Big Survey

$50,000 Is a Critically Important Number for Many Jewelers

Bad things happen beyond that amount.

Published

9 years ago

October 20, 2016

INSTORE Staff

WE RECENTLY TOLD YOU about the unexpected expenses that really hurt jewelers.

Building and equipment maintenance turned out to be the most common source of unanticipated financial pain. Still, many other events also put a surprise dent in jewelers’ pocketbooks, from robberies to diamond breakage.

But did you ever wonder how much financial damage your peers in the business are prepared to withstand?

For Big Survey 2016, we asked, “How large in dollar terms would an unexpected expense have to be to put a serious strain on your business?”

The most common answer was $50,000, and there were also clusters at $10,000 and $100,000.

A few jewelers said they wouldn’t be able to sustain any amount. As one told us: “We have only been open 2.5 years. Every penny is a serious strain on our business.”

$50,000 Is a Critically Important Number for Many Jewelers

Honoring a Legacy: How Smith & Son Jewelers Exceeded Every Goal With Wilkerson

When Andrew Smith decided to close the Springfield, Massachusetts location of Smith & Son Jewelers, the decision came down to family. His father was retiring after 72 years in the business, and Andrew wanted to spend more time with his children and soon-to-arrive grandchildren. For this fourth-generation jeweler whose great-grandfather founded the company in 1918, closing the 107-year-old Springfield location required the right partner. Smith chose Wilkerson, and the experience exceeded expectations from start to finish. "Everything they told me was 100% true," Smith says. "The ease and use of all their tools was wonderful." The consultants' knowledge and expertise proved invaluable. Smith and his father set their own financial goal, but Wilkerson proposed three more ambitious targets. "We thought we would never make it," Smith explains. "We were dead wrong. We hit our first goal, second goal and third goal. It was amazing." Smith's recommendation is emphatic: "I would never be able to do what they did by myself."