The big story: Customers are looking to jewelers for fashion advice that extends beyond precious metals and gemstones. Learn tips and best practices for applying the concept in your store.

DOES YOUR STORE INSPIRE OR MERELY SATISFY?

ACCORDING TO FRANK ABOUT WOMEN, a female-focused research and marketing firm in Winston-Salem, NC, women seek a path to purchase that is filled with exploration and a consultative experience that allows them to be inquisitive and comparative. In other words, it’s up to you to provide not just a product that fulfills a need, but a fun shopping adventure that helps them identify what looks and feels best on them.



The traditional fine jewelry environment focuses on gifts of love from a man to a woman without indulging a woman’s fancy for fashion and her use of jewelry to complete a look, mark her style, and convey her personality,” says Ruthie Winig, Frank About Women’s director of public relations and social networking.

There are websites, says Winig, that satisfy women’s desires to be inspired, such as polyvore.com, where women can put together outfits from head to toe and create their own look books. What she especially likes about the site is its collage concept in pairing fashions and accessories — something she recommends that jewelers translate into their in-store environments.

“Why not narrate with fabrics and textiles to bring trends into the jewelry case?” she says. Winig also urges jewelers to deviate from basic display layouts like black velvet or white leatherette and inject more colors relevant to “of-the-moment” hues, since color is the hottest trend.

Winig cites the cultural relevance of frugality in investment dressing — instead of stocking their wardrobes with new clothes, women are going for evergreen staples. This trend is giving the individualistic nature of jewelry the chance to reinvent a woman’s look. “There’s a lot that jewelers can do to fuel demand for must-haves,” she says.

 Jewelers who nurture an inspiring environment will not only capture a woman’s imagination but also her business, as the following retailers reveal.


TO ATTRACT A YOUNGER CLIENTELE AND PROVIDE MORE AFFORDABLE, fashion-forward gift and self-purchase items, Generation Jewelers in Peoria, AZ, created a shop within its shop for a range of accessories retailing for under $150. The decision to incorporate the boutique came a year ago when the third-generation jeweler moved from its 11,000-square-foot space tucked away in a strip mall to a 24,000-square-foot freestanding store on a busy thoroughfare.
 
“In a 400-square-foot corner of the store, my wife suggested we add a boutique area for accessories and fashions,” says owner Brian Franklin. “It’s a store within a store that has its own identity called Glitz, which is in sync with our brand image.” Franklin’s wife, Lori, who does accessories home parties, and his mom, Linda, an interior designer, helped develop this new feature in the store, which is well-known for bridal jewelry.

 “In the last few years, we’ve found it increasingly difficult to harness a younger clientele, in part because of the price points we carry, as well as a general intimidation of the younger generation by traditional jewelry stores,” Franklin explains. “Fashion and jewelry go well together, and the boutique is helping us cultivate a younger generation of clients because it is price friendly, more fashion-forward, and inspires impulse purchases. We carry hats, blouses, handbags, belts, sunglasses, better costume jewelry and fashion watches.”

 A spacious restroom next to the boutique doubles as a fitting room, Franklin says. There’s also a full-length mirror and a small sitting area with flat-screen TV playing videos of product, alone and in action on models.

 The target audience for Glitz is between 15 and 30 years old, although traditional Generation Jewelers’ customers also buy products like handbags for themselves, as well as gift items they’d otherwise buy elsewhere.

 Glitz is promoted separately from the jewelry store online, in print, via the radio and on digital billboards. But once new customers shop the boutique, they’re excited to find fine jewelry is available. On the flip side, existing clients are surprised to find an ever-changing lineup of fashion items, so there’s a lot of natural crossover.
 
Franklin notes that the most challenging aspect of working in fashion is the constant change. “Fashion trends change more quickly than in fine jewelry,” he explains. “So, we don’t buy too much of anything for the boutique. We don’t want to get stuck with too much inventory.” He says that he and his wife and mother make buying trips to Los Angeles every two months for the boutique. The Franklins also attend fashion, craft and gift shows outside of the traditional jewelry trade show circuit, like the ASD and MAGIC shows in Las Vegas.

 Having the boutique, Franklin says, has elevated the jeweler’s fashion profile. “We even play hipper music storewide,” he quips.

12 TIPS FOR HELPING CUSTOMERS WITH FASHION CHOICES

JEWELRY AND STYLE EXPERT MICHAEL O’CONNOR, president of Style & Substance Inc.:

Mark fashion magazine pages, post clippings in a press book, and/or display editorial next to relevant products. Celebrities give a full contextual view of the trends, and then lifestyle and fashion magazines dissect those looks for their readers.

Host a trends talk to help clients tailor the latest and greatest to their lifestyle, and/or a smart buying seminar to teach customers how to make the most of their jewelry wardrobe.

Partner with a clothing boutique to show and sell each other’s merchandise (clothes that the jeweler can accessorize in its store and jewelry the clothier can use to adorn its apparel).

