Roman Sharf | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 9, 1975 |
| Alma mater | Pennsylvania State University (BA) |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, business executive, Army veteran |
Roman Sharf (born 9 May 1975) is a Russian-American jewelry retailer and auctioneer. Sharf is recognized for his role in the gray market, dealing with luxury watches, jewelry and accessories. [1] [2] [3]
Sharf was born in the Soviet Union in the 1970s, later moving to the United States in 1998. [4] He attended Penn State University, where he studied Computer Information Systems, and after his studies enlisted in the U.S. Army. [5]
After his military service, Sharf initially pursued a career in finance, becoming a vice president in Deutsche Bank, [6] and later moved to the luxury goods market, focusing on watches, jewelry and other valuable collectibles and in the early 2000s, established the luxury jewelry company Luxury Bazaar. [7] [8] The platform found success in the gray luxury market, [9] [10] and in 2024, Sharf announced plans to sell the company, valued at $130 million. [2] [11] [12] He also launched a private wholesale platform designed specifically for dealers to trade luxury timepieces. [13] [14] [15] Luxury Bazaar have faced criticism, particularly surrounding doing business of luxury items outside the official retail channel, [16] his approach has drawn criticisms for providing items at lower prices than traditional retail stores. [17] [18] [19] In 2024, Luxury Bazaar made a contribution of a Rolex Air-King watch to the WatchPro Awards. [20] [21] [22] Sharf purchased the auctioned pair of Never Surrender High-Top. [23] [6] [15]