Peter Sakaris knows a thing or two about ice.

Not only did the former hockey player skate on ice for years, Sakaris uses precious ice—as in diamonds—to create rings, necklaces and other custom pieces for his recently launched online jewelry store in Naples.

“I played hockey professionally. I played my entire life,” Sakaris said. “But growing up, my family owned jewelry stores in Montreal, and I grew up in the industry.”

His father has operated a traditional jewelry business in Montreal for nearly 50 years with his mother, a gemologist.

“I grew up in the business,” Sakaris said. “I always knew I wanted to play hockey and play as long as I could, but you can’t play forever. When that time came, I knew that I would be doing the family business.”

A native of Canada, Sakaris played hockey through junior and professional leagues, including seasons in the ECHL with teams such as the Evansville Icemen and Wichita Thunder. The talented winger retired in 2018 and, sure enough, followed his parents’ footsteps into the jewelry business.

Now founder and CEO of Sakaris Jewelers in Naples, Sakaris was able to jumpstart his venture with word-of-mouth personal contacts who knew about his jewelry connections.

“When I retired at 26 years old, I stepped away from the game and everyone started calling me and asking me for engagement rings and other pieces, so I decided, ‘I’ll go full force into that,’” he said. “I ran my business pretty much as I’m doing right now. It was teammates, ex-teammates, friends, players that I played with all over the world. I had guys in Russia, Germany, Sweden, all over the U.S. and all over Canada calling me up and asking for jewelry, so I was just working remote and making pieces and shipping them all over the world. Then I met my fiancée and moved out here to Naples, and now I started my own business out here, and it’s kind of just growing from what I had started in Montreal.”

Sidestepping a brick-and-mortar location has proven to be a cost-effective alternative for the new business. “It cuts down on the overhead and at the end of the day, it’s the client that ends up saving, so it’s a win-win for everyone,” Sakaris said.

What obviously makes Sakaris Jewelers different is that the bespoke business is solely online at sakarisjewelers.com. While one would likely think that purchasing jewelry online might involve choosing from mass-produced items, Sakaris is selling custom creations.

“It’s unique in the industry,” Sakaris said. His business model was born during the pandemic era, when social distancing was the norm.

“I saw everyone working remotely and I said to myself that no one is really doing it in the jewelry industry but it’s something I could do,” Sakaris said. “It’s been a fun process and it’s easy to work with my clients from anywhere, really, once I get an idea of what they want. In today’s world, you can deliver anywhere.”

Operating online allows customers to browse, design and order items from home with no geographical limitations. That means Sakaris has local clients he meets in person, as well as others in far-flung places.

“For me it was always remote and I always worked with clients all over. Now that I’m here in Naples, the word is slowly spreading and I’m starting to get more and more [local] clients,” he said.

Customers may tailor custom designs to fit their budget, choosing materials and designs that meet their financial needs—from $5,000 to more than $100,000—without compromising quality.

“I just work directly with my clients and create exactly what they want,” he said. “We also offer some pieces on our website that are something that I’ve created that are simple pieces, but we offer really anything that you can think of.”

Lately, Sakaris has created many one-ofa- kind earrings and engagement rings. He curates the concept, design and the materials for the items then sends them to artisans who bring the pieces to life.

“I’m working on full sets where you have the necklace, the bracelet, the earrings. I’m working on custom pendants for people,” he said. “Since I started, my custom work for the most part has been engagement rings and eternity bands and just wedding jewelry.”

Sakaris knows firsthand about engagement rings: His fiancée, Daria Abbaei, assists him in his new business even though she has a full-time position with a local venture capitalist firm.

“She has a ton of knowledge on the business side of things,” Sakaris said. “I know the jewelry business inside and out and she knows business inside and out, so she helps me out a lot with really anything that I need.”