True Tales: Moment of Tooth

Published

16 years ago

July 2, 2008

Strange stories from the frontlinesMOMENT OF TOOTH

?The strangest engagement ring we ever made was for a woman who answered our ad in the Yellow Pages. She entered our store, saying she saw that we did custom work, then pulls from her pack a container holding her 40-something fiance’s baby tooth. It had been very difficult to retrieve from his mother, but the woman wanted his baby tooth to be the ring’s center stone. She went on to tell me how no other jeweler would help her. (The smart ones, I think!) Of course, she is also concerned about price, but does want some diamonds with it. Half-shocked, but always eager for a sale, I suggested a pear-shaped, cluster-top ring, since the closest shape to the baby tooth was a pear, with diamonds going around the tooth. She liked the idea, I quoted a price, and we had a deal. I guess I should have run the idea by my jeweler first, because you can always tell when a jeweler doesn’t want to do something. (They charge more.) It actually turned out pretty good. You had to look hard to see that it was a tooth and not a Tennessee pearl. She was delighted.

DARRYL M.,
KNOXVILLE, TN

?I once had a lady come into my store wearing an orange cabochon-cut stone ring. I complimented her on it, as a salesperson would, and asked what kind of stone it was. Her answer? ?Chlamydia!’ I think she meant carnelian. I managed to maintain my composure and even look impressed, telling her I had never seen that type of stone before. Then I called my boss over and asked the lady to tell us again what the name of the stone was. She did. The look on my boss’s face was priceless.?

CHUCK J.,
ADRIAN, MI

This Third-Generation Jeweler Was Ready for Retirement. He Called Wilkerson

Retirement is never easy, especially when it means the end to a business that was founded in 1884. But for Laura and Sam Sipe, it was time to put their own needs first. They decided to close J.C. Sipe Jewelers, one of Indianapolis’ most trusted names in fine jewelry, and call Wilkerson. “Laura and I decided the conditions were right,” says Sam. Wilkerson handled every detail in their going-out-of-business sale, from marketing to manning the sales floor. “The main goal was to sell our existing inventory that’s all paid for and turn that into cash for our retirement,” says Sam. “It’s been very, very productive.” Would they recommend Wilkerson to other jewelers who want to enjoy their golden years? Absolutely! “Call Wilkerson,” says Laura. “They can help you achieve your goals so you’ll be able to move into retirement comfortably.”