My friend plays first chair violin in the Minnesota Orchestra.  I asked him if he liked any popular music on the radio.  He said, “No not really.” When I asked him why  he said, “ It doesn’t say anything.”  We have the same phenomenon with much of the jewelry that is produced today; it is radio jewelry not orchestra jewelry.  My friend practices hours every day to hone and perfect his skill.  When he performs, his mastery creates a fine work of art that makes a statement.  It says something.

Years ago when I worked in the diamond department at J.B. Hudson Jewelers a customer wanted to reset the diamonds from a circle pin into something more modern.  The pin was made back in the twenty’s or thirty’s and was inherited.  I explained how the platinum was assembled one piece at a time and the exquisite nature and skill of the diamond setting.  The customer was amazed and grandmas pin took on new value and a much deeper meaning.

One way to differentiate your store is with special order.  ‘One of’ designs involve the customer and give them a personal sense of ownership in creating their own masterpiece. Even though a drawing can be transformed into a finished wax with cad-cam, slight changes in the design can add greater beauty and value.

For example when the program uses needlepoint prongs on a shank to give it a faux bead and bright cut look, leave the shank flat and use true bead setting with a real bright cut and a hand applied millgrain.  Quite often cad designs with needlepoint prongs and clunky millgrain resemble all the charm and beauty of a Lego block.  A highly skilled craftsman hand carves each ring or pendant with a nuance and delicacy that can never be duplicated by a generic computer design.  The difference can be similar to comparing a paint by number portrait to one done by Rembrandt.

Every jewelry customer wants their piece to say something special to them, to make a statement. They want something unique, something that they will not see on any one else.  They want something rare, and rarity heightens value.  These days that “something” that cannot be found everywhere is true craftsmanship.

When your customer learns this difference they will appreciate knowing their piece was created with heirloom quality.

To this end I offer my services.  I not only do special order, but stock, and everything in-between, even needlepoint.  I look forward to helping you set yourself apart and above your competition.