customer’s place. Now over 80% of the revenues come from Internet. With an average basket size of nearly $5,000, Maison Jaubalet is establishing itself as one of the largest fine jewellery e-commerce company in the world. The success is certainly due to its ability to combine the great tradition of jewellery making with 3D Printing and the power of e-commerce.
