Jean Dousset’s background is stacked with bona fides from venerable high jewelers. A great-great-grandson of Louis Cartier, Dousset began his career at the Place Vendôme in Paris, where he worked for jewelers Chaumet, Boucheron, and Van Cleef & Arpels.
He went off on his own in 2005—debuting a showroom in a new city, Los Angeles, that specializes in bespoke engagement rings. Now the designer and entrepreneur is hoping to bring his Parisian-inspired designs to a wider audience online.
Oui by Jean Dousset, a digital engagement ring and diamond jewelry platform that offers semi-custom options on engagement styles, debuted Monday as an offshoot of the Jean Dousset brand. Prices for engagement styles on Oui start at $2,700 (for comparison, Jean Dousset Diamonds rings start at $15,000).
“Our bespoke jewelry line’s average sale is $40,000,” Dousset tells JCK. “We have not previously been able to offer rings priced under $15,000, as bespoke typically starts a little above 1 carat [diamond weight].”
In contrast, Oui by Jean Dousset’s center stones start at 0.3 carats and go up to 1 carat. Dousset says, “We are deliberately offering a unilateral quality of diamonds (I/VS2) on all Oui jewelry, which we have defined as the optimal balance of size, quality, and value.”
The platform is similar to many other semi-custom engagement ring platforms, including Vrai, Blue Nile, and Brilliant Earth. But Dousset says Oui’s differentiator is the platform’s ease of use, which includes simplifying diamond selection—there’s no complicated spreadsheet from which to choose stones. “Consumers often experience finding the perfect engagement ring as a tedious shopping process, and Oui offers an ultra-curated approach—so you can simply enjoy the moment, without having to become a diamond expert.”
Options for customization include selecting your desired total carat weight, choosing from 18k gold or platinum, opting for a hidden Signature Stone (a tiny, just-for-you gem), and engraving. Every piece is made to order and handcrafted.
Engagement rings are offered in three styles: solitaire, halo, and three-stone, and all diamonds are offered at a unilateral I/ VS2 quality (so there’s no choosing quality from a spreadsheet). Emphasis has been placed on developing styles that “seamlessly enhance the visual size of the rings, to appear larger,” says Dousset. Consumers choose their diamond center stone size for engagement rings, up to 1 carat.
The sibling brands, bespoke Jean Dousset and accessible Oui by Jean Dousset, live side by side on the same website, jeandousset.com. But when you click on one or the other, you’re brought to that brand’s landing page.
Dousset says he already sells around 70% of his bespoke collection remotely, so Oui, an idea 10 years in the making, “felt like a natural step.”
He explains, “Fine made-to-order jewelry is not within reach under a certain price point. The concept of Oui is, how do we bring in everyone, without compromising on the pillars of what Jean Dousset stands for—heritage, diamond quality, and excellence in craftsmanship, branding, and service?”
Top: Oui by Jean Dousset stacking rings (all photos courtesy of Oui by Jean Dousset)
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