Sacha Griguer of Magal Jewelry Group: The Digital-First Principle That Drives Affordable Luxury and Ethical Sourcing

As a part of our series about business leaders who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sacha Griguer, co-founder and CEO of Magal Group (The Sparklane, Magal and The Adorned Jewelry), the digital-first jewelry company. Sacha is deeply involved in developing the physical and digital experiences that spark conversation and foster connection for their customers.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

I started my career in tech as a user experience and interface designer. I’ve moved from France to New York City to get my MBA where I met my wife Galith, who comes from a family of diamond dealers and has a degree from the Gemological Institute of America. Galith’s knowledge of jewelry merged perfectly with my tech and business background and we started our jewelry business.

Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?

Our first brand, Magal Jewelry, started with the idea that diamonds should be affordable and accessible, because every woman deserves a diamond. That’s how we created our best selling product- The String of Love, a customizable diamond bracelet. It’s currently the most affordable diamond on the market, and it’s also ethically sourced of course.

After Magal, we wanted to strengthen our connection with Gen-Z, who use jewelry to express themselves creatively. That’s how Sparklane was born, this brand offers a variety of pieces from delicate necklaces to dainty rings made with 18k gold plated sterling silver that the shopper can personalize.

It’s most important to us to be both affordable and high quality. All diamonds are Kimberly process approved and the materials are 100% ethically-sourced and sustainable.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I’m not sure it’s a mistake but it was definitely a lesson- seven months after we launched, we started working with an American PR company. They were also in charge of gifting influencers and an opportunity to work with Kylie Jenner came up when her girl was born. They told us about it 12 days before the deadline and we were in such a rush to meet it, we put all the effort we had at the time to make sure we sent her a perfect package. Eventually we shipped it on time and it arrived to her personal shopper broken. It was devastating for us but I’ve learned that at the end of the day, there’s really a slight chance of something like that actually happening and that we need to mostly count on ourselves to grow.

We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?

Emily Weiss, the founder of Glossier. They’re the first digital company, we really appreciate their model and how they interact with their customers.

Casper is a brand that really shaped and revolutionized e-commerce, by selling mattresses online and saving people around the world so much time and frustration.

Allbird is a brand that makes shoes that are 100% sustainable, I really like their style and also their approach to the environment.

In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?

Our goal was actually never to be disruptive- It was always to offer the best prices and experience for our customers by cutting the middle man. Only after achieving that we realized that being disruptive is actually working for us. Our message is don’t try to be disruptive, only do so if it aligns with the values of your brand. Being disruptive for us means evolving and adapting our business model and products to the current climate and fashion trends.

Can you share 3 of the best words of advice you’ve gotten along your journey? Please give a story or example for each.

Transparency: What you see it was you get. We never want the client to feel stuck when they’re visiting our website, we want them to have a perfect experience. Nowadays with all the different e-commerce companies around, we want to give the clients as much information as we can, so they’ll feel like they got exactly what they’ve ordered.

Customer Is King: I find that when I’m shopping online, I kind of miss the human contact. I believe with all my heart that when it comes to buying online, the customer needs to feel like he’s the center of attention from the moment they enter the website until they receive their unique piece of jewelry.

Quality First: We always want to make sure that we’re using the highest quality materials when we’re working with a factory. Quality is the secret of durability, for the piece and obviously for the customer.

We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?

We’re currently investigating the possibility of a home try-on program in the near future. In the long run, virtual try-on is something that we are really interested in. More than that, we’re always looking for ways to make our user’s experience more personalized.

Do you have a book, podcast, or talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us? Can you explain why it was so resonant with you?

I’ve recently listened to a book called Extreme Ownership, it’s about former navy seal soldiers consulting businesses. The main thing I took from that book is converting all thoughts, ideas and goals into tasks. Essentially, it’s all about asking yourself constantly when and how you can achieve all of them. This kind of thinking gives you structure which helped me organize my business and move forward fast with a lot of projects I was working on simultaneously.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

My favorite life lesson quote is “Be Confident”. It’s pretty simple, I know, but I think in this world we live everything changes so fast and we have to adapt fast- and it’s important to do so with confidence in yourself and in the product you’re offering.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I would love to find a way to identify young talents from emerging countries and make sure they get the recognition they deserve. Exactly a year ago I was volunteering in Kenya at a local school and I discovered a surprising number of talented young, aspiring designers there that I’m sure with the right connections could become bigger.

How can our readers follow you online?

You can follow our brands on social media, @thesparklane @magaljewelry @adorned_official and always feel free to send me an email personally at sacha@magaljewelry.com

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!

About the Interviewer: Jason Hartman is the Founder and CEO of JasonHartman.com, The Hartman Media Company and The Jason Hartman Foundation. Jason has been involved in several thousand real estate transactions and has owned income properties in 11 states and 17 cities. His company helps people achieve The American Dream of financial freedom by purchasing income property in prudent markets nationwide. Jason’s Complete Solution for Real Estate Investors™ is a comprehensive system providing real estate investors with education, research, resources and technology to deal with all areas of their income property investment needs. Through Jason’s podcasts, educational events, referrals, mentoring and software to track your investments, investors can easily locate, finance and purchase properties in these exceptional markets with confidence and peace of mind. Jason educates and assists investors in acquiring prudent investments nationwide for their portfolio. Jason’s highly sought after educational events, speaking engagements, and his ultra-hot “Creating Wealth Podcast” inspire and empower hundreds of thousands of people in 189 countries worldwide.