Caratwise Appoints David Berdugo as CEO of New Jewelry Platform

David Berdugo spent more than a decade at Signet helping build the digital-first engine that reshaped how Americans buy engagement rings online. Now he's running a platform designed to give the independents that engine displaced a way to compete.

Caratwise, a newly launched custom jewelry platform owned by Indian diamond giant Hari Krishna, named Berdugo its CEO this week. His most recent role at Signet was chief operating officer of Blue Nile and James Allen, two of the most recognized names in online bridal retail. The arc is pointed: the executive who helped scale the platforms that pressured independent jewelers is now leading infrastructure built specifically to strengthen them.

The platform is built around a single, practical problem. When a customer walks into an independent jewelry store with a screenshot from Brilliant Earth or Grown Brilliance and asks "Can you design this?", the jeweler typically has to make calls, wait on quotes, and follow up days later. Caratwise is designed to collapse that timeline. The software allows jewelers to configure a custom engagement ring, set a price reflecting live metal costs, diamond selection, and production variables, and confirm a delivery date, all within the same store visit. The company calls this a "same-day yes."

"Independent jewelers don't need another tool," Berdugo said. "They need certainty. Caratwise gives them control over pricing, production, and delivery in one seamless workflow. When a jeweler can confirm a custom order with confidence at the counter, it transforms the sales experience."

The platform also extends into the pre-visit moment. Berdugo noted that Caratwise lets customers design directly from a jeweler's website, giving independent stores access to the kind of configurator experience that has long been the advantage of larger online retailers. "This lets customers do it from the jeweler's website," he said, "and gives jewelers access to size and choice like never before."

Caratwise says the platform was developed in collaboration with experienced retailers and manufacturing partners, with the stated goal of having technology enhance rather than replace the jeweler's expertise. The company positions it as a tool for tackling margin pressures, supply volatility, and rising demand for custom work, three pressures that have squeezed independents throughout the past several years.

The launch is currently in a selective phase: Caratwise is onboarding independent retailers across the United States, with broader expansion planned for later in 2026. The platform is focused on bridal design for now, with plans to extend its offerings over time. Caratwise is also set to exhibit at the JCK trade show, where its rollout will reach a wider industry audience.

What remains unconfirmed publicly is how many pilot retailers are currently using the platform, which manufacturing partners are involved in fulfillment, and the specifics of how Hari Krishna's ownership shapes the supply chain behind that "same-day yes" promise. Those details will matter to independent jewelers evaluating whether Caratwise is infrastructure or marketing.