Many jewellery retailers are failing to educate staff and customers about the quality of products being sold in their stores. Through observing my competitors and dealing with customers who also shop with them, I've found many retailers push cheaper items in the interests of a quick sale. This is fine, provided customers are fully aware of the quality discrepancy between the cheaper items and a finer-quality alternative.
The most obvious example is the difference between 9 and 18-carat gold. There seems to be a general belief (amongst sales staff and customers) that 9 is stronger than 18-carat.
When men in particular come in for their wedding bands saying, "I want 9-carat because it's a harder metal", I could simply agree and let them walk out with a 9-carat ring. But when they return a year later, the ring cracked because 9-carat is more brittle than 18-carat, it's my problem for failing to disclose this information.
Then you have diamonds. Many retailers are prepared to call a diamond a diamond, rather than explaining that diamonds come in different colours and clarities.
You can boast having the least-expensive diamond, if that's all the information you're going to offer, but you may also want to add that it's a lower-quality diamond.
I recommend selling stones over a certain size with independent certificates. Sure, there are definitely good valuers out there, but many valuations are conducted with the diamond set in the ring. It's