Eileen McClelland

Managing Editor’s Note: Ask Away

You’ve got questions, we’ve got the answers and 50 reminders of why your job is so cool.

Published

8 years ago

April 13, 2016

Eileen McClelland Instore May 2016 Issue

THE QUESTIONS that arise from running a jewelry store seem to be infinite.

After more than a decade of researching and writing about how to run your business, we are only scratching the surface, it seems, on covering the kinds of concerns you deal with every day.

With that in mind, we’ve decided to publish an expanded version of our popular INSTORE department, Ask INSTORE, as our Big Story in this issue.

Each month editor Chris Burslem is ready and willing to field your most perplexing, urgent queries, and consult industry experts for the best answers out there. It’s impossible to stump Chris and his erudite consultants, so keep those questions coming.

Also in this issue, we’ve compiled 50 awesome things about being a jeweler to help motivate and inspire you through this busy buying season, courtesy of our Brain Squad.

And, in a special feature, we’re offering a glimpse of what it’s like to be a gem hunter out in the field — the rewards and the risks — along with advice on how to get started on your own quest. Whether you have the resources to take a trip to Africa or visit a mine in the U.S., gem hunters say that going to the source can be a life-changing experience for you and a big boost to your business.

As Nancy Schuring, owner of Devon Fine Jewelry, puts it, leaving her retail business to visit far-flung mines and markets makes her feel like she’s come full circle.

“When you walk around a jewelry show, you don’t usually wonder where the gems came from. But when you take one of these trips you develop a new appreciation. You see where it came from and appreciate what it takes to create the gems we usually take for granted.”

Happy hunting.

Eileen McClelland

Managing Editor, INSTORE

When There’s No Succession Plan, Call Wilkerson

Bob Wesley, owner of Robert C. Wesley Jewelers in Scottsdale, Ariz., was a third-generation jeweler. When it was time to enjoy life on the other side of the counter, he weighed his options. His lease was nearing renewal time and with no succession plan, he decided it was time to call Wilkerson. There was plenty of inventory to sell and at first, says Wesley, he thought he might try to manage a sale himself. But he’s glad he didn’t. “There’s no way I could have done this as well as Wilkerson,” he says. Wilkerson took responsibility for the entire event, with every detail — from advertising to accounting — done, dusted and managed by the Wilkerson team. “It’s the complete package,” he says of the Wilkerson method of helping jewelers to easily go on to the next phase of their lives. “There’s no way any retailer can duplicate what they’ve done.”