Monthly Archives: September 2007

We Will Be Closed For The Jewish Holiday Of Sukkot

Our offices and factory will be closing this evening (Wed. September 26) and reopening on Monday, October 1, 2007 at 9:30 a.m.

We are closed in observance of the beautiful Jewish holiday of Sukkot, when we rejoice with our creator.

On Sukkot we eat in the Sukka.

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A Sukka

During this time, we will not be updating this blog.

We wish all of our friends who are celebrating this wonderful holiday a happy and joyous holiday in the company of friends and family.

Of course to all of our friends, customers, and loyal readers, we wish you all the best of health and happiness, now and always and look forward to greeting you when we get back!

When Less Is More

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Less, is sometimes More.

I was presented today with a new line of diamond engagement rings that was supposed to be “contemporary yet classic”.

Not being sure how the rings would actually reconcile the clear paradox in that statement, my interest was piqued.

Well, I took a look and was extremely disappointed!

The rings were all “busy”, “funky”, and completely over the top, with all kinds of filigree, etchings, carvings, and accent diamonds set into every conceivable orifice!!

It was almost as if the creator of these rings wished for people to look away from the center stone!!!……just ugly!!

Whatever happened to the idea of understated elegance; that less is actually more??

For someone who actually has a beautiful center diamond to showcase, why in the world would they get a ring of this kind to detract attention away from the prize??

I am at a loss to understand this….

10 Tips For Providing Excellent Customer Service

From In-Store Magazine…with my interpretations..;-);-);-)

1. Satisfy Every Single Customer

“There is no competition when you go the extra mile”.

2. Leave Your Personal Life At Home

Your customer is not your shrink….or your punching bag.

3. Don’t Congregate

When your customer sees you guys huddled in a corner shmoozing, you give off the impression of being crass, rude, indifferent, and INSULTING.

4. Greet Every Customer

Every person in your store is a potential customer. Treat them as you wish to be treated.

5. Forget Appearance

Customers who look like the biggest shlubs can often spend a fortune on merchandise, so don’t judge them by how they look. Hey, they probably think they look charming!

6. Give Them Their Space

There is nothing worse than a pushy and overbearing salesperson…….except maybe the Herpes virus.

7. Don’t Interrupt

Only a total prude would feel compelled to stop a customer in mid-sentence to say something they feel is more important.

8. Present With Enthusiasm

You might think the merchandise looks like something out of a bad sci-fi movie. You wouldn’t even take it for free! Remember, “beauty is in the eyes of the beholder”.

9. Adapt Your Style To Them

Learn how to “talk the language” of your customers.

10. Always Dress The Part

Don’t show up to work in your birthday suit, or your bathing suit..it makes for bad business!
Nuff’ said.

Effective Jewelry Selling. The Great Debate.

I just read a very compelling article in one of the diamond industry’s monthly magazines.

The article revolves around the question of whether a jewelry store ought to focus on selling what they love (merchandise), or selling what actually sells (even if they personally find it to be distasteful).

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The writer interviews two particular jewelers who have different opinions. Indeed, there is much merit to both.

Here are the two schools of thought in a “nutshell”:

1. Love what sells.

When you fall in love with your diamond and jewelry inventory at the expense of paying proper attention to inventory turnover, you will fall into debt or debilitating cash-flow. “Dead inventory” = Dead money, plain and simple. Always look to satisfy the tastes of your customers and not your own.

2. Sell what you love.

When you become passionate about what you sell, you become good at selling. If you love and believe in what you are doing/selling, you will learn the art of closing a sale. Trust your judgements and try to think like a consumer when you purchase items for stock to fill up your jewelry cases.

Kabbalah Bracelets Replacing Diamond Bracelets!

Nowadays, you almost cannot be considered a true Hollywood celebrity if you are not chic enough to run around with a simple red string tied around your wrist.

These red strings have become so coveted, they are begining to usurp the more “traditional” diamond jewelry worn on the wrists of many celebrities.

These red strings are called “Kabbalah Strings” and are designed to ward off the “evil eye”.

In reality, today’s “red strings,” are nothing nothing more than crass commercialism and a complete perversion of this old Jewish custom related specifically to red string which was wrapped around the tomb of the Jewish matriarch, Rachel.

Here is one typical, albeit modernistic explanation to the “Red String” phenomena:

“Long ago, the ancient Kabbalah scholars revealed a powerful technology of protection. Its purpose is twofold: to protect us from the envious looks of others, and to help us eliminate feelings of jealousy and resentment in ourselves. The technology is the red string; a strand of Red wool worn around the left wrist.

The teachings of Kabbalah do not include prohibitions or commandments. Instead, the kabbalah speak of positive and negative energies. The negative energies of jealousy and envy emanate through the eyes—which gave rise to the very vivid and very ancient term, the Evil Eye.

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Maddonna seen wearing her “Kabbalah Bracelet”.

“Texted” Engagement Rings

Text messaging is the rage today and Couples-in-Love are adding Text Messages to their Engagement Rings and Wedding Bands.

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The story is here: I Text My Love To You

Just make sure that your Jeweler engraves your text message in the area that ranges from the mid-point to the top of the shank and not at the bottom of the shank. This is because should you ever have to have the ring re-sized, the re-sizing is done from the bottom and placing an inscription there will guarantee that some if not all of the inscription will be erased at additional and unnecessary cost to you. See the illustration below:

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Happy Texting!

Did You ‘Hair’ About This? A Beethoven Diamond Engagement Ring!

Classical music aficionados with i-pods plugged into their ears can walk around and listen to Beethoven. Very soon they will be able to wear a diamond engagement ring fashioned from Beethoven’s hair on their hands.

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Lifegem, a company that has heretofore made diamonds out of people’s ashes has now used strands from Beethoven’s hair to form a half-carat diamond which will soon be auctioned off on Ebay.

Story is here: Beethoven Shines!