1. BRIDAL BY MICHAEL B. This line appeals to women of all ages. I always encourage customers to hold the engagement rings at different angles so they can see how it’s such a ball of fire whichever way they view it.
2. JANE TAYLOR DIAMOND EARRINGS For 20 years, it’s been our best-selling non-solitaire diamond earring. If a woman is purchasing them for herself, I tell her to put a basic stud in one ear and one of these in the other — so she can see how this diamond earring lays flatter and closer to the ear than the stud. Also, I always point out that she can wear it with jeans or black tie.
3. GEORGE JENSEN SILVER This brand has become iconic — it’s jewelry a customer can pass down that will be just as important in 100 years as it is today. Because of the affordable prices, these pieces are the ideal high-value self-purchase and a classic addition to every functional jewelry wardrobe. If a customer is looking for the perfect “wardrobe neutral” medium-drops to wear every day, I show her earrings with gems like moonstone or rock crystal.
4. RECYCLED COPY PAPER I realize it’s low-tech, but I’m addicted to my cut-up white copy paper! I regularly gather up the junk faxes and e-mail spam and cut it into halves and quarters. It’s environmentally conscious, but also much better than those sticky notes with the adhesive that curls up. And the size is larger, giving me more space for notes. In my office, instead of piling them in a stack, I lay out all my “white paper notes” so I can see everything.
5. SONY VOICE RECORDER Because it’s compact, it’s what I use wherever I am to record an idea or something I’ve seen or anything I don’t want to forget! I find it particularly helpful when I’m on appointments working with customers on items of historical significance because they often forget what they tell me ... but the recorder remembers for them!
6. A BOOK The Fancy Color Diamond Book: Facts & Secrets of Trading in Rarities by Eden Rachminov is a great reference tool. One of our specialties is fancy colored diamonds, and this book provides a nice history of them with interesting facts and answers a lot of the frequently asked questions. It’s a beautiful coffee-table book and is practical and user-friendly.
This story is from the January-February 2012 edition of INDESIGN
