IF YOU WANT to see an independent jeweler in a bad mood, you could drop in and ask for a free ring sizing. Or perhaps request that he or she service the piece of jewelry you bought online, maybe even offer a compliment of sorts as you attempt to hand it over:
“I got this online but I trust only you to size it.” (Although don’t be surprised if he somehow takes it the wrong way).
Still, if you really want to see fireworks, open a jewelry manufacturing business, partner with her to build your brand in her local market, and then sell the same products, maybe even at a lower price, online.
Yes, vendors selling online was jewelers’ No. 1 pet peeve, according to the 2023 INSTORE Big Survey. 3. Sales reps dropping by unannounced, and referring to the jewelry trade as an “industry” rounded out the top 5 in our newly developed Grrrrr Index.
We should add that through our close dealings with independent jewelers over more than two decades, we know most of them are actually incorrigibly positive and hard to upset. Many welcome the challenge of trying to convert someone seeking a free sizing into a genuine customer. Some — much rarer — even welcome online competition. And we should state here that we as a news publication will continue to annoy some of our readers by referring to jewelry as an “industry”.
It’s just such a handy catch-all term! We can only hope you breathe deep and read on.
The 2023 Big Survey was conducted via an anonymous online form from late August to early October, attracting more than 750 responses from American jewelry-store owners and managers. The full results will be published in the November edition of INSTORE.
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."
