[Case Study] How She Got Her 5-Star Long Chain Mangalsutra in Six Weeks?

Today I’m going to share with you how one busy professional got herself a 5-star modern, custom mangalsutra in just 8 weeks!

She had a vision for a stylish and chic mangalsutra. But she had –

• No prior experience going through a custom mangalsutra design process
• Zero experience shopping Indian diamond jewelry online
• Lack of desire to wear her traditional mangalsutra on a daily basis

As a nationally recognized, award-winning registered dietitian and a professional health and wellness coach, she is a busy woman.

In addition, she is the mother of two children with whom she loves spending all her time free time with.
This super-woman is none other than Ashvini Mashru.

Step 1: Initial inquiry about custom mangalsutra

Through a simple search on Google, Ashvini discovered an interesting collection of latest diamond mangalsutra designs.

She quickly reached out to Sampat Jewellers and dropped a note below in the contact form.

“What type of piece would want to be designed for modern everyday wear chain 32″ tassel mangalsutra.

I don’t like the traditional Indian gold color. Lighter gold color (I like the color of Stella and Dot jewelry gold) works or white gold also works.

I want something that I can wear with my western clothes every day.

Can you help?”

She also attached a couple of designs to give share her designer mangalsutra vision.

I was more than delighted to work with her as I love designing mangalsutras.

Step 2: Follow-up call to discuss custom mangalsutra design process

Next, Ashvini called to discuss the design process and costs.

Her vision was to have a beautiful tassel mangalsutra with a 36-inch gold chain. She wanted an antique gold finish look (not the shiny Indian gold).

Like many of our clients, Ashvini was on a budget and did not want to break the bank. She was flexible about the gold quality and didn’t mind a 14K gold chain.

I shared with Ashvini my recommendation for 22K mangalsutra gold chain.

18K gold and 22K gold is much softer and pure than a 14K gold. Therefore, mangalsutra chains made with higher quality gold can bend more easily and have greater flexibility. On the other hand, a 14K mangalsutra gold chain can snap easily.

She acknowledges the quality difference.

Finally, I shared with Ashvini our no-risk 14-day return policy, which even applied to her custom mangalsutra.

So in the event, Ashvini didn’t like her custom tassel mangalsutra, we would gladly accept the return (with a smile) and issue a full refund.

Our call ended with my commitment to provide Ashvini with 3-6 custom designs that suited her style and personality.

Step 3: Establishing trust prior to making an Indian diamond jewelry purchase online

After a lively conversation, Ashvini had a follow-up question.

“Before I make my decision do you have any clients who will be willing to speak with me about their experience with you and your company.

I never order my jewelry online and in the past have always bought it from people who I know well and have met in person.

This is my first time reaching out to someone (you) who I found online. Therefore, I hope you understand why I am requesting this.”

Of course, I understood Ashvini and felt her concerns were valid.

However, I couldn’t connect Ashvini with our previous clients for two reasons:

1. I did not want to cherry-pick my favorite client and have her speak with Ashvini. This would give Ashvini a biased opinion about our service, craftsmanship, and jewelry.
2. I did not have permission from my clients to provide their contact information to Ashvini.

Instead, I asked Ashvini to take a look at our 5-star reviews on Google and Yelp and requested that she read what others had to say about Sampat Jewellers.

Although Ashvini acknowledged that the reviews on Google and Yelp were great, it wasn’t enough for her. She wanted to speak with our one previous clients and asked me to get the client’s permission.

Getting the client’s permission would address part of my concern, but I still didn’t feel comfortable cherry-picking a client to act as a reference.  

Instead, I suggested that Ashvini reaches out directly to any client of her choice, through Yelp!

She accepted this suggestion.

The amazing thing about Yelp is that anyone can message the reviewer asking follow-up questions or clarification on the published reviews.

I also had my designer create this cool little image on how to reach out to the Yelpers.

