In the comments box of a recent Brain Squad survey, one of our members asked his fellow “Squaddies” what they do with all the “crappy, nasty diamonds” they get when they take in gold scrap. The question generated more than 150 answers, many of which, we thought, were really helpful and innovative.

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In the comments box of a recent Brain Squad survey, one of our members asked his fellow “Squaddies” what they do with all the “crappy, nasty diamonds” they get when they take in gold scrap. The question generated more than 150 answers, many of which, we thought, were really helpful and innovative.

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As if online shopping weren’t a big enough worry, the New York Times reports that it’s now changing the way customers want salespeople to greet and deal with them.

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When it comes down to it, great ideas aren't all that special. Ever known someone with tons of good ideas ... who, despite their brilliance, really isn't that successful? I'm gonna guess you do.

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Amber Gustafson, owner of Amber’s Designs in Katy, TX, embarked on a plan to double the space in her jewelry store, on the first floor of an office building, last July. I’m working on a series about her expansion – done on a tight budget – and mistakenly labeled one of her “after” photos as a “before” photo in the February issue of Instore. So, here is her “before” photo and we’ll include more “after” photos as the series unfolds.

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Ever feel a bit of despair -- at the big box stores, at the lack of interest in the little guy, at the passing of a Main-Street way of life? Then you’ll want to read this Associated Press story as an antidote.

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I've seen a lot of great showcase displays over the last few years of doing "Case Study" for INDESIGN, but there is one that takes the cake.

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One of the big things the Internet brought to the business world was transparency. Never has it been so easy to check prices, compare services, or see what customers are saying about a product or a particular store. On the other side of the counter, the online retail model offered business owners unprecedented hard data on, among other things, how their marketing efforts were performing: how many people were showing interest in an advertising campaign, what specific part of a promotion was generating attention, what the pay off was.

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It's going to be really easy to write this blog. I basically don't need to change too much from when I reported on the jewelry from the Golden Globes two weeks ago. SAG (Screen Actor's Guild Awards) was all about strapless, bare, bracelets and earrings yet again. I saw on one industry leader's tweet insisting "Necklaces, Necklaces, Necklaces" but not too many to be found. It's still all about long earrings, bracelets stacked and a couple of stand out rings

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In May, we will reveal the 100 things every jeweler should know. To make sure we have a complete and accurate picture, we need as much input as we can get -- from you, our valuable experts who wear so many hats every day.

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Ever feel a bit of despair -- at the big box stores, at the lack of interest in the little guy, at the passing of a Main-Street way of life? Then you’ll want to read this Associated Press story as an antidote.

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Almost a year ago today, I wrote a post on the seasonal phenomenon of "New Year's Resolution De-resolution" -- the process in which, over the first few weeks of the year, your grand plans for the year collapse and your confidence and energy gradually fall to level of, say, a sea cucumber.

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OK, here we are at the open-fridge-door moment. What was it we asked you to remember last week?

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Facebook is becoming just as “noisy” as radio, television or print. Every business and their dog has a page and wants to tell you about their product. Posting en masse does not mean you have a successful Facebook strategy. In fact, you could be turning people off.

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Each year, we see jewelry retailers get better and better at making the jewelry shopping experience something that’s enjoyable for customers. There are so many aspects that go into this, from the environment, to the amenities, to the inventory and merchandising, to the sales presentation (probably most important of all).

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Confidence is a great thing to have in your work. A full, brimming sense that you know your stuff, that you know when to run and when to stop, that you can experiment without embarrassing yourself, and that the repercussions of risk are rarely as dramatic as you imagined. This confidence is a wonderful thing and I hope you have it.

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Strapless dresses with statement earrings or armfuls of bracelets were the big trend seen on the red Carpet at the 2012 Golden Globes.

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Bernie Robbins Jewelers, which has five stores in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, had -- for years -- done what many jewelers had done naturally -- thought of their business as one in which men shopped for women and advertised accordingly. So, the brand message, when there was one, focused primarily on couples, unintentionally excluding whole categories of potential shoppers, particularly female self-purchasers.

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