ask Dave West: The Jewelry Expert

Christmas Time

Christmastime in a jewelry store is like no other time of the year. Sure, we do a lot more business and like any other retail store it is a make or break time of year for the company. But there is much more to it than that. There is something almost magical that envelops the store this time of year that is difficult to describe.

The decorations, music, laughter of a customer and sales associate as they chat, the wide-eyed look on a child as her father says, “Now, not a word to Mommy about this,” all just seem to come together in a way that to me is, well, magical.

Around Thanksgiving, for the first time, all the new and exciting jewelry that we started designing, crafting and buying in the heat of summer is all carefully arranged and laid out in the display cases for all to see. All the hard work by myself, my wife Jody and our staff comes together and I often have thought that we are as excited, if not more so, than our customers.

Yvonne DiVita, my blog mentor, was in the store the other day and I was showing her all the new jewelry we had (and as usual getting all worked up about it) when she asked me what I thought was going to be the hot items for Christmas. Now this is always a tough question in early December, you never really know until the 25th what is going to be the most popular jewelry pieces and every year there is at least one surprise that no one saw coming, but there are a few hints and I thought it would make a fun post.

Certainly, the DeBeers Journey jewelry will be a big hit this season, along with diamond line (tennis) bracelets which are making a come back. Demand for colored gem jewelry is also growing again, which to me is great because I love colored gems.

In our store the Warner Brothers Tweety Collection, which is the first ever fine jewelry collection featuring and inspired by the lovable, wide-eyed yellow fashion icon, Tweety. Bright yellow sapphires and sparkling diamonds bring Tweety to life in a fun, fresh and exciting collection of earrings, charms, bracelets and pendants. We are proud to be the exclusive dealers in Western New York.

Our Corsage Collection of custom cut interlocking diamonds is absolutely amazing. Utilizing the finest in precision technology these diamonds are cut to tolerances of one-millionth of and inch. The results are the most brilliant and beautifully crafted invisible set of jewelry I have ever seen.   

Also very popular is a line of hand made gold earrings by a wonderful family of artisans in Vermont. Past, Present and Future Diamond jewelry is still very strong, especially if it has a little twist.

Well, I had some fun making predictions and will let you know what the “surprise” will be for the season.

Till then that’s how I see the world of jewelry for Rochester, NY.  

David West Nytch CGA  www.westandcompany.com        

Questions

Ok, you’ve done some research and learned a bit about the jewelry you are interested in and now you are ready to put that knowledge into action and do some shopping. If knowledge is power (and it is) questions are the source of that power. Asking a lot of questions will build on your knowledge and put you in control of your jewelry purchase instead of just being sold what some jeweler wants to sell you.

A good question has layers of benefits, and can often reveal a lot of information beyond the specific answer. Certainly by asking a lot of questions you will learn something you did not know or you will expand your knowledge of something you already knew.

But there is more to it than that; how your question is answered can tell you a lot about a jeweler’s commitment to helping you find that perfect piece. A few questions will help you determine the level of professionalism and knowledge of a store and its staff. Questions will help you cut through the hype, sales pitches and half truths that plague the jewelry industry. Many of these pitches cannot stand up to even the most casual consumer scrutiny and, of course, they don’t want you asking too many questions.

Not every jeweler you talk to is going to love you asking a lot of questions. As I mentioned in the previous paragraph HOW your question is answered can often be as important as the question itself. Anyone who makes you uncomfortable or seems annoyed that you are asking questions should be avoided. Anyone who acts like your question is foolish or responds with something to the affect of “why would you ask that,” should be avoided. A scripted or rehearsed, “one size fits all” answer should be viewed with suspicion.

A good jeweler will be happy to, and even invite, your questions. I know I do, I love’em!  There is no such thing as too many.

Asking questions is one of the most important tips I can give. I cannot even begin to count the number of bad buying decisions I have seen that would have never happened had the customer asked just a couple more questions.

Keep an eye out for my next Top Ten post - Shopping.

Till then, that’s how I see the world of jewelry from Rochester, NY.

David West Nytch CGA  www.westandcompany.com