Maxim, what led you to create your own jewelry brand?
It so happened that I have been in the jewelry business for more than fifteen years. It all started with the fact that in Russia there was a certain circle of clients who needed certain services. They wanted to have a kind of confidant who could present them with high-quality jewelry, watches, and art objects. I began to provide these services, and very successfully. In the jewelry business, as in any other business related to the luxury market, marketing is of primary importance. That is, people who buy branded products with diamonds do not pay the main money for the size and cleanliness of the stones; they pay for the brand, for example, Tiffany, Cartier or Chopard. And, since I often dealt with large stones, I realized for myself one simple thing, that when a jewelry with a large stone lies on the window, it’s impossible at first glance to determine whose product it is - Tiffany or Cartier, Damiani or MaximiliaN . In all there are large stones of good quality, and the brand name is written inside the jewelry in small letters. Therefore, I thought, why not make my own jewelry, especially if it is possible to put stones of the highest quality in them. And now, as a former military man, I launched my own jewelry collection of bullets, with and without diamonds.
But this is more for brutal men, but what about the weaker sex?
Yes, this collection is more suitable for men and was created specifically for them. But, of course, we can talk about classic women's jewelry with large stones. Today, rich people want to get good quality for their money, but they are not ready to overpay only because the name of the famous brand is written on the box. So I started creating collections of classic jewelry. And if I put my collections on the table next to, say, Chopard, then it will be impossible to distinguish them. Because every classic collection has a classic design.
What about the stones? Large jewelry companies buy diamonds in large batches and of better quality, how do you manage it?
I purchase stones at the Antwerp and Israeli diamond exchanges and the largest jewelry exhibitions in Basel and Hong Kong, from the same suppliers as large international companies. In the jewelry world, everyone acquires stones in the same places. And I don’t think that I buy diamonds more expensive than, say, Graff or Harry Winston. And then marketing begins to work. Because the more you invest in advertising, the better they will recognize you, but consumers will pay more. And this is normal. After all, Vertu phones at their cost of one thousand dollars also sell for 10 thousand, which means that someone must pay the difference, and the buyer becomes that “someone”.
The MaximiliaN brand is a new brand registered in London three years ago. The MaximiliaN office is also located in London. I do all the creative work, being both a designer, and an investor, and everything else.
How many people work on MaximiliaN jewelry? 
Italian, French and Russian designers work with me together. It all starts with the fact that I go to exhibitions, buy stones, bring them to London, and then a product design is created for each specific stone. First we draw sketches, then we make master models that I correct and approve, and after that the product goes into production.
A little clarification, do you use only diamonds or colored gems in your jewelry too?
Basically, of course, I work with four gems: diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds. We also have an inexpensive collection in which we use semiprecious stones. After the approval of the master models, the production of our collections is carried out by special closed ateliers located in London, Geneva, Munich and Hong Kong. In the same studio, collections of large and well-known companies are produced. And when I come to the studio to see the craftsmen working on my collection, I see jewelry of great brands lying next to the table. Because you can not give away a stone, which in itself can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to anyone. If a layman makes a mistake when fixing a stone weighing five or six carats, and a crack forms in it, then a stone that previously cost several hundred thousand or a couple of million dollars completely loses its value. Therefore, the masters in a proven studio are responsible for their work. Stone fastening must be insured.
What is the marketing strategy for the MaximiliaN brand?
The brand strategy is as follows. I decided to open single-brand stores in ten financial capitals of the world - London, New York, Dubai, Moscow, Singapore, Hong Kong, of course, Tokyo, and other cities. Why were these cities chosen? By the principle of passing through them the most powerful financial traffic in the world. I deliberately did not choose Paris, Milan, Berlin, Rome, because it is very difficult to compete with those jewelry brands that more than 100 years ago settled on Place Vendome - the famous jewelry center of the world. Therefore, Beijing and Shanghai Mumbai will be added to my list of cities that I have already voiced, as I observe an incredible increase in interest in the luxury market in China and, in a word, this is a brand development strategy for the next five years.
In addition, I am now working on my own personal collection of watches. I plan to present their prototype at the Basel exhibition this year. I will not do mass production because I want to produce only high-end watches. You understand, at the exhibition in Basel, 3,500 watch companies are represented. Therefore, I want to do only 20 hours a year and only minute repeaters, which in the store will cost from 200 to 300 thousand dollars.
Maxim, before you open your own monoboutique, where can you see and purchase your jewelry, and subsequently watches?
This is a good question. As long as I don’t have my own boutiques, I, as a friend of all the “JetSeters” (from the English phrase Jet Set, which in this case means a narrow circle of wealthy travelers (flying on private jets or yachts to fashionable resorts) - approx. Ed.) , I will move with them from one country to another 5-6 times a year. I think I’ll have enough of such a life for another ten years. I am negotiating with well-known international retailers about the sale of my collections in the most fashionable places where JetSet travels around the world depending on the season. We are talking about such elite resorts as St. Maurice, St. Tropez, Monte Carlo, St. Martin, Barbados and so on. Since I have been in this business for a long time, I know almost all the retailers in these famous resorts, and they are happy to take my collections for the season.
A new brand is always harder than a large one, so retailers do not invest their money in the collection, they take it for consignment with a deferred payment.
What about Dubai? Where in the UAE can I buy MaximiliaN jewelry?
I have a company officially registered in Dubai. For the time being, we are making an appointment for interested buyers at our office, which is located in Dubai Gold & Diamod Park, and showcasing the existing collections. Many buyers from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan are well aware of our company and specially come to our office after arriving in Dubai. This system is widely used in America, that is, a person cannot just come from the street, only by appointment. You may ask, why in Dubai, and not in Moscow, for example? Because in Dubai it’s easy for me to breathe and easy to work. I do not pay crazy taxes, I have no problems importing and exporting expensive watches and jewelry. A sealed package from a jewelry factory just arrives at the company’s address, and I don’t need to shove something in my pockets or put everything on myself to be brought into the country, in violation of customs legislation. In Russia, I need to pay 22% customs duty plus 18 VAT, plus income tax and so on. All that I pay in Dubai is a 5% import duty, and believe me, if you compare it with the entire tax, duty and duties in Russia, then I pay this Dubai duty and 4% municipal tax with great pleasure. I am currently negotiating with two major distributors of jewelry and watches in Dubai - the BinHendi Group and Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons - to sell their collections in their company stores. Which of them will offer the best conditions, I will work with that.
Does the current financial situation in the world not seem to scare you?
Objectively speaking, the global financial crisis has changed everything, but despite the current recession (remember at least the situation in Russia in 1998), I think that in a couple of years everything will begin to recover and grow rapidly again. Therefore, by the year 2010-2011, the decline in global economic growth should end, which allows us to hope for the best.
Thanks for the conversation, Maxim. We wish you creative success and look forward to your new collections.
