OVER THE COUNTER EPISODE 16: BEAUTY FROM ASHES (9:47 MINUTES)

FOR HIS LAST PODCAST of the season, Kyle Bullock of Over the Counter tells the story of Emma, a woman whose life was turned upside down when the man she loved and hoped to marry died in a car accident.

For Emma, the tragedy caused her to completely change the direction of her life. She left community college, where she was studying to become an art teacher, and moved to a different school to try out the art of metalsmithing. Quickly showing promise in her new field, as well as finding comfort in the act of creating jewelry, she decided to build her skills further with a months-long jewelry apprenticeship in Florence, Italy.

Emma’s instinctual method of working through her grief was to create beautiful jewelry that was redolent with symbolism. And while her loss remained one of the defining events of her life, she was able to move forward and now runs her own jewelry brand, Emma Elizabeth Jewelry (emmaelizabethjewelry.com), based in Grand Rapids, MI, but sold nationally.

That Emma was able to build a satisfying, deeply meaningful career by fashioning beauty out of the most terrible of losses should provide a lesson for all jewelers, says Kyle.

“Don’t ever forget that every and every piece we create or sell means something deeper to the customer that we might ever imagine,” says Kyle. “In the same way, don’t ever forget your own experiences. Owning and managing a jewelry company can bring difficult, sometimes even painful, experiences for you to deal with. It has in my life, for certain. But in the nature of our work, we are given a unique opportunity to shape our circumstances into something beautiful. So, go out and do beautiful work, listeners. The world needs it.”

SPECIAL OFFER: Here’s a special offer that fans of Over the Counter and the velvet voice of Kyle Bullock won’t want to miss. The author recently released a new book called Mister Christmas, described as “the story of a white-collar loser who has his life turned around when a mysterious stranger offers him a job creating a real-life Santa’s toy factory”.

For listeners of this podcast, Kyle is offering the audiobook version of Mister Christmas for only $3. To get the deal, go to misterchristmasbook.com to order, then use promo code “OTC” at checkout.

OVER THE COUNTER EPISODE 15: HONESTY PAYS (9:51 MINUTES)

SOMETIMES THE JEWELRY customers most want, or have even dreamed about for years, simply isn’t right for them. Owing to our professional expertise, many jewelers know when this is the case. But, as often as not, customers don’t.

Whether it’s a hue that doesn’t match a woman’s coloring, a design too gaudy for her personality, or a gemstone too large or small for the wearer’s proportions, jewelers can typically sense when something is or isn’t right for a client. Of course, no jeweler ever enjoys telling someone that the item they covet will make them look awful.

However, when you’re seeking to create lifetime customers, it pays to be honest — albeit as tactfully as you can.

In this episode of Over the Counter, host Kyle Bullock, owner of Bullock’s Jewelry in Roswell, NM, tells the story of Denise Oros of Linnea Jewelers in LaGrange, IL, and what Denise did when a customer entered her store and asked for a very expensive item that simply wasn’t right for her.

Enjoy the episode.

SPECIAL OFFER: Here’s a special offer that fans of Over the Counter and the velvet voice of Kyle Bullock won’t want to miss. The author recently released a new book called Mister Christmas, described as “the story of a white-collar loser who has his life turned around when a mysterious stranger offers him a job creating a real-life Santa’s toy factory”.

For listeners of this podcast, Kyle is offering the audiobook version of Mister Christmas for only $3. To get the deal, go to misterchristmasbook.com to order, then use promo code “OTC” at checkout.

OVER THE COUNTER EPISODE 14: FROM FARM TO FINGER (7:45 MINUTES)

THIS MONTH in Over the Counter, Kyle Bullock has his mind on the environment.

In the latest episode of his podcast, the owner of Bullock’s Jewelry in Roswell, NM, tells a series of interconnected stories related to efforts big and small to make the jewelry industry more friendly to consumers, local communities and the planet.

These efforts range from the high-profile work of the Diamond Producers Association to promote more responsible diamond mining and production to the almost entirely overlooked efforts of one of Kyle’s own employees, Sherri Clark, who hoards used scraps of paper so they can be re-used in the office.

Kyle asks her why she does this.

“To help the environment,” she says. “And to save money.”

“But paper is cheap!” says Kyle.

“Not to the trees,” Sherri answers.

Can’t argue that. 

The critical message here? Every little bit helps. And no matter what your role in the industry, everybody can do something. Want to know how you can help? Kyle shares some ideas in the podcast.