The Diamond Disruptor: How Olivia Landau is Revolutionizing Luxury Retail with AI

In an industry where tradition has long trumped innovation, Olivia Landau is proving that the future of fine jewelry lies at the intersection of expert craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology. As the Founder and CEO of The Clear Cut, this 4th generation diamond expert and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree is transforming how consumers discover, purchase, and experience diamond jewelry.

From Blog to Breakthrough: The Clear Cut's Origin Story

What started as an educational blog in 2016 has evolved into a multi-million dollar direct-to-consumer diamond jewelry company. Landau's journey began when friends and family started seeking her advice about purchasing engagement rings, leading her to create content that would demystify the traditionally opaque diamond buying process.

The timing couldn't have been more perfect. The Clear Cut just closed their strongest Q1 since 2022, with engagement ring sales up 50% year-over-year in February–March 2025 and average order value increasing by 42%. This impressive growth underscores the market's hunger for transparency and personalization in luxury retail.

Meet Eunice: The AI Engine Redefining Retail Intelligence

The crown jewel of The Clear Cut's innovation is Eunice - a proprietary AI platform named after Eunice Miles, the first female gemologist. This isn't just another retail AI tool; it's a comprehensive intelligence system that's revolutionizing how luxury goods are priced, sourced, and sold.

Eunice's Advanced Capabilities:

• Dynamic Pricing Intelligence: Analyzes vendor pricing patterns across the entire diamond market, breaking down the traditional "this is the price" model that has dominated the industry for decades

• Granular Regional Analytics: Tracks customer trends across specific U.S. regions and neighborhoods—for example, identifying that SoHo and TriBeCa customers prefer 2.2 carat cushion-cut diamonds (58% preference rate) at an average price of $38,600

• Predictive Trend Analysis: Discovered the consumer shift toward elongated cushion-cut diamonds with specific length-to-width ratios between 1.3 and 1.5

• External Data Integration: Pulls insights from multiple online marketplaces to validate internal analysis and identify market inefficiencies

• Inventory Gap Detection: Helps manufacturers understand what should be cut from rough diamonds based on real demand data rather than guesswork

  
  

The Business Impact:

Eunice soft-launched in Q1 2025 and officially debuted in May, contributing directly to The Clear Cut's strongest quarter since 2022. The results speak to the power of AI-driven retail intelligence:

• 50% year-over-year increase in engagement ring sales (February-March 2025)

• 42% increase in average order value

• Average engagement ring value now exceeds $30,000

As Kyle Simon, Co-founder and COO, explains: "Now, we're able to actually analyze what is trending—a variety of factors like what sold many years ago, what's not selling, what are vendors doing across the market." This level of market intelligence transforms diamond retail from an intuition-based business to a data-driven science.

Industry Recognition and Thought Leadership

Landau's expertise and innovative approach haven't gone unnoticed by industry leaders. She was recently featured at the WFDB Presidents Meeting 2025 in New York, where she shared insights on the future of the diamond industry with global leaders and stakeholders.

Her recognition extends beyond industry circles: Landau has been recognized on the Forbes 30 Under 30 and Entrepreneur's 2021 100 Women of Impact list, with The Clear Cut being featured in Forbes, Vogue, Business Insider, TechCrunch, The New York Times and others.

The Partnership That Built an Empire

The Clear Cut's success story is also a love story. Landau met her co-founder and husband, Kyle Simon, while both were studying at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). Simon, also a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and GIA Diamonds Graduate, previously co-founded a fair-trade diamond mining company in Sierra Leone before joining forces with Landau.

Their complementary skill sets have been crucial to the company's growth. As Landau notes in interviews, while she focuses on product, customer experience, design, and social media, Simon handles the business operations, finance, and strategic planning - a division that has allowed them to scale efficiently while maintaining their white-glove service approach.

Looking Ahead: Shoptalk Fall 2025 and Beyond

The retail world will have the opportunity to learn from Landau's expertise when she takes the stage at Shoptalk Fall 2025 in Chicago (September 17-19). She'll be participating in the highly anticipated retail AI panel: "Retail Intelligence: What AI Can – and Can't – Do Today" - a topic she's uniquely positioned to address given her real-world experience implementing AI at scale in luxury retail.

