D a n e s t e v e n s
oWner ,
caValier JeWellers ltd.
age: 26
the story: When Dane Stevens graduated
from Delta Secondary in 2006, he wasn't sure
he wanted to follow his maternal uncle and
grandfather into the gemstone importing busi-
ness. Then his uncle was diagnosed with
ALS,
so Stevens started learning from him how to
import gems and sell them to jewellers across
Canada. When in 2007 his uncle became too
ill to travel, Stevens bought his inventory with
$100,000 borrowed from his parents and
opened his own company, Adams (his uncle's
surname) & Stevens Importers. By 2013, his
client list was dropping as jewellers started to
retire and close their stores, so he started a
new company, Cavalier, that included a retail
store in Gastown plus importing and wholesal-
ing. Cavalier specializes in custom engagement
rings and will launch a watch collection this
year: a classic Town line named after iconic
Vancouver buildings and a sporty Trail line
named after B.C. explorers. With business
booming, Stevens managed to repay his par-
ents' loan within two years.
Markers oF success: Cavalier has grown
from a one-man wholesaler with $300,000 of
gross sales (in its best year) to a wholesale-and-
retail business with almost $1.8 million in gross
sales in its first 18 months. Cavalier has five full-
time staff, two goldsmiths on a contract basis,
a publicist and additional manufacturers who
help build engagement rings when things are
extra busy.
—F.S.
"I wish I would have been able
to record the conversations
about the old cowboy days
of the business—the way
that my grandfather and my
uncle used to do it"
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My Biggest regret
44 BCBusiness april 2015
