Caratwise names Blue Nile alum Vicky Xu as COO to scale custom jewelry platform

The difference between a ring that feels personal and one that feels merely custom often comes down to speed: whether a jeweler can translate a customer’s idea into a quote, a 3D rendering, and a workable production plan before the moment passes. Caratwise moved to sharpen that chain on May 21, naming Vicky Xu, a former Blue Nile and JamesAllen.com executive, as chief operating officer.

Xu arrives with nearly a decade of supply-chain and fulfillment experience from two of the online bridal names that helped reset expectations for how quickly a custom piece can move from screen to box. At Caratwise, she will oversee operations, supply chain, and fulfillment strategy as the platform expands its custom design and pricing business for independent jewelry retailers in the United States.

That operational layer is the heart of Caratwise’s pitch. The company says it helps jewelers design freely, price instantly, and deliver confidently in one connected flow, and its software lets retailers digitally build and quote custom engagement rings while the customer is still in the store. The platform also generates realistic 3D images and updates changes in real time, a useful advantage when a client is deciding between a slimmer prong setting, a different center stone, or a new engraving and wants to see the effect before leaving the counter.

The hire also gives Caratwise another executive with direct experience from the online bridal segment that once pressured independents to match bigger players’ speed and polish. Caratwise launched publicly in March 2026 and earlier named David Berdugo, formerly chief operating officer of Blue Nile and James Allen at Signet Jewelers, as chief executive. Together, Berdugo and Xu give the company a management bench rooted in the very category it is trying to serve, while Caratwise builds a vertically integrated model that runs from the sales floor to the manufacturer.

For the customer, that should translate into fewer dead ends when the order is time-sensitive. A same-day yes on a custom bridal sale is one thing; a same-day yes that is backed by cleaner fulfillment, tighter supply-chain control, and more reliable production handoff is another. If Caratwise can make that promise hold for holiday gifts, engraved pieces, and last-minute milestone orders, the value of this hire will be measured not in executive titles, but in pieces that arrive when the moment still matters.