Dress up a store window with three of the same little black dresses, each adorned in a different way with jewelry in stock to illustrate the versatility of accessories.

Use fashion photography in in-store displays.

Have full-length mirrors for customers to see the head-to-toe impact of accessories.

RETAIL CONSULTANT KATE PETERSON, president of Performance Concepts:

Determine what fashion is to your customers. Look at how women are wearing jewelry and what it says about them for clues about what to carry and suggest.

Make sure your salespeople and your store environment represent your fashion statement in a consistent manner.

Knowledge of trends and consideration of how they work with successful product categories will help you effectively merchandise your store.

IMAGE CONSULTANT CYNTHIA SLIWA, co-author of “Jewelry Savvy: The Ultimate Guide to the Selection, Care & Creative Recycling of Jewelry.”

Assign a staffer who loves fashion to keep up with the latest trends and relate them to the sales team on a regular basis. Discuss how these trends translate to the jewelry in stock.

Many department stores and boutiques have personal shoppers available to assist customers; consider taking a similar tack to help clients select fashionable jewelry.

Hire an image consultant for style-focused events like jewelry-styling workshops and one-on-one customer image consultations. A great resource is the Association of Image Consultants International (aici.org).

DO YOU SEE YOURSELF AS SOMEONE WHO CAN (AND SHOULD) OFFER OVERALL FASHION GUIDANCE TO CUSTOMERS?

YES

“We know the trends that are coming and going. We can keep our customers up to date without becoming dated.”— WOODY JUSTICE, JUSTICE JEWELERS, SPRINGFIELD, MO

“Our customers want and expect the advice. I feel it elevates us from being just salespeople to being their friends.”— HARRIS BOTNICK, WORTHMORE JEWELERS, ATLANTA, GA

“My customer expects guidance as to trends in the jewelry world and how they will affect their jewelry wardrobe. They tend to be fashion leaders among their friends.” — LEE KROMBHOLZ, KROMBHOLZ JEWELERS, CINCINNATI, OH

“Buy carefully. The women’s apparel industry sets fashion trends in jewelry. The jewelry industry is usually behind the trends by months.” — GENE POOLE, HUDSON-POOLE JEWELERS, TUSCALOOSA, AL

NO

“It’s not about the fashion. Jewelry is not about what’s in or what’s not.” — JEFF WEINTROP, THE SILVER LADY, UNIVERSITY CITY, MO

“With regards to how they wear their jewelry, yes. With regards to their wardrobe, no. That is a slippery slope.” — DAVID RUBEL, FREDRIC H. RUBEL JEWELERS, LAGUNA BEACH, CA

“We want the jewelry to be worn for itself and not only for the trend of a piece of clothing. Generally, gold and diamonds will last a lifetime, whereas clothes will only make it to the next season.”— SCOTT KELLY,JEMS JEWELS AND GOLD, NORTH WALES, PA

“I’d have to be a fashion maven myself, and that is not the case. And, judging from the people I see at the JCK show, neither are most other jewelers.”— SANDY SEVERT, GLORIA’S JEWELRY, ST. PAUL, MN

JEWELERS DON’T HAVE TO ADD APPAREL AND ACCESSORIES TO THEIR LINE-UP TO WORK THE FASHION ANGLE. Deborah Hutcheson of Charles Hutcheson Fine Jewelry in Reading, PA, says that fun, fashionable jewelry can replace more traditional offerings in similar price points.

 

“Accessorizing has become more prevalent in the past few years. The category has gotten much stronger with more designers offering a range of materials and prices,” she says. “We’ve gotten away from small gold and diamond jewelry pieces. Yes, there’s a place for it, but for us, we’ve amped up our fashion lines.” She cites the bold hand-sculpted and painted Lucite pieces of Alexis Bittar. “We’re talking about beautiful, colorful statement jewelry that our clients don’t have to drop a $1,000 on, more like $200 for an amazing bracelet … no guilt!”

 Hutcheson’s mostly female staff is like a daily fashion show of how jewelry can work with a range of apparel. “We’re all fashion conscious and decked out every day in big, bold jewelry to show our customers the possibilities,” she explains. “It’s a great sales tool. People always stop and ask us about the jewelry we’re wearing. We often sell things right off our back.”



 Hutcheson says its commonplace for clients to bring in outfits to match jewelry. “We have fun helping them select colors and designs that best suit their style and personality. We just had a client bring in a beautiful sweater coat she’s wearing to her daughter’s engagement cocktail for us to accessorize.”

 Hutcheson says her boutique-like store, which sits on a main street, resembles a neighborhood pub like Cheers where everyone knows your name. “I often feel like a bartender giving advice,” she quips. “But we always have such a good time, like a bunch of girlfriends getting together. Women are social animals, far more than men, and relationship-building is key.”

