The custom bling of UGA student Anil Dobani, now a celebrity jeweler, represents a journey into the world of hip-hop, innovation, and creativity.
Even at a young age, Dobani possessed an entrepreneurial spirit. In his teens, he worked for several jewelers in the Atlanta, GA area when social media was blowing up. Everybody was on Instagram, YouTube, or Facebook fronting their skills, and Dobani wanted some of that shine. He noticed as he was running social media pages for other jewelers, increasing their revenues and online presence, that jewelers started contacting him personally for advice. This was the birth of Anil the Jeweler.
Instead of sticking with just the social media side of the business, Dobani got into creating custom jewelry. Around this time, he decided to stop his social media work for other jewelers and focus on his career. As his designing skills grew, he started showing his pieces (watches, chains, grills, earrings, rings, and bracelets) on Instagram. Within 12 months, he had over 25,000 followers, and his jewelry caught the eye of celebrities like DK Metcalf, Richard Sherman, and Buddy Hield.
Custom Jeweler to the World
It wasn’t just Instagram that helped Dobani to become famous on the jewelry scene. Word-of-mouth made his name and custom bling famous throughout the NFL and NBA. But even with a star-studded clientele, he stands out from other jewelers because he makes his pieces affordable for everyone. “My goal,” says Dobani, “is to create timeless pieces for consumers that represent what is important to them.”
Follow Anil the Jeweler on Instagram at @anilthejeweler and @anildobani_.