Featured Story: A Prolific Jeweler

Success has a way of finding Akshay Andy Anand, CEO of Karats, a luxury jewelry retail business in Overland Park, Kansas. In addition to growing his family-owned company by leaps and bounds over the past two years, Andy has been recognized as an industry leader and as a savvy businessman.  He has had several challenges in his business, but he has been able to overcome them with a combination of smart practices and traditional family values.

In 2016, Andy Anand and Karats were recognized by The Knot, an internationally-known online website that is billed as the world’s “personal wedding planner”. Karats Jewelers was voted by the website and its users as the number one engagement ring store and the Best of Weddings in the greater Kansas City area.  This marks the third year in a row for that recognition; Karats also won in 2014 and 2015.  The Knot uses a careful evaluation system that includes business practices, selection, pricing, and customer service aspects.  Andy’s company excels in providing its customers an unparalleled retail experience, and the continued recognition from The Knot demonstrates Karats’ commitment to its many customers.

Industry partners have also showered Andy’s company with accolades.  In 2016, the luxury jewelry design firm Tacori selected Karats as its sole Tacori Platinum Partner in the state of Kansas.  Another well-known jewelry designer, Verragio, renewed Akshay’s retail operation as the Exclusive Premier Boutique status – the only jewelry store in the Kansas City metro area to hold such a distinction.  Karats was able to add several new watch brands to its extensive collection, including Longines, Tudor, and Luminox.

Two robberies occurred at Karats during the 2015 calendar year, both within 60 days of each other.  Although the loss of inventory was great, Andy was able to rebuild and improve his business operation quickly.  These setbacks gave him the ability to add enhanced security features to the retail store and also helped him build a partnership with the law enforcement community and government officials of Overland Park, Kansas, where the jewelry shop is located. The store received assistance from the City itself as well as through the hard work and dedication of family and friends. Throughout the changes and upheavals, Andy and his company never wavered in their service to their customers.

While Anand is still a young man, he has already received many awards, both for his work with charity organizations and as a successful businessman.  In 2010, Ingram’s Business Magazine placed him on the publication’s annual “20 In Their Twenties” listing. Every year, the publication selects young entrepreneurs from the Kansas City area for their achievements.  Two years later, I Think Bigger, a well-known regional business journal, nominated Andy and Karats Jewelers for the annual Kansas City Smart Company Award.  In 2011, Andy Anand was the first runner-up for the Man of The Year award presented by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  Andy’s work in raising over $26,000 in donations for the charity helped ensure his place among the Kansas City area’s most active and most generous philanthropists.  He continues to give his time and his funding to several other charitable organizations in the Kansas City area as well as to national and international groups.

KARATS Rise to Success

Success has a way of finding Akshay Andy Anand, CEO of Karats, a luxury jewelry retail business in Overland Park, Kansas. In addition to growing his family-owned company by leaps and bounds over the past two years, Andy has been recognized as an industry leader and as a savvy businessman.  He has had several challenges in his business, but he has been able to overcome them with a combination of smart practices and traditional family values.

In 2016, Andy Anand and Karats were recognized by The Knot, an internationally-known online website that is billed as the world’s “personal wedding planner”. Karats Jewelers was voted by the website and its users as the number one engagement ring store and the Best of Weddings in the greater Kansas City area.  This marks the third year in a row for that recognition; Karats also won in 2014 and 2015.  The Knot uses a careful evaluation system that includes business practices, selection, pricing, and customer service aspects.  Andy’s company excels in providing its customers an unparalleled retail experience, and the continued recognition from The Knot demonstrates Karats’ commitment to its many customers.

Industry partners have also showered Andy’s company with accolades.  In 2016, the luxury jewelry design firm Tacori selected Karats as its sole Tacori Platinum Partner in the state of Kansas.  Another well-known jewelry designer, Verragio, renewed Akshay’s retail operation as the Exclusive Premier Boutique status – the only jewelry store in the Kansas City metro area to hold such a distinction.  Karats was able to add several new watch brands to its extensive collection, including Longines, Tudor, and Luminox.