 She also believes selling to women is like a contact sport. “Women want to touch and play with jewelry, see it and feel it on,” says Hutcheson, noting that more often than not, her store’s sales associates walk around the counter for a more personal and interactive presentation.

 While fashion is liberating, it also can be intimidating, which is why Hutcheson keeps fashion magazines on hand including W, Elle, Vogue, and InStyle. “There are so many great jewelry layouts these days that give us a lot to talk about,” she says. “We translate what we’re seeing in these magazines to our inventory and how it relates to our customers and their style.”

FOR YLANG | 23 IN DALLAS, TX, displays that are unexpected and ever-changing are an essential way of engaging customers with the incredible range of designer jewelry carried by the store.

 “We’re on the edgier end of the spectrum,” says owner Joanne Teichman of her store, which carries more than 50 well-known designers like Heather Moore, Cathy Waterman, and Me & Ro. “We layer, mix, and play with our jewelry because that’s what fashion is all about. We put a lot in our cases that is not laid out in sets or suites. It really encourages you to dive right in.”

 Ylang | 23 has 10 window displays in which it mixes designers and collections to inspire customers to wear jewelry in different ways. “We want women to have fun with their jewelry,” says Teichman. “We love to show how pieces are pulled together to create various looks around specific trends, be they romantic, vintage or feminine. We also build color stories around different gemstones.”

“We mix and play with our jewelry ... that’s what fashion is about.”

 To keep things fresh and style-centric, Teichman says they are always moving inventory around in the store to pique consumer curiosity. “We’re not static,” she explains. “We have new merchandise coming in all the time, so we explore how to best showcase what we have.” 

 For Teichman, the more adaptable the jewelry, the better, such as her latest favorite line: Kala, a line of Tahitian and South Sea cultured pearls on leather with diamond beads. “It’s fun and playful. The layering possibilities encourage so many ways of wearing jewelry,” she says.

 Teichman ties in what’s happening in the store online in a section she calls Joanne’s Eye, where she blogs about designers and collections, points out key trends, highlights favorite pieces in a range of prices, and suggests how to mix and match the jewelry she carries. An early adapter to the fast changing media environment, Teichman also is active on Twitter and Facebook, and now well established as a style expert and authority on trendsetting jewelry.

 Trunk shows and personal appearances are an important part of Teichman’s business approach to give clients the opportunity to interact with designers and see their entire body of work. “Customers appreciate the chance to meet and interact with the artists,” she says. “They’re inspired to talk to them about their jewelry and how they can mix and match pieces in the collection.”


WHICH MAGAZINEDO YOU LOOK TO MOST FOR FASHION TRENDS AND ADVICE THAT YOU CAN USE WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS?

“Harper’s Bazaar sets the standard for layout and design, in my opinion.” — STEVEN TAPPER, TAPPER’S DIAMONDS & FINE JEWELRY, WEST BLOOMFIELD, MI

“InStyle features clothes that are in the reach of a majority of consumers. Celebrities are often shown. I love Harper’s layouts of outfits and accessories on a page.” — KAI ARMSTRONG, GALATEA FINE JEWELRY, MILTON VILLAGE, MA

“Town & Country is very traditional and never overcrowded with visual graphics. It also has a lot of jewelry ads that show the designers trending.” — VALERIE SAVVENAS, MANOLI’S JEWELERS, SPRINGFIELD, MO

“Vogue and InStyle each have a different age range of client fashion. Therefore, we watch both publications to see what our clients are being exposed to.” — LULA HALFACRE, TRADITIONAL JEWELERS, NEWPORT, CA

WHICH FASHION WEBSITES OR BLOGSDO YOU FOLLOW?

“Believe it or not, Twitter.”— JOANNE TEICHMAN, YLANG | 23, DALLAS, TX

“I always look at the websites of the best places to shop, like Neiman Marcus, Anthropologie, White House/Black Market, Ann Taylor, and Sundance Catalog.” — CATHY COOK, CATHY COOK JEWELRY, VIDOR, TX

“W Magazine.com.” — LEE KROMBHOLZ, KROMBHOLZ JEWELERS, CINCINNATI, OH

“Brides.com for bridal trends, Cosmopolitan.com for current big city trends.” — JANICE A. NIEBAUER, RALPH MILLER JEWELERS & GALLERY, ERIE, PA

“AGTA newsletter, Cindy Edelstein (jewelrybusinessguru.typepad.com) for inside scoops, and CherylKremkow.com.” — EVE J. ALFILLÉ, EVE J. ALFILLÉ GALLERY & STUDIO, EVANSTON, IL

“I use Google Alerts to let me know of the industry topics and subject matter I’m interested in knowing. I let the articles come to me, and then I go out and read them.” — DANIEL GORDON, SAMUEL GORDON JEWELERS, OKLAHOMA CITY, OK

“Elle.com, Style.com, TheSartorialist.blogspot.com, CocoKelley.blogspot.com.” — SALLY HILKENE, CHURCHILL, FAIRWAY, KS