June 19, 2017

Meet Robert Bagdasarian of K.B. Jewelers in Bedford

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Bagdasarian.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My father has been in the jewelry business for over 35 years now. Before working independently as owner of K.B Jewelers, he spent his career as an independent contractor working on repairs and creating custom designs for major jewelry retail stores, such as Zales, Kay Jewelers, and Beldins Jewelers. I started accompanying my father to work every Saturday when I was just 10 years old. We would go from one mall to the other and I’d watch him for hours working on all kinds of jewelry projects. These 5 or 6 years of side-by-side learning really set the foundation for my knowledge as a jeweler today. In the year 2000, my father decided to open his own jewelry shop, and I continued to work with him until my early 20’s. However, jewelry was the only thing I ever knew, and at the time, I wasn’t really sure if it was the right career for me. I started exploring other career options to see if, perhaps, I had passions in other trades. It didn’t take long before I realized that being a jeweler was indeed what I wanted to do and where my passion lied. Each project, be it a repair, watch cleaning, bringing to life a customer’s specific idea of a jewelry design, is different in it’s own way and presents a fun challenge that allows me to be creative in my job everyday. It’s truly what I love to do…and you gotta love what you do!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Other than the normal ups and downs one goes through while learning any trade, for most part I would say yes, it’s been a smooth road. My biggest challenge has been dealing with Crohn’s Disease, because of which I have been hospitalized twice and lost time from work. Luckily, I follow an amazing naturopathic doctor and have been symptom-free for years now, and am feeling better than ever!

K.B. Jewelers – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We specialize in jewelry and watch repair, custom designs, and engagement rings. One of the things that set us apart from other jewelry stores is that we also like to use gemstones and minerals from all over the world. There’s so much people haven’t seen, and this makes for some beautiful and unseen hand-made pieces! In fact, most of the jewelry at K.B. Jewelers is handmade by me and my dad. Another big and very important factor that sets us apart from most jewelers is that everything we do is done in-house. Nothing leaves our shop! I think this is big reason we have become a staple in our town and have built trusting relationships with our customers. I’m very proud of that fact that we have been around for almost two decades now, and our business runs on 35+ years of experience. I’m most proud that I’m able to continue a business that was passed down to my father from his father, and I hope to continue the family business for generations to come.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
One of the most important things in jewelry repair is knowing how to use the torch properly. I’ve practiced melting multiple sample pieces to get accustomed to using the right amount of fire and pressure for each job. By far, I would say the proudest moment for me was when I finally learned how to use the torch!

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