Friday, March 29, 2024 | Ramadan 18, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Getting engaged with the ring business

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BY RUQAYA AL KINDI


MUSCAT: It is quite unusual to find someone who is extremely passionate about rings and gemstones; the kind of passion that forces someone to travel in search of the finest types of gemstones and investing on gadgets and devices that detect the original from the fake ones. For Gaith al Saifi, it all started with a couple of rings.


Gaith started with the ring business when he found himself allured with the couple of rings he has. He kept staring at them mesmerized by the complexity and the beauty of the carved gemstones at the same time wondering how they get their unique shine, colour and sparkle.


His initial infatuation with the beauty of rings prompted him to sell them online. Through WhatsApp, he started selling the rings and by the weeks, noticed that the demands increased.


Ghaith is only 26 years old and quite ambitious but he has never imagined he would take the path of entrepreneurship. From his early beginnings of transacting business via social media, his patrons would form the base of his current business endeavour, the “Al Saifi Rings” — a store that attracts many visitors daily. The hundreds of displayed silver rings and gemstones in his store had become unmatchable.


“I started working in a silver and gemstone store in 2013 to learn the secrets of the profession as much as possible,” he said. He then expanded his knowledge getting more engaged in the world of crafting and detailing rings.


As his knowledge grew, he also started to buy and acquire a large number of gemstones and this would spur the full business.


“To be real, in the beginning, I never thought of it as a trade. I developed it as a hobby. My elder brother, Mukhtar, who was always the wiser one, pushed me to use my Instagram account to advertise what I have in my collection. Mukhtar kindled the spark and I responded,” he said.


“Alsaifi_rings” store was opened in July 2019 and currently houses more than 1,800 men rings, with various gemstones of agate, sapphire, opal, emerald, zircon, turquoise ... etc,” he shared.


Ghaith always makes sure that the quality of the product he provides is perfect. “The best way to know the quality is through a laboratory examination. There are two local laboratories in Muscat for testing the stones,” he said.


“I was able to form reliable relationships with jewellers and suppliers around the world (Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Australia, Yemen, Turkey) to provide stones through social media platforms. These platforms help me in forming relationships, but gaining trust comes with experience. I have experienced many fraud attempts, but every experience carries a lesson,” he said.


Every profession involves challenges, and Ghaith’s path was not a paved one. “My biggest challenge from the beginning was capital. Jewellery, in general, is very expensive and providing the rare ones is difficult. Working in such a challenging field will certainly require wide feasibility study and continuous efforts to keep in track,” he pointed out.


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