Peter Sakaris knows a lot about ice cream.
Not only has the former hockey player skated for years, Sakaris also uses precious ice – such as diamonds – to create rings, necklaces and other custom jewelry for his recently opened online jewelry store in Naples.
“I played hockey professionally. I’ve played my whole life,” Sakaris said. “But growing up, my family owned jewelry stores in Montreal and I grew up in the industry.”
His father has been running a traditional jewelry store in Montreal with his mother, a gemologist, for nearly 50 years.
“I grew up in this business,” Sakaris said. “I always knew I wanted to play hockey and play it as long as I could, but you can’t play forever. When the time came, I knew I would take over the family business.”
A native of Canada, Sakaris played hockey in junior and professional leagues, including seasons in the ECHL with teams such as the Evansville Icemen and Wichita Thunder. The talented winger retired in 2018 and followed in his parents’ footsteps and entered the jewelry business.
Sakaris, now founder and CEO of Sakaris Jewelers in Naples, was initially able to grow his jewelry business through word of mouth by having personal contacts who knew of his connections to the jewelry business.
“When I retired at 26, I retired from the game and everyone was calling me and asking me about engagement rings and other jewelry, so I decided to go full-time into it,” he said. “I ran my business pretty much the same way I do now. It was teammates, former teammates, friends, players I’ve played with all over the world. I had people from Russia, Germany, Sweden, all over the U.S., all over Canada calling me and asking about jewelry, so I just worked from home, making jewelry and shipping it all over the world. Then I met my fiancée and moved here to Naples, and now I’ve started my own business here, and it’s kind of just growing from what I had started in Montreal.”
Forgoing a brick-and-mortar store has proven to be a cost-effective alternative for the new company. “It lowers overhead costs and at the end of the day, it’s the customer who saves, so it’s a win-win for everyone,” Sakaris said.
What makes Sakaris Jewelers obviously different is that the custom-made business is operated exclusively online at SakarisJewelers.com. While buying jewelry online might make you think you have to choose from mass-produced items, Sakaris sells bespoke creations.
“This is unique in the industry,” said Sakaris.
His business model was born during the pandemic, when social distancing was the norm. “I saw everyone working from home, and I said to myself, no one really does that in the jewelry industry, but I could do it,” Sakaris said. “It’s been a fun process, and it’s really easy to work with my clients from anywhere once I have an idea of what they want. In today’s world, you can ship anywhere.”
Operating online allows customers to browse, design and order items from home, with no geographical restrictions. This means Sakaris meets local customers in person, as well as customers in far-flung areas.
“For me, it was always a remote place and I always worked with clients everywhere. Now that I’m here in Naples, the word is slowly getting around and I’m getting more and more clients,” he said.
Customers can customize designs to suit their budget and choose materials and designs that meet their financial needs from $5,000 to over $100,000 without compromising on quality.
“I work directly with my clients and create exactly what they want,” he said. “We also offer some pieces on our website that I’ve created myself that are simple pieces, but we really offer anything you can imagine.”
Lately, Sakaris has been designing many unique earrings and engagement rings. He handles the concept, design and materials for the pieces and then sends them to artisans who bring the pieces to life.
“I work on complete sets that consist of a necklace, bracelet and earrings. I work on custom pendants for people,” he said. “Since I started, my custom work has mainly been engagement rings, eternity rings and just wedding jewelry.”
Sakaris has first-hand knowledge of engagement rings. His fiancée, Daria Abbaei, supports him in his new business, even though she has a full-time job at a local venture capital firm.
“She has a ton of knowledge about the business side of things,” Sakaris said. “I know the jewelry business inside and out and she knows the business inside and out, so she really helps me with anything I need.”
This story was published in The Naples Press on August 23.