This speaking engagement comes at a pivotal moment for retail AI. Industry experts note that AI has moved from buzzword to core business functionality, with "Agentic AI" emerging as a key trend that's goal-oriented and relatively autonomous – learning and evolving independently to achieve specific business objectives.

Redefining Modern Luxury

What sets The Clear Cut apart isn't just their technology - it's how they've reimagined the entire luxury shopping experience. Being online allows them to operate with less overhead and pass those savings directly to clients, while offering a truly personalized experience regardless of location.

In an industry still largely composed of "pen-to-paper deals and geographic restrictions," The Clear Cut offers virtual consultations and transparent stone selection, meeting clients on their terms. This approach has proven particularly appealing to younger consumers who value both authenticity and convenience.

The Broader Impact: Lessons for Luxury Retail

Olivia Landau's journey offers valuable insights for luxury brands grappling with digital transformation:

1. Technology enhances rather than replaces craftsmanship: Eunice doesn't eliminate the human element - it empowers experts to make better decisions

2. Transparency builds trust: In luxury markets, demystifying the buying process creates stronger customer relationships

3. Data-driven personalization scales: AI enables white-glove service delivery at volume

4. Industry expertise remains crucial: Technology without deep domain knowledge lacks the nuance required for luxury retail

   
   
   
   

The Future of Intelligent Retail

As Landau continues to push boundaries in diamond retail, her work represents a broader shift toward what industry experts call "Retail Intelligence" - the strategic application of AI to create more efficient, personalized, and transparent shopping experiences.

The timing couldn't be more critical. With ongoing tariff discussions creating pricing uncertainties across global supply chains, AI-powered market intelligence becomes essential for competitive advantage. As Simon notes, "There's going to be further price inefficiencies and disruption. Diamonds in the United States that are here already are going to be priced differently than diamonds coming in from India or somewhere else. Us being able to gut check what's overpriced, what's not, what's real, what's not, will continue to drive value for our customers."

The Clear Cut has AI enhancements on the horizon for their gem software as well, suggesting we're only seeing the beginning of how AI will transform luxury retail. Eunice represents more than a technological advancement—it's a blueprint for how AI can democratize market intelligence traditionally available only to industry insiders.

Key Lessons for AI in Retail:

1. Move beyond recommendations to intelligence: Eunice doesn't just suggest products; it provides comprehensive market insights that inform strategic decisions

2. Granular data creates competitive advantage: Regional and neighborhood-level analytics enable hyper-targeted strategies

3. External data validation is crucial: Pulling from multiple sources creates a more complete and accurate market picture

4. AI can challenge established industry practices: Breaking down traditional vendor pricing models through data-driven insights

5. Timing matters: Launching AI tools during market uncertainty (like tariff disruptions) can provide significant competitive advantage

Bottom Line: Olivia Landau isn't just building a diamond company - she's architecting the future of intelligent luxury retail. Her appearance at Shoptalk Fall 2025 promises to offer invaluable insights for any retailer looking to harness AI's transformative power while maintaining the human touch that luxury consumers demand.

Connect with Olivia and The Clear Cut

Follow The Clear Cut's journey:

• Socials: @theclearcut 

• Website: theclearcut.co - Custom engagement rings and fine jewelry

Learn More:

• WFDB Interview: Read Olivia's full interview with the World Federation of Diamond Bourses about The Clear Cut's growth and industry insights

• Glossy Feature: How The Clear Cut's new AI tool is reshaping diamond pricing - Deep dive into the Eunice AI engine

• Shoptalk Fall 2025: Register for the event to hear Olivia's insights on "Retail Intelligence: What AI Can – and Can't – Do Today"

Don't miss Olivia Landau's insights on retail AI at Shoptalk Fall 2025, September 17-19 in Chicago. Her experience building Eunice and transforming The Clear Cut offers a masterclass in applying artificial intelligence to create competitive advantage in luxury retail.