DAVID UNICH
Wholesale SalesYou've been on both sides, retail buying and brand sales. How does that dual perspective benefit your clients?
When you've stood behind the counter at Dover Street Market and Barneys, you know exactly what a buyer is thinking before they say a word. I'm not guessing what retail wants. I've lived it. That means I can prepare a brand for the real conversation, not the one they imagine happening.
What does closing a sale in fine jewelry actually look like, and how do you prepare brands for that conversation?
It's rarely a single dramatic yes. It's a buyer picking up a piece, asking about price points, delivery, exclusivity, and how it fits their existing edit. I prepare brands by making sure every answer is ready before the question is asked because hesitation in that moment reads as risk, and buyers don't take risks on hesitation.
Why is face-to-face still so critical in luxury jewelry, even in the digital age?
Jewelry is tactile. Weight, finish, how it catches light, how it sits on the hand—none of that translates through a screen. I've built my whole career on showing up in person, whether that's a showroom in Paris or a trunk show on a shop floor in the US, because that's where trust actually gets built.
What's the moment you knew a brand was truly ready for the North American market?
When they stop asking me to explain their story and start asking me what buyers need from them. That shift from "here's what we make" to "here's what the market wants" is the real signal. It usually happens after their first serious showroom, once the feedback starts coming in fast.
What does a room full of the right buyers feel like, and how do you get there?
It's energy you can feel the second the doors open, buyers who already know your name walking straight to the table instead of wandering the floor. You get there through years of relationships, not one good season. Rooms like NouvelleBox and Couture Las Vegas didn't build that trust overnight, and neither did I.
What separates a brand that gets a second meeting from one that doesn't?
Follow-through. The first meeting is about the product. The second is about whether the brand did what they said they'd do. Samples on time, pricing that didn't move, communication that didn't go quiet. Buyers remember who made their job easier.
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