Surbhi Pandya reads and cleans diamonds for customers of retail jewelers during unusual in-store trunk shows.
Vivaan Jewellery
New York, NY
Looking at diamonds as a commodity wouldn’t occur to Surbhi Pandya, lead jewelry designer for Vivaan Jewellery, who believes diamonds have the power to heal. She feels she can connect with the energy of a diamond and even learn something about who is wearing it.
IDEA
Energy as Sales Tool
Under the name Vivaan Conscious Diamond Energy, Pandya has begun sharing her experiences with retailers, both during trunk shows at clients’ stores and during seminars at trade shows and conferences. Diamonds, she says, are able to absorb human emotion and they can be cleansed to create more positive energy. She has found that tapping into the power of diamonds creates a positive atmosphere that naturally increases sales. “When all these things started happening, I thought that maybe I could give this as a gift to retailers. They can learn to share the energy of the diamond with the person and can match the diamond to the aura of the person. I talk to them about energy as a sales tool.”
EXECUTION
The Spiritual Side
Kathryn Penn of Kathryn Penn Fine Jewelry in Aspen, CO, hosted Pandya in her store for a healing-diamond meditation and trunk show recently.
“I’ve been very curious about it,” Penn says. “I love Surbhi, and she is so much more than a jewelry designer. I wanted to have her in the store and experience what she does. And it was amazing.”
“Surbhi has an incredible way about her when she talks about the spiritual side of the diamonds. People really do get engaged in it. They want to bring in their own diamonds and have them cleansed (of negative energy). She did it with a stone that I was holding and I could feel it in my body. People want to be in her presence. She is an unbelievably spiritual being and it emanates from her.”
Pandya also connected very intimately with customers without being pushy. Whether customers were true believers or not, they benefited from the overall positive vibe of the event in the store.
RESULTS
An Eye-Opening Experience
“We did really well. Customers purchased pieces, and they love her jewelry,” Penn says. “It’s that connection of giving you something more than a piece of jewelry.”
Robin Thoenig of Thoenig’s Fine Jewelry in Jackson Hole, WY, had carried Pandya’s jewelry line for three years before she hosted a diamond event and trunk show. “I think there were skeptics originally, but people had a good feeling when they left,” Thoenig relates.
Jhanna Krentsel, owner of Jhanna Fine Jewelry in Millburn, NJ, says Pandya’s visit to her store was eye-opening. “People like different things,” she says. “Creative store events need to be a creative experience, not just a shopping experience. She has definitely opened up a different type of venue for people who would look at gems as healing or having the power of spirituality.”
Do It Yourself: Try a Niche Event
- Advertise it as an event beyond selling diamonds. “We advertised a lot and I was happy with the turnout, but it’s definitely a niche,” says Penn. “If you have customers who are buying spiritual jewelry or stones that have meaning, she’s right in line with that.”
- Keep an open mind when scheduling events. Whenever you try something different you may connect with new customers who haven’t ventured into your store before.