An Interview with Peter Indorf
Peter Indorf Designs is a well-known jewelry design studio with strong client relationships across North America. Peter Indorf, the studio owner, offers an exceptional custom design experience regardless of where his clients are. He’s able to offer these exceptional services because of a CAD software that’s been integral to his success: CounterSketch®.
We had the pleasure of interviewing him to discover how he started, how he uses CounterSketch, and how he connects with customers. Read on to learn more about Peter and his nearly five decades spent in the jewelry industry.
What experience do you have in the jewelry trade? I started making jewelry in 1972. My first workshop was in the back of a panel truck in California! Later on, for a few years, I was the resident jeweler for a retail craft shop in New Haven, Connecticut. Then I opened my own small shop in 1975, where we made most of what we sold and did custom work and repairs. Three years later, I expanded into a new larger shop as a fine jewelry retailer.
In the mid-1980s, I got my first computer and started learning desktop publishing. I did all the advertising and marketing work. In the early 1990s, I relocated to a new retail shop in a prime location in New Haven across from Yale University. My brother and I bought Matrix and went to Stuller to learn it. He did it every day and got good at it, but I let my Matrix skills slide due to expansion of our business. We were very busy with custom work.
In 2013, I bought and started using CounterSketch. However, because my brother was proficient in Matrix, I didn’t use it much. We got a second license of CounterSketch for the other shop, and I continued to work at it.
Things changed drastically later on. I closed all the shops over a few years. I relocated to Florida in 2015, where I re-established myself as a private jeweler with a national following. I began using CounterSketch intensively and made it a goal to master it. Now, instead of a store, I have an office suite with a conference room/display, a workshop, and a separate office/gem lab. I use technology extensively, and it means I can work almost anywhere there is Wi-Fi.
Do you have any industry training or education? I studied jewelry design at GIA in Santa Monica. Later on, I got my Graduate Gemologist title as well as AGS accreditation as a Certified Gemologist Appraiser.
Can you tell us about your business? My private jewelry operation is simple: I have a fraction of the inventory I used to carry, no employees, and low overhead. This means I can provide outstanding personal service and high-quality jewelry designs at prices that are much lower than what I had to charge when I had stores. I see clients by appointment only so that there are no distractions.
Our product offerings are what I can make by hand in my shop, through Stuller, or through another trade shop. We offer custom engagement rings, wedding bands, gemstone re-setting, some repair and restoration, appraisals, and brokerage of jewelry.
How do you interact with clients in your studio? My space is designed to let clients know that I am a real jeweler. My conference/display space has a wall of designs and has my professional credentials along with my library of books on gems and jewelry.
I typically give a tour of the workshop and gem lab. I bring clients into my workspaces and let them watch what I’m doing. I love the look on their faces when I clean their diamond in front of them and they see it shine again.
How has CounterSketch positively contributed to your business?
•Ease of use
•Quick quoting
•Amazing renders
How does CounterSketch help you in your daily designing process? CounterSketch offers a quick way to flesh out designs even if I am not going to create the physical piece. When I render, I save the files to a folder on my PC desktop. When I’m done, I use Evernote to organize my renders by name. Evernote syncs with all my devices very fast. So now I have all my renders on my Mac and phone ready to send to clients for approval.
Having CounterSketch by your side, which are the advantages you have in the competitive landscape? Being a bench jeweler has advantages in CAD. You understand how to build designs. With CounterSketch, the vast library of designs and parts enable you to make almost anything, and the Stuller validators ensure your design will come out right.
How smooth was the learning curve? I found CounterSketch to be fun to use. I kept working at it and finally mastered it. I always attend the webinars that Heather Kutzman, Gemvision’s training and technical support director, offers each month, and I do the lessons.
See CounterSketch in Action If you would like to discover how CounterSketch helps jewelers connect with customers located in-store or remotely, see it in action during one of our free monthly webinars. Our master instructor will demonstrate how the software works, provide tips and tricks, answer your questions, and more.
And as always, if you need help with a tool or want to know which is best for you, contact Stuller’s Tools Tech Team. Give them a call at 1-800-877-7777 option 1.