Step 4: Custom mangalsutra design process begins

The very next day I met with Ashvini on a Skype call.

She was super-excited to begin the design process for our custom mangalsutra.

Then she sent me this email shortly after our video call.

“Thank you so much for making me feel comfortable with this process. I paid the invoice. I will look out for your designs”

To get the process started, Ashvini shared with a Pinterest pin of a tassel jewelry piece (below) she loved to wear on a regular basis.

Within a week, I shared with Ashvini the first draft with Seven design options to pick from.

Step 5: Finalizing the tassel diamond and gold mangalsutra design

She loved option 4 and had some excellent follow-up questions.

1. How will these balls (see below photo) look with my option 4?
2. What about using a different chain? I don’t want the bright yellow gold finish (the India gold color). How about matte gold? or another gold finish?
3. That reef knot in option 4 won’t come off during everyday wear? Will it be secure knot?

So after further refinement of the design, we finalized the design below.

This final design boasted a 36-inch gold chain made with solid 22K gold, a secure reef knot.

The tail end of the mangalsutra design had the signature mangalsutra black beads and one-of-a-kind gold and real diamond balls.

The matte gold finish gave the mangalsutra design a classy look.  

Step 6: Placing the order for her dream mangalsutra

After finalizing the mangalsutra design, Ashvini paid the 50% deposit to confirm her order.

We promised to get her dream piece ready in 3-4 weeks.

Step 7: From design to execution – handcrafting a tassel mangalsutra

When we take on a new custom jewelry project, we start by sourcing the finest quality diamonds.

Each and every diamond needs to meet our minimum standards with G/H color, VS clarity, and excellent cut. The diamonds must also have a full cut, meaning each diamond has 56-57 facets for maximum sparkle.

While the high-quality gems were being handpicked, our artisans were busy working on melting and molding 22K gold into a long gold chain.

A permanent gold reef knot was soldered. The gold chain was then mended with the black mangalsutra beads.

Finally, the handmade gold and diamond balls were secured at the tip of the golden mangalsutra chain.

The tassel mangalsutra was now almost ready. We shared the “sneak peek” process photo (below) with Ashvini.

She loved it!

The ready piece was sent off for a polishing before making it’s way to the United States.

The entire piece was handmade at the Sampat Jewellers studio in Mumbai, India.

Given the uniqueness of this tassel mangalsutra, four different artisans led this project, each contributing to a portion of the final mangalsutra piece.

Step 8: Shipping her modern mangalsutra

The modern mangalsutra was shipped from our studio in Mumbai and it’s journey to Ashvini’s residence had begun.

A  beautifully packaged mangalsutra was shipped through insured, priority mail. Since a signature confirmation was required, Ashvini wasn’t worried about the being lost in transit.

In no time, Ashvini would be flaunting her tassel mangalsutra.

Step 9: Experiencing immense joy and excitement

Ashvini couldn’t be happier with her mangalsutra design and final outcome. It was exactly what she’d hoped for.

She sends me this beautiful photo of her wearing the newest tassel mangalsutra.

Ashvini is now enjoying her piece, showing it off to her friends and family. She plans to wear it regularly during her travels to different cities.

Her testimonial (below) really made my day, if not year!  It was a blast working with Ashvini.

“I found Sampat Jewellers through a google search I did. I was searching for modern mangalsutra Jewellers and found Jinal’s blog on google on modern mangalsutra. When I read it, I knew they were the ones who knew what I wanted.

After I talked to Jinal on Skype and phone calls I knew it was a right fit for my needs. Jinal made the process extremely easy and stress-free.

The end product is a beautiful custom made modern mangalsutra that fits my needs and lifestyle. I love wearing it every day and show it off.

I would definitely go back to them for my future jewelry needs. Highly recommend.

Thank you Jinal”  

Well I hope you enjoyed this blog. Dont forget to download this free checklist that I have created that will help you choose a mangalsutra that you will actually wear and not store it in the bank safe.

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