Caratwise names Vicky Xu COO to scale custom bridal tools

Caratwise is betting that the hardest part of custom bridal is not the design, but the handoff. By naming Vicky Xu chief operating officer, the custom jewelry platform added a former Blue Nile and James Allen executive to oversee operations, supply chain and fulfillment as it pushes its made-to-order tools deeper into independent retail.

Xu’s arrival gives Caratwise another operator who understands the machinery behind high-volume online jewelry sales, not just the front-end sales pitch. The company says its software is built for independent jewelers that want to design together in real time, price instantly as metal costs and diamond selection change, and embed the system as white-label technology on their own websites. Caratwise’s own language is blunt: it wants to help jewelers “design freely, price instantly, and deliver confidently,” and turn “maybe later” into a “same-day yes” for custom bridal.

That operational emphasis matters because the company is trying to solve a very specific problem in the bridal market. In March, Caratwise named David Berdugo, also a former COO of Blue Nile and James Allen, as chief executive. Berdugo said 85% of customers want personalization for bridal, but many independent jewelers do not have the money to build sophisticated custom-design technology. Big e-tailers may have the tech, he said, but local independents still have the trust of customers. Caratwise is trying to sit squarely in that gap.

The company describes itself as a custom jewelry design, pricing and order management platform for independent jewelry retailers. It says retailers can control production and pricing with metal costs and diamond selection adjusted in real time, a workflow that could reduce the back-and-forth that often slows custom engagement ring and wedding band orders. In a category where a single delay can send a buyer elsewhere, speed is becoming a brand promise, not just an operations detail.

Caratwise also said in March that it was owned by Indian diamond giant Hari Krishna, was working with a select group of jewelers and planned to expand later in 2026. With Xu and Berdugo now both in place, the company is assembling a leadership team shaped by the Blue Nile and James Allen playbook, one aimed at making custom bridal feel less like a special order and more like standard service.