Two robberies occurred at Karats during the 2015 calendar year, both within 60 days of each other.  Although the loss of inventory was great, Andy was able to rebuild and improve his business operation quickly.  These setbacks gave him the ability to add enhanced security features to the retail store and also helped him build a partnership with the law enforcement community and government officials of Overland Park, Kansas, where the jewelry shop is located. The store received assistance from the City itself as well as through the hard work and dedication of family and friends. Throughout the changes and upheavals, Andy and his company never wavered in their service to their customers.

While Akshay Anand is still a young man, he has already received many awards, both for his work with charity organizations and as a successful businessman.  In 2010, Ingram’s Business Magazine placed him on the publication’s annual “20 In Their Twenties” listing. Every year, the publication selects young entrepreneurs from the Kansas City area for their achievements.  Two years later, I Think Bigger, a well-known regional business journal, nominated Andy and Karats Jewelers for the annual Kansas City Smart Company Award.  In 2011, Andy Anand was the first runner-up for the Man of The Year award presented by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  Andy’s work in raising over $26,000 in donations for the charity helped ensure his place among the Kansas City area’s most active and most generous philanthropists.  He continues to give his time and his funding to several other charitable organizations in the Kansas City area as well as to national and international groups.

Karats: A Jeweled History Of A Fabled Company

Karats is the premier jewelry retailer in North America. One of the few jewelry firms in the United States with its own diamond grading lab, Karats is also a direct importer of fine diamonds, with one of the largest collection of loose diamonds in the country. The company maintains a retail website that features an extensive selection of jewelry that includes custom rings, designer rings, engagement rings, wedding bands, anniversary rings, and more. Providing high-quality quality jewelry at affordable prices, the company has made its mark with innovative designs imbued with elegance and style.

Karats has been owned and operated by the Anand family for six generations, and its history is as rich and colorful as the jewels they offer. Now managed by Akshay Anand, the firm has always adhered to the principles of comfort, customer care, class, integrity, knowledge and exemplary personal service. It is these principles that continue to drive the company toward excellence, even with the launch of the latest Karats Jewelers store in Overland Park, Kansas.

Karats’ origins

The roots of the company that would later become known as Karats were sown by T.R. Anand, who was by all accounts a business visionary and innovator in every sense. After India’s independence from British rule in 1947, he wisely recognized the opportunities available in the country’s capital, and relocated his family to New Delhi. There, he set up shop with his eldest son D.C., who would later play an important role in the development of Karats. T.R. Anand himself remains a crucial contributor to the firm’s continued success to this day.

Handing over the reins

When T.R. Anand decided to pass on the family business, there was no better qualified person for the role than his own son, D.C. Having worked alongside his father for many years, D.C. was honed in the traditional values that have made the firm his father started one of the most respected jewelry companies in the country. He also had innovative ideas of his own, and moving and expanding the store to a new location right in the heart of New Delhi proved to be a highly beneficial one. D.C. Anand served as president of the city’s jewelry association for fifteen years.

Ushering in the new generation

After D.C. retired in order to spend more time with his family, the responsibility of running the family business was tasked to Shammi Anand. Representing the 5th generation of the family, Shammi learned the intricacies of the jewelry trade early on from his father and uncles. With a thorough commitment to quality customer service, Shammi played an instrumental role in the continued development of the firm. He remains actively involved in Karats’ operations to this day.

Karats in the 21st century

Today, Karats is absolutely managed by Shammi’s son Akshay Andrew Anand. Primarily responsible for running the company’s high end jewelry store in Overland Park, Andy is every bit as focused on quality and excellence as his forbears were. Striving to maintain the highest level of service that has made Karats such a globally respected name, Andy is fully committed to preserving the company’s legacy while bringing the company in the 21st century.