As someone who dislikes the actual act of shopping (long lines, waiting, stuff not in stock, etc), I just met two entrepreneurs who gave me, by FAR, the best shopping experience of my life. And I had to fly halfway around the globe to Jakarta (Indonesia), to accidentally discover it.

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TIMELINE + LINKS
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Some of the links below are affiliate links. For example, as an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you!

0:00 Intro
I had a three hour break between a morning client meeting and an afternoon vendor meeting, and, being in South Jakarta, I headed to a onemillion square foot labyrinth of retail to explore.


0:32 Two Awesome Guys
Last year (April 2023), I actually filmed Pian briefly as I was discovering this insane maze of entrepreneurship just passing by, and I took it as a sign this time around, when I found them again... to ask, if they were cool with me filming. Speaking of filming, here is the minimal gear I used for this handheld impromptu shoot:

Sony A7Siii Camera on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3wDJ8Z7
Sony 24105mm F4.0 OSS on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3V2A7mh
Sony ECMB10 Digital Mic on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3TjuBul
Be careful, that microphone can ONLY be used on select Sony Cameras. If you are looking for a great oncamera microphone for use with the 3.5mm (1/8") jack, I definitely recommend the Rode VideoMic Pro+ on Amazon: https://amzn.to/49DJWeY
PGY Tech MantisPod Pro on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3tXtGp2

1:11 A Million Sq Ft Maze
Blok M Square is comprised of 6 floors above ground, and 2 floors underground. If it's your first time in South Jakarta visiting this behemoth of a shopping complex, obviously, feel free to check the entire place out, but if you have limited time, the bottommost basement is where you'll want to start. Trust me.

1:48 The Shop
Pian and Bewok are owneroperators of this shop that doesn't even have a sign. No Google Listing, no Instagram page, no facebook page, but it's called Cepot Gemstone. If you're going to Jakarta and want to check them out without getting lost in the gargantuan maze that is Blok M Square, you can check out...
My Secret Unlisted Video that shows exactly how to find them as quickly and as easily as possible:    • Directions to Cepot Gemstone  Blok M...  

2:18 The Incredible Work
As you may know, design and metal fabrication (on an industrial scale) is what occupies about half my time at home in Toronto, so seeing these guys work was satisfying, humbling, and just plain awesome. You can see a bit of the work I do here:
Workshop Tour & EDC Video:    • Do you USE your stuff? (Workshop EDC ...  

3:10 Deciding to Buy
After essentially, "drinking their koolaid" gawking at their skills and experience, as someone who had never even considered wearing a ring, I flipped a complete 180 degrees and asked them to recommend something to me.

Bewok looked be up and down, pointed at me, and said "Simple... You... Simple"... presumably seeing my plain, unbranded, unremarkable outfit, and recommended a very clean silver base, and, as for the "Bacan" stone, recommended it as it's one of the most traditional nativetoIndonesia options.

4:00 Sizing the Ring
Just watch how much work Pian put into resizing the ring to fit me perfectly... magical.

4:57 Setting the Stone
At the workshop in Toronto, we use software to design parts, CNC mills and lasers to cut and machine... these guys... all manual hand tools, and I'm so envious of their skills.

5:50 What I Learned

6:48 So… What Now?

7:26 The Lovely City

#Travel #EverydayCarry #Jakarta

Want to connect more?
Instagram: @mauricemoves   / mauricemoves  

DISCLAIMERS:

Some of the links above have an affiliate code, if you purchase gear with these links I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.

A portion of this video is sponsored by TomToc, meaning, they paid me to feature their Minimalist Sling and Passport Holder between the 6m31s mark and the 7m55s mark.