Karatz's thoughts
Karatz is
Our CEO, Koyama, was born and raised in a pawn shop that was founded 85 years ago.
Having had the opportunity to come into contact with many gemstones from a young age and always feeling close to them, it was only natural that Koyama wanted to work in a job related to gemstones when he grew up.
After gaining several years of work experience, Koyama obtained a gemologist license (GIA.GG) and began working in the jewelry industry. However, he says that he was often confused at first.
First, the knowledge I learned at school was not enough.
You may end up buying at a higher price than the market price and have trouble finding a buyer, or you may buy fake jewels at a high price and not get a dime for them...
Unfortunately, this world is full of people who try to make more money than necessary from jewels, and if you don't have the knowledge, you could end up losing out.
Furthermore, at that time in Japan, there were very few people who were knowledgeable about gemstones, how to view their value, or who were actively sharing information that would be useful when buying them, making the situation unfriendly to consumers.
In order to break this situation, the first thing that Koyama did when he founded KARATZ was to launch the gemstone information media "KARATZ Gem Magazine" and to disseminate accurate information about gemstones using social networking sites, mainly X (formerly Twitter).
At first, we focused on raising awareness and raising awareness of issues facing the jewelry industry, such as the existence of fake gems and how to identify them, and the distribution of gems that have been artificially treated in an unscrupulous manner. We also occasionally shared information about the amazing palm-sized BIG GEM we found at an international jewelry exhibition, and the beauty of rare colored diamonds. We continued to share a lot of information, both good and bad.
In addition to that, recently she has been actively posting on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram about the fascinating world of inclusions and the depth of bicolor gemstones, introducing the charm of gemstones beyond just their brilliance, and has received a lot of support.
Since opening "KARATZ STORE," an online store specializing in jewelry, the company has also been selling unique jewelry that it has sourced from all over the world, and in recent years has also been holding pop-up stores for limited periods, mainly in department stores in Tokyo.
She has also expanded her activities into other areas, including real-life activities such as giving lectures at industry seminars and hosting jewelry classes for children, as well as releasing a book titled "Gemstone Encyclopedia."
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
When I talk to many people directly through events,
I truly feel that you all love gemstones, that you want to be close to them, feel them, be soothed by them, and that you want to live a life surrounded by beautiful things.
At the same time, however, I also feel that compared to clothing, food, and miscellaneous goods, it is difficult to understand the value of jewelry, and many people are hesitant to pay a large amount of money without being clear about the details.
That is why, as jewelry professionals, Caratz believes it has a mission to continue to provide accurate information and products that everyone can purchase with confidence, so that everyone can enjoy jewelry easily.
"Jewelry can be enjoyed casually in everyday life."
To create a future where more people can feel this way.
We intend to continue making every effort in the future.