Caratwise today announced the official launch of its intelligent custom jewelry platform and the appointment of David Berdugo as Chief Executive Officer.

David Berdugo joins Caratwise after a decade-long tenure at Signet, ultimately as Chief Operating Officer of Blue Nile and James Allen. During his time there, he helped lead the digital-first brands that reshaped online bridal and intensified competitive pressure on independent retailers. His appointment signals a strategic shift: the executive who helped scale the platforms that challenged independents is now leading infrastructure built specifically to strengthen them.

Built exclusively for independent jewelers, Caratwise connects design, real-time pricing, manufacturing, and delivery into one unified experience. The platform enables jewelers to design freely, price instantly, and deliver confidently, all within the same customer conversation, quoting price and delivery before they leave the store.

Independent jewelers are navigating margin compression, supply volatility, and growing consumer expectations for personalization and speed. Caratwise was designed to address these challenges directly by delivering accurate pricing, transparent design visualization, and confirmed fulfillment timelines in a single workflow, providing a "Same-Day Yes."

Unlike standalone ring builders or marketplaces, Caratwise integrates product configuration, automated pricing logic and coordinated vertically integrated manufacturing through its own operational engine. The result is a decision-ready custom process that allows jewelers to configure, price, and confirm a design during the same customer conversation.

“Independent jewelers don’t need another tool,” said Berdugo. “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 has been developed in collaboration with experienced retailers and manufacturing partners to ensure that technology enhances, rather than replaces, the jeweler’s expertise. Real-time pricing adjustments reflect metal costs, diamond selection, and production variables, removing guesswork from the custom process.

Caratwise is currently onboarding select independent retailers across the United States and will be exhibiting at JCK, with broader expansion planned for later in 2026.