Over the years, I’ve heard lots of complaints from jewelers about consumers being duped into buying poor-quality diamonds by unscrupulous retailers and/or labs. Long’s Jewelers of Boston recently created an event that served as a great starting point for the type of education that prevents consumers from making these mistakes – and by the way, also promoted the particular diamond brand (Lazare) that Long’s carries.
The event, called “The Boston Diamond Challenge,” invited people to take a look at three diamonds and try to pick which one was the ideal-cut Lazare diamond. All participants were automatically entered into a drawing for prizes, which included a grand prize of a platinum and diamond engagement ring from Long’s and Lazare valued at $15,000. Other prizes included a TAG Heuer watch, scotch and steak for six at a local restaurant, a Weber grill, and a wireless speaker and headphone package.
The event ran throughout the month of September and resulted in hundreds of patrons taking part (plus many others who opted for the education but didn’t want to enter the contest, says Long’s marketing coordinator Lexi Valhouli). “The vast majority of the customers were blown away by the ASET machine and how the tool prominently illustrated the differences between cuts. Most customers had read about cut online but had never seen the differences with live diamonds or have the differences pointed out to them so clearly,” says Valhouli.
“By the end of our educational pitch, essentially all of the participants successfully identified the Lazare ideal cut vs. two other stones. There were some immediate sales, but the goal of the event was to lay the groundwork for future engagement ring sales. From that standpoint, it was a great success.”
So if you’ve ever wanted to educate more of your marketplace on what makes a fabulous diamond fabulous, this might be a great way to get people into your store and talk to them.
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