Salman Bustan
Chairman & Managing Director Blomster Jewellery

The New Jeweller Bureau in this exclusive talks to Salman Bustan, Chairman & Managing Director, Blomster Jewellery about the initiation of the company and its evolution to become a leading supplier to large retailers in the Middle Eastern and Other International markets. Excerpts:

Tell us something about the initiation of your company and work?

I became the owner of a store when I was as young as 15 or 16 years old. Of course my father was with me along with my grandfather in Baghdad, Iraq. We had a small factory where we used to produce creative jewellery. I also contacted Jewellery designers from Baghdad University and various institutes who used to design for us. We designed some fabulous jewellery with the help of jewellery designers at that time.

How and when did your relocation to Denmark happen? Can you tell us your experiences in setting up business in a new country?

We moved to Denmark from Baghdad to the city of Viborg. and it was a big and important decision to move out of Baghdad. I am very happy regarding the relocation. I also had the opportunity to move to Sweden or Germany but I said no. Denmark is my home and I love Danish people. I was told by everyone that it would be very difficult to start a business in Denmark and they advised me not to start a business in the Danish jewellery industry because they believed I would be struggling. And also the Danish language was a big barrier for me. It was indeed a challenge to learn Danish and in a short span of 6 months to a year I learnt Danish and I also became proficient in legal terms, taxation and policies regarding conducting a business in Denmark . Everybody was surprised that within a span of one year I learnt the nuances of rules and regulations of Denmark. But it was not enough as I had to understand the business formats, so I worked with a goldsmith for a span of 6 months and then I started on my own. Here I learnt the Danish way of creating jewellery which was very high in quality. After 2 years in Denmark, I opened my first showroom.

What is your focus in the Middle Eastern market now that you have an established factory in Dubai to service the region?

My focus is to make unique jewellery, maybe a fusion of Middle Eastern and Danish Jewellery. One of the biggest retailers in the Middle East have chosen us to supply this particular jewellery which is a combination of the Middle East and Denmark. Back when I was in the design school in Baghdad many years ago I created a floral design that is still demanded. Our Middle Eastern retailer have asked us to supply them with this Floral design that dates back decades. Quality is very important for us. Sometimes I sit here alone in the factory even on a Friday as this factory is my second home. I take time out to create new designs and it feels so good to work alone, as I am normally at peace. My son, Rami is a creative person and inspires me a lot for when I am trying to put everything down on paper. He is the fifth generation goldsmith and he graduated from the Danish Goldsmiths School in Denmark. One of the biggest retailers in Scandinavia is also our customer as we supply to them in large quantities because of our high quality and design.

My efforts were duly supported by the people of Denmark and I am thankful to them for the success of my company. I also would like to thank Dubai for having supported and given me an opportunity to reach the international world of jewellery business.

Your take on Exhibitions and Shows. Also please opine on the Quality and ethical standards that your esteemed company follows.

We have participated in Exhibitions in Denmark. Our plan is to cover almost all the shows and exhibitions in the Middle Eastern region. One important thing that I want to share with you is about the ethical functioning of our company. We do not use children in any of our labour activities. Our branch is very sensitive regarding where the Gold and Diamonds come from. We only use those Diamonds that are Kimberley Certified. Our Gold supplier is very large and is one of the biggest registered with DMCC. We choose our suppliers. Regarding Diamonds I personally select and choose Diamonds before putting them in jewellery. Even in terms of Gold I personally check the quality and standardisation before putting a stamp on the jewellery. We have a rigorous quality control systems. Honesty is our policy as we feel Honesty is the best principle and our customers know about this and they in turn talk to many other customers about us and our quality products. We have a full line factory in Dubai where we use the latest technology like 3D Printing technology and CAD CAM designing for high quality manufacturing. We have our own team of in-house jewellery designers.

What are your plans for expanding your business? Also give us your opinion on the recently introduced Value Added Tax [VAT]?

If everything goes well we will be expanding our factory in Dubai itself. I chose Dubai because Dubai is safer and I am also happy about the 5% VAT as in Denmark we have to pay 25%.I also want to put up a retail showroom in Denmark only to sell Blomster Jewellery range. Now with VAT every business is accountable and is systemised especially while proving to customers or clients in Europe or elsewhere about the jewellery produce from Dubai. There is a large acceptance of Dubai made jewellery in the Middle Eastern and other International markets. Initially the systems might be little complicated, but with time everyone can understand the systems and file their tax returns effectively. I am also very happy with the current introduction of VAT which I feel will be very useful for the future of business in UAE.

Lastly tell us something about the significance of the name of the company?

BLOMSTER is the Danish term for flowers. When I was 8 years old, I had a dream of starting a factory and when the idea became a reality, I kept the name of the company as Blomster which was a dream come true for me. The LOGO also contains the letters B and R. B signifies Blomster and R signifies my son's first name, RAMI. We are a family of goldsmiths over 5 generations. With such a rich experience in jewellery making Blomster is today equipped to produce world's best Luxury jewellery. We also specialize on all other jewellery from silver diamond to 22kt. jewellery studded with gemstones. Rami runs successful workshop in Denmark which is very reputed all across Denmark and his created designs are very well appreciated for not only the design aspect but also the price point.