The diamond craze has revolutionized our expectations with regard to the role jewelry plays in our daily fashion endeavors. Have you ever wondered what people actually mean when they refer to a specific piece of jewelry or the general concept of a jewelry gift? For instance, have you ever heard a girl say, “I want to get myself something special for my birthday”? Or, better yet, “I want this anniversary to be unique somehow”. In the context of jewelry, being able to accurately interpret the difference between what a person says and what they are actually asking for is crucial, not only for the jewelry sales rep, but also for the significant other, tasked with turning that request into reality. For instance, when people ask for cheap engagement rings, in most situations what they’re really asking for are diamond engagement rings with gold or platinum shanks for a fraction of the original listed price. When a man walks into an engagement ring store and asks to see a selection of exclusive engagement rings, in most cases that man is interested in upscale, unique engagement rings, typically featuring diamonds and/or gemstones. One more – “I want to get a classy gift for my wife. Something sophisticated, that will make her feel like she is on top of the world”. In this example, unless you know the wife, a few follow-up questions are a must to find the right piece of jewelry. In this issue of DT Era we address interpretations and extracting the right information to make your jewelry search and purchase an exhilarating experience.
You may have heard this statement in the context of jewelry: “I want to get something I’ve never gotten before”. Here is a thought – after the proposal, chances are you spent countless days, weeks and possibly months browsing through unique wedding rings to find the one that wows. And for many couples, this was the last time they purchased unique jewelry for themselves and each other. While these wedding rings were unique at first, seeing them every day for a few years makes them part of your everyday life, so when you hear the statement above, it is time for a new search! If it has been a few years since you researched things like affordable engagement rings, engagement rings under 100 dollars and unique wedding rings, you may be out of practice. Remember, when you searched through engagement rings, that was likely meant as a surprise. In this case, your significant other already gave you some ideas. The trick now is to ask follow-up questions to encourage her to elaborate. Something she never gotten before could be referring to jewelry design, color, materials and so forth. Hopefully, after some probing you get more clarity, and for the purposes of this example we will assume that your significant other would like a unique necklace that matches the many outfits she has with the black/white color combination. How do you begin your search? Black stones in jewelry can include black cz, agate, onyx and black diamonds, among others. The sterling silver necklace above features an 18 inch chain with seven gorgeous rectangular, square, oval and pear shaped onyx gemstones. In the given example, this gemstone necklace is the perfect place to begin your search.
In our next example, your significant other casually mentions the fact that all of her earrings are cheap and worn out. A statement like that is typically the perfect lead-in for venturing out into the world of Italian earrings. A few follow-up questions could easily get you on the right track with a rough understanding of the type(s) of earrings she likes. For the purposes of this illustration we are combining the previous example with this one – earrings she never purchased before with an upscale design and materials. The Italian earrings pictured above feature 18k white gold, a beautiful seven Italian round brilliant diamond flower and a white gold french-back lock. If you’re trying to get your significant other a pair of gorgeous earrings that will last and revolutionize her jewelry collection, this pair of Italian earrings is a great place to start.
If your significant other makes a statement with regard to the need for a ring to match a specific outfit, a few follow-up questions should give you a color combination. Checking her jewelry box should shed some light on the types of ring designs she generally goes for, and you now have ammunition to take to a jewelry store. The Italian rings pictured above features over 9 carats in gems and an additional 2/3 carats in Italian diamonds. With this ring you not only give her the perfect accessory for her lavender, burgundy, beige and/or black dress(es), but you are offering quality that, with the proper care and maintenance, is likely to last for years of birthdays and anniversary celebrations.
Engage, listen, follow through and deliver – this is the process by which we recommend sorting through information to deliver the perfect jewelry gift. Keep in mind that your significant other may say one thing and mean something entirely different. The follow-up questions we referred to earlier are intended to engage your partner into surrendering the information that you can subsequently use to follow through with the ring, earrings and/or necklace that will make them happy. Take your time, get the facts and make the shopping experience one that will render an amazing story for generations to come.
