I WOULD LIKE to tell you about my “eureka” moment. A young man came in looking for an engagement ring. At the time, I had about 400 engagement/wedding rings in-house. After 20 minutes, he looked at me and said, “Is this all you have?” I realized that we can no longer survive on selection alone. This guy is used to sitting in his pajamas and looking at thousands of styles online. I have come to embrace the online shoppers. Someone needs to help service their purchases. I am making more money on service work than I ever have. When I sell an engagement ring, I clean, check and polish it for free. I will also rebuild their prongs once and size it up or down whenever at no charge. Not so with products purchased elsewhere. I have been in this business for 45 years, and in the past four or five years, it has changed more dramatically than in the 40 previous years. — Murphy McMahon, Murphy McMahon & Co., Kalispell, MT
Kudos to the Coolest
The coolest stores are sublime. We really need to step up our game. Thank you for a beautiful roundup of extraordinary and interesting choices. Sad we did not make the cut but happy for the winners. — Andrea Riso, Talisman Collection, El Dorado Hills, CA
“Coolest” does not mean elegant, distinct. It seems to me that the decor making things “cool” pulls away from jewelry itself, which should be the focus of any store. Simple elegance with a touch of conservatism provides an aesthetic experience to our clients. — Mark Rozanski, Goldart Jewellery Studio, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Congrats to the winners and I’m determined to win that! — Brian McCall, Midwest Jewelers & Estate Buyers, Zionsville, IN