I started in my family’s jewelry business working Christmas and summers during college to learn the ropes. I always knew I wanted to become the 4th generation to lead Boudreaux’s Jewelers. In 2013, I came on full-time after playing NCAA baseball and graduating from Tulane University in New Orleans. After learning the basics of our business, I traveled to attend GIA for my G.G. in early 2014.
On a day to day basis, my father and I run our three retail locations from our original location in Metairie, just outside New Orleans. We have 21 employees including sales associates, accountants, inventory controllers, secretaries, and bench jewelers. I’m involved daily in client services and sales, employee training, marketing, finances, in-house design, CAD, diamond and gemstone sourcing, appraisals, and quality control for our in-house workshops. I’ve become the head designer for our Boudreaux’s Signature Collection and custom design work for our clients. I have really enjoyed the CAD and custom design work. It gives me a break from sales and numbers and lets me exercise parts of my creativity. The piece I’ve enjoyed working on the most was a custom ring that I just happened to create for my fiancé when I proposed last year.
Our store is different from any store in Louisiana because our clients can walk into any of our three locations and deal directly with a Boudreaux family member no matter what they need. It could be a battery replacement or a 10-carat diamond. They have the pleasure of knowing a Boudreaux is serving them. I don’t know of another store in Louisiana with multiple locations that have a full family presence in each.
In the past few years, technology has vastly impacted our business. We have CAD, 3D Printers, advanced inventory systems, and POS software. When I joined the business, my first goal was to introduce cutting edge inventory and POS system. Such technology helps to sure up our inventory and better serve our clients. In the shop, we’re utilizing Matrix and the use of a state of the art 3D printer to help us make each and every design as exact as it needs to be.
Because we’re not far from Stuller, we’ve used them for findings since they first opened. As Stuller has grown to become what it is today, we rely on them for so much more like workshops and education as well.
We participate in Mardi Gras by making medallions for a few local Krewes to present to the Kings and Queens of their organizations each year. It has become a tradition to work with the groups each year. We even keep all their molds on file so we’re able to create the same piece year to year.
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For more about Fat Tuesday and why Louisianans celebrate, read Why We Mardi Gras here.
