From 5 Rings to Filigree Jewelers: Catherine Thies on AI, Antique Jewelry & Growth

What does it take to build a modern jewelry business around pieces that can be more than 100 years old?

Catherine Thies, co-owner of Filigree Jewelers in Minneapolis, joins Anthony Haddad on Bling Talks to share the story behind the business, the systems that helped it grow, and how technology is changing the way an independent jeweler operates.

Catherine started with just five rings.

She listed jewelry on Craigslist, met customers at coffee shops, reinvested into inventory, moved into an office, transitioned into an appointment-based showroom, and continued building what would eventually become Filigree Jewelers.

Today, Filigree specializes in antique and estate jewelry while also offering vintage, custom, modern, and in-house designs. Catherine and her team work with unique gemstones, old European cuts, colored sapphires, vintage stones, and repurposed materials while combining traditional jewelry expertise with modern business technology.

In this episode, Catherine and Anthony get into the real operational side of running a growing independent jewelry store.

They discuss why systems become essential as a jewelry business scales, how Filigree tracks repairs and inventory, why Shopify became part of the operation, and how technology gives employees more visibility and ownership.

Catherine also shares how Filigree uses Gem Lightbox for jewelry photography, Claude and AI for product content and marketing, analytics to understand what customers are actually buying, and digital tools to make better marketing decisions.

But technology is only part of the conversation.

Catherine explains why hiring the right people, paying employees well, building a collaborative culture, delegating work, and understanding your own weaknesses as an owner can be just as important as any piece of software.

And as AI becomes more powerful, Catherine makes one thing clear: jewelry is still deeply personal.

Technology can improve the systems behind the business, but customers still want to feel heard, understood, and cared for.