Let’s face it—buying jewellery is an emotional endeavour, which means, for the most part, we are in the business of selling romance or, in some cases, at least giving it a nudge in the right direction.
My business model has always centred around custom design—reading the client, getting deep in their psyche, and giving them what they want (even if they don’t know what they want).
Gems cut in traditional shapes are beautiful, though also predictable and easily taken for granted. For many projects, setting a calibrated stone is simply a matter of purchasing a finding. When a gem is not calibrated, one can handcraft a basic setting.
What I like best about Europe are the small towns with their narrow winding streets. Take this photo of a small village in France, for example. The homes all appear to have been built back in the 1800s.
My sister, Sharlane Letwin, is a professional retail jewellery sales associate. Yet, when asked what she does for a living, she answers, “I make small talk all day long.” Sharlane is very charming, her sales numbers are high, and her employer invests in on-going training every year to keep his team sharp.
Missing due dates, stones breaking, and rings melting are what keep me up at night. Nothing is worse for me than to have a sales associate tell me a customer is in the store to pick up their ring and I haven’t finished setting the stones yet.
The decision to incorporate CAD/CAM into a business may conjure visions of Santa’s workshop set up at the back of a jewellery store. Although using a service bureau is one way to produce a custom piece, purchasing your own milling machine or 3-D printer is also an option to consider.
Joe Karbo’s 1973 book, The Lazy Man’s Way to Riches, is about an ordinary man’s struggle to become a great salesman. In it, he dedicates his success to always trying to meet his customers’ needs. To this end, Karbo identifies the motivating factors for why people make significant purchases.
