Log in
JOIN
Primary Menu
News
Latest Diamond News
Featured
Top Stories
Jewelry Connoisseur
Videos
Podcasts
Webinars
Free Digital Subscription
Magazine
Latest Issues
Flipbook
Special Reports
About the magazine
Free Digital Subscription
Library
Special Reports
Rapaport Research Report
Price List Archive
About Library
Free Digital Subscription
Diamond Prices
Rapaport Price Lists
About Diamond prices
FREE DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION
Trading
Diamond Marketplace
Diamond Auctions
Jewelry Auctions
Brokerage
About Trading
Free Digital Subscription
About Us
About Rapaport
Rapaport Info Kit
Diamond Prices
Social Responsibility
Advertising
Diamond Trading
Diamond Grading
Careers
Media center
Calendar
Rapaport Store
Contact Us
Search
Renew Membership
Diamonds.Net
RapNet.com
Rapaport Auctions
Rapaport Store
Rapaport Lab Express
Rapaport TechNet
FairTrade
Rapaport Academy
More
בס"ד
Diamond Prices
Rapaport Diamond Prices
Rapaport Diamond Specifications
Rapaport Price Lists
Price Calculator
Real Time Price Data
All About Price Lists
Subscribe
Buy Historical Price Lists
News
Latest Diamond News
Videos
Martin Rapaport
Trade Calendar
TradeWire Email
NewsBrief Email
News Feed
Subscribe
Reports
Reports Home
Research Report
Price Statistics Reports
Auction Reports
Special Reports
Magazine
Table of Contents
Flipbook
About the Magazine
Special Supplements
Subscribe
Store
Trading
RapNet Diamond Trading Network
Rapaport Auctions
Investment Diamonds
Rapaport Laboratory Services
RapNet Instant Inventory
Join RapNet
About Us
About Rapaport
Media Center
Investment Diamonds
Rapaport Events
Rapaport Conferences
Corporate Responsibility
Ethical Diamonds & Jewelry
Careers
Advertise with Us
Rapaport Info Kit (PDF)
Contact Us
Customer Service
Contact Regional Offices
Contact a Representative
Christie’s Gives Pink Diamond $35M Price Tag
---
Small-Stone Scanner Drives Sarine Sales
---
India’s Goldiam Ups Lab-Grown Offering to Weather Inflation
---
Tiffany Debuts Jeweler Training Program
---
US Polished Imports Grow Slightly in August
---
Early Deals Support October Holiday Shopping
---
Brilliant Earth Warns of Caution Among Consumers
---
Petra Puts Tanzania Mine on Pause for Three Months
---
Richemont Jewelry Sales Jump Amid Global Strength
---
New Rapaport.com Website to Launch Tuesday, Nov. 15
Rapaport Magazine
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
Special Report Blood Diamonds
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
Special Supplement Ancient Beauty, Bold Future
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
Table Of Contents
In-Depth
Clarity of purpose
Cover
What women want
Fiercely female
For her, by her
No man’s land
Retail
Form and function
The entertainment factor
Is the customer always right?
Style & Design
The emerald effect
Thai talent
Making history
Wearable art
Hot off the presses
Markets & Pricing
Sluggish trading continues
US Retail: Jewelers report modest gains
US Wholesale: Dealers taking proactive stance
The final cut
Milestone moments
Retail
Is the customer always right?
Handling clients who have misconceptions about buying diamonds can be tricky. Two retailers discuss how they manage it.
By Phyllis Schiller
ERIN WHELAN
SALES MANAGER, CECIL’S FINE JEWELRY
LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS
Since the birth of [online retailer] Blue Nile, we have had many customers who have come into the store with information that they have gotten from the paid ads that are linked to the diamond sites. Many times, what that means is, they have learned just enough to confuse themselves and to muddy the waters in reference to purchasing a diamond.
“In order to help clear up any misunderstandings they might have, we discuss diamond basics with them. That way, they can see the difference between the correct information they need to know to make an informed purchase, and what they already think they know based on what they’ve read on the internet. This can be tricky, because you don’t want to insult clients or make them go on the defensive. I try to keep things simple, while still touching on the fine points that they should know.
“As a small brick-and-mortar store, I think it really boils down to customer service, since we will never be able to beat the prices of the large-scale online diamond houses. We just do our best to create the moment/in-store experience for our customers that will make them want to come back to us rather than turn to buying online. We try and make every one of our customers feel like they are our only customers.
BRAD HART
CO-OWNER, HAUSER’S JEWELERS
NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA
People come in, and based on information they’ve gathered, they have decided on certain parameters for what they want to buy. As a result, they have backed themselves into a certain necessity — whether it’s the metal or the quality of the stone they want to purchase. The position we take is that we have the experience and the information to help them. If what they think they know is true, we cooperate and can run with it. And if it’s something that’s not as important as they might think, we work around it. The most common misconceptions are about body color and the quality of diamonds. For instance, customers may come in asking to see a D, VS stone. If there is a context for why they want that — their mother has one, or their grandmother — we work with that. But if they only want that because it’s what they assume they should ask for, we discuss what qualities are important to consider when they choose a stone. If they are trying to streamline the price range they want to spend, we can show them there are many ways to do it that don’t fall off the rails in terms of quality or the look of the final product. Generally, we take a hands-on approach to help them sort out the facts. We show them actual diamonds so they can see that H doesn’t mean the stone looks like a canary and SI1 doesn’t mean it’s poor quality. For instance, we can visually illustrate for them that a G or an H diamond can be just as pretty as an E or an F. And that it’s not sacrificing so much that you’re doing yourself a disservice.
Article from the Rapaport Magazine - May 2019. To subscribe
click here
.
« Previous Article
Next Article »
Comment
Email
Print
Facebook
Twitter
Share
Reddit
Stumbleupon
Delicious
Digg
Tags:
Phyllis Schiller
Add Comment:
Name:
*
*
Headline:
Comment:
*
?
Cancel