Selling antique jewelry around the world: Roberto talks to us about his e-commerce site.

Roberto Borghesi was so captivated by it all that, at a certain point in his life, he decided to transform his passion for precious antiques into a profession that led him to achieve significant results.

Today, his business is also growing online. He's active on the main social networks but, above all, thanks to WebSite X5, he created robertoborghesi.com complete with an e-commerce section as well as a blog.

As such, from his locations in Trieste (Italy) and Sežana (Slovenia), he can offer his services and sell his jewelry all over the world, from China to the United States.

Let's follow Roberto into the glittering realm of antique jewelry.

"At the end of 1994, with a degree in international politics, I had moved to Barcelona and began working as an IT professional at a hydroelectric company in Catalonia. However, as soon as 1996, I realized this wasn't my path. It was then that I decided to turn my passion into a profession.

I returned to Trieste and opened Dr. Roberto Borghesi - Vintage Jewelry, a company dedicated to precious antiques and to the appraisal of jewelry and precious stones, offering brokerage of precious objects, estimates, legal appraisals and representation at major international auctions."

"Exactly. In 2014, wanting to somehow return to uniting my passions - computer science and precious antiques - I set up Roberto Borghesi d.o.o., based in Sežana, Slovenia, a company specializing in vintage jewelry, silverware and watches, as well as in investments in certified gold and diamonds.

Of course, the combination of two such extreme passions could only be synthesized in the creation of a new website, but I was totally lacking in HTML, JAVA skills, etc."

"I started out by trying different types of software until, somewhat by chance, I discovered WebSite X5. I was immediately impressed by its extreme ease of use, excellent help guide and, above all, the fact that this software has, in a certain sense, evolved with me, sometimes anticipating my operational needs with its updates.

I was able to create my company's website and, in this way, give it the image and visibility around the world that I was looking for. Today, thanks also to the interaction with Instagram and Facebook provided by WebSite X5, I sell my jewelry all around the world, from China to the United States, and I'm sure that, when I manage to acquire the necessary knowledge and tame the concept of SEO, it'll be even better!"

"Offering unique antique jewelry online isn't always easy because normally, a piece of jewelry must strike the wearer's heart, and they need to try it on. This obviously can't be done in an online store.

Yet, with the constant process of improving the photos and content published on the site (not to mention the horrible years of the pandemic which changed our buying habits), e-commerce has accelerated which, even for me, has turned out remarkably well.

Obviously, the sale doesn't always take place directly over the internet. Quite often, a visit to the website brings customers into my shop to purchase what they saw online or to offer me objects of their own for sale. Even in this case, it's still a success - an excellent example of a virtuous cycle."

"Certainly not to brag or to congratulate myself. Quite simply, the customer needs to trust the seller, and I thought I'd let the facts speak for themselves.

On the bio page, I assembled the most significant achievements from recent years. Since 2006, for example, I'm proud to have curated the selection of exhibitors for the TriesteAntiqua exposition, one of the largest antique fairs in Northern Italy. I was also happy to have been involved in the analysis and appraisal of precious assets owned by the Ministry of the Treasury for the State Archives, conducting expert appraisals and restoration of judicial repositories belonging to the Austrian administration and delivered to Italy at the end of World War I.

I believe that citing these and other experiences, in addition to writing articles for the blog, is the best way to demonstrate my skills and professionalism in addition to making it clear to those who visit to my site that their trust in me is well justified."

"Yes, absolutely. Not only for the products it deals with (which I'd like to take for granted) but also in the communication it provides. Authenticity rewards.

If I had to give a bit of advice to someone getting ready to build their own website, I would say BE REAL. Don't use photos that aren't yours, don't exaggerate what you do. Give your content a human touch! Show your face because even in China, Australia or the USA, whoever looks at your site will want to picture speaking directly with you."

"In the beginning, immediately after publishing the first version of my website, I was discouraged. The data told me I had visitors, but no one was writing to me for information, requests or anything else. At the time, I had not yet prepared a contact form, but I had included my email address in the footer of the Home Page.

So, what was the problem? I finally figured it out. I had typed in the wrong email address!

So, be careful when publishing. Always double-check everything!"