My family has been in the gold and silver jewelry business since 1873 — that's over a century of trust, craftsmanship, and community in Banda, Uttar Pradesh. When I started studying Data Science at UCSD, I saw an opportunity to bridge that legacy with modern technology.
The challenge was unique: build a platform that respects the heritage aesthetic (think antique gold accents, Cormorant Garamond typography, parchment textures) while packing serious technical firepower under the hood.
The Tech Stack
I chose Next.js 15 with the App Router for its hybrid rendering — the public storefront is statically generated for speed, while the admin ERP uses server components for real-time data. PostgreSQL with Prisma ORM handles 15 data models covering everything from daily gold rates to customer encrypted PII.
AI-Powered Product Management
The most interesting technical challenge was the image processing pipeline. When my uncle uploads a jewelry photo from the shop, it goes through: Photoroom API for background removal → Sharp for contrast and saturation adjustments → WebP conversion for performance. Then Gemini 2.0 Flash generates bilingual product names and descriptions from the processed image — no manual copywriting needed.
For model images, I integrated Replicate's SDXL inpainting to composite jewelry onto body-part templates. Upload a necklace photo, and the AI generates a realistic 'worn' preview.
The Heritage Design System
The visual identity was critical. I created a 'Modern Heritage' design system with three switchable themes (ivory-gold, dark-gold, marble-gold). The signature element is the Heritage Vault Gate — a cinematic 3-phase animation: logo fade-in → hold → rosewood doors open with a custom cubic-bezier easing. It only plays once per session.
Every interaction is intentional: velvet hover effects (1.2s scale transitions), gold-tinted shadows instead of gray, wide Chanel-style letter spacing on labels, and a custom cursor with a gold dot + glow ring on desktop.
Bilingual Architecture
All text lives in a single content.json file with Hindi and English keys. A React context provider handles language switching, and the entire UI updates instantly — no page reload. This was essential since most of our customers are more comfortable in Hindi.
What I Learned
Building for a real business with real users (147+ reviews on JustDial) taught me things no classroom project could. Performance matters when your users are on 3G connections in rural UP. Trust indicators (BIS hallmark badges, transparent pricing breakdowns) matter more than flashy animations. And the best technology is invisible — my uncle doesn't need to know about Prisma or SDXL, he just needs to upload a photo and have it appear on the website looking great.
The platform now handles daily rate updates, catalogue management, customer accounts with OTP auth via WhatsApp, and even barcode printing for inventory. It's the most complex project I've built, and it's live at gondilalsaraf.com.
Written by
Arnav Goel
Data Science senior at UC San Diego, shipping ML systems and a 150-year-old family jewelry business.