He recalled going to the show with his parents, who had a sales booth. “My sister and I used to sleep under the showcases when we were kids,” he said. “I grew up seeing and collecting rocks.”
About 16 years ago, Mr. Bindra visited his father at the JCK gem trade show in Las Vegas and, at the Bellagio, they “came up with a game plan” on a bar napkin (which Mr. Bindra regrets he did not keep). “My dream was to sell to the Harry Winstons, the Tiffanys, the Cartiers of the world,” Mr. Bindra said. He was 23.
Part of the plan was that Mr. Bindra would complete the six-month gemologist program offered by the Gemological Institute of America (G.I.A.), where he is the youngest governor on its board. (He also serves on the boards of the Jewelers Vigilance Committee and American Gem Society Young Titleholders; is an adviser to the Black in Jewelry Coalition; and is president of the Los Angeles chapter of the G.I.A. Alumni Collective.)
Once Mr. Bindra received his gemologist diploma in 2007, he began accompanying his father on buying trips around the world, visiting locations including Mozambique, Madagascar, Sri Lanka and Tanzania.
And he attended trade shows with B&B, like the JCK event where he met Susan Jacques, who was president and chief executive of Borsheims Fine Jewelry and Gifts in Omaha at the time, but now is the G.I.A.’s president and chief executive. “It’s his knowledge, passion and self-confidence,” she said, “first when he was selling to me and now on our board, that’s highly respected and regarded.”
Over the years Mr. Bindra has grown the company’s sales list, adding high jewelry houses, although nondisclosure agreements prohibit him from identifying them. And he introduced the company to social media, often offering short videos of gemstones matched in color to sneakers from his extensive collection to the more than 20,000 followers of his @geminfluencer Instagram channel.
Alexandra Cheney
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