‘My reputation is worth more than your diamond.’
Trust is the foundation of any business relationship.
But unfortunately, sometimes it’s just not there. Like when repair customers are afraid to leave their diamonds with you.
We recently asked our Facebook fans: “How do you reassure customers that it’s safe to leave their diamonds with you?”
Here’s what jewelers said:
- We have had a few customers that ask, “Well … do you trust your jeweler?” or, “Am I going to get MY diamond back?” We do our best to explain that integrity and honesty are the most important part of our business and we would never do anything to jeopardize it. We also talk them through the repair take-in process, documenting as much as possible. When they are still hesitant, we suggest that maybe they would feel better taking it elsewhere and that their comfort is our utmost concern. We have actually had a couple of customers that insisted on leaving their repairs with us even after stating multiple times that they didn’t feel comfortable, at which point my response was, “Now I am not comfortable … please find another jeweler.” — Khatchig Jingirian, Smythe and Cross, Los Altos, CA
- One of the best pieces of advice I ever received when I was new to the business was to simply say, “My reputation is worth more than your diamond.” I have been using that for years. But now we also have camera microscopes at every workstation so I offer to find inclusions that identify their diamond and show customers so they feel confident they know what to look for when they pick it up. — Jennifer Farnes, Revolution Jewelry Works, Colorado Springs, CO
- Reputation goes a long way to allay those fears. I’ve gone as far as putting the diamond under a microscope. Showing the inclusions to the client, doing a schematic sketch for the client, and then letting them compare the repaired rings diamond to the sketch. This is extreme and extremely uncommon, but has occurred. — Jim Rosenheim, Tiny Jewel Box, Washington, DC
- I don’t. Period. If a customer does not trust me I have no time or want to convince them of anything. I give advice to tighten prongs or get their piece repaired ASAP and send them on their way. — Marcus Owens, The House of Abandoned Jewelry, Menifee, CA
- Actually if you do not trust me then go to someone you do. I am here to sell and repair, not steal. — Ed Lafontaine, Bradshaw Jewelers Dothan, AL
- Test and verify, ask if they have documentation then show them how to know their diamond before they leave it. If they have no documentation, it’s time for an appraisal before they leave it. If we have to take a stone out of a piece for work, we do it when the customer is here to weigh and measure in front of them. Simple steps but they build trust. — Gary Macklin, Goodman & Sons Jewelers, Virginia
- I explain that the massive amount of risk versus the small amount of profit realized by swapping to a lower-quality diamond is usually only done by jewelers with a drug or gambling problem. I assure them that Julie and I have neither. — Cliff Yankovich, Chimera Design, Lowell, MI
- We have diagrams on the back of our repair tickets. We plot the diamond for the customer and then let them look under the microscope to ensure that they see what we have plotted. Then we have the client, if they want, to take a picture of the plotting. Both the client and the person taking the diamond in then sign off on it. It reassures the client that they will leave with the same diamond that they left with us. Many positive Yelp reviews have resulted by this policy. — Rita Jaycox Famulare, Famulare Jewelers, Carlsbad, CA
- I tell them that if I was going to switch their diamond, I would need a huge stone to make it worthwhile for me to skip town. Unfortunately, their stone is not big enough to make my day!! — Nimet Jetha, Bijouterie Elysee, Montreal, Quebec
- “There’s no reason for us to steal your diamonds. We have more than enough.” — Wilcox Jewelers
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