Jewelry Myths

I have been giving a lot of thought to the next topic in my "Top Ten Tips" to buying jewelry - Jewelry Myths. At first, I was planning to mention the most common, the ones myself and my staff hear almost daily, such as "I always buy wholsale", jewelry is cheaper in the Carrabiean, on 47th St., internet etc., I could go on, but another list with my rebuttals did not seem to make the point I wanted to. In the back of my mind, there was something else I wanted to say, but I was not sure exactly how.

So, similar to when my creativity has come to a hault while working on a custom jewelry design, I took this idea in an entirely different direction. I turned to Merriam-Webster's on-line dictionary and looked up the meaning of the word myth.  There, in the various definitions was the point I wanted to make...

Long ago, I learned that to try to change the mind of someone who truely believes in a jewelry myth is an exercise in futility. The consumer's mind is closed to any debate or reasoning no matter the strength of the argument. They limit themselves to shopping only at the stores and for products that "fit" the myth they so dearly believe.

It is one of my greatest disappointments that so many jewelers in the industry have been so willing to use these common jewelry myths to manipulate the consumer. False and misleading discounts and pricing, claims of selling wholesale or by the advantage of location or size being able to sell at huge discounts all play off the common myth that jewelry has unreasonably large markups.

Most jewelry is a non-branded product where suptle differences in quality,that are not always apparent to the untrained eye, can mean huge differences in value. Fine jewelry is also manufactured using precious metals, rare gems and is still often hand crafted by highly skilled artisens. Most consumers also do not really have a sence of the true value of a piece of fine jewelry, like they do a car or a home. This all makes it very easy to play off of everyones desire (its human nature) for a good deal. 

Here are a few tips that I think will help you in identifying common myths that may be presented to you during a sales pitch. If you follow these tips, you should be able to uncover the truth behind any jewelry myth. 

• Education yourself. Books, the internet and educated proffesional jewelers are great resourses.
• Make sure that you are working with a reputable jeweler. I suggest working with one that is recognized by the American Gem Society (AGS) or Independant Jewelers Orginization (IJO).
• Ask the jeweler lots of questions. As we all know, the only "dumb" question is the one not asked.
• Keeping an open mind and listening to the answers.

Myths are just that - myths; they require unquestioning belief to be effective. A little good old fashioned scrutiny will go a long way to uncovering the truth.

And that is how I see the world of jewelry from Rochester, NY.

David West Nytch CGA  www.westandcompany.com

Comments

[online jewelry stores]

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