Vent of the Month: We’re a Jewelry Store, Not a Pawn Shop (and We’d Like to Keep It That Way)

THIS MONTH’S “Vent of the Month” hits on something any jeweler in a gold-rush market will recognize. With scrap prices through the roof, it seems like every consumer in America has suddenly remembered that dusty jewelry box in the closet — and assumes their nearest jeweler is ready to cut them a check. But jeweler Sam M. of Midland, TX, has had enough: “The amount of store visits and phone calls we get a week with people looking to sell their old jewelry is crazy! When did retail jewelry stores become pawn shops in the consumers’ eyes? Are there that many jewelry stores out there buying from the public that everyone has this impression now? I thought we were in retail to sell products to the consumers, not the other way around. Interesting world the retail jewelry business has become. I’ll continue to be the outcast and sell my merchandise instead of buying from some rando coming in off the streets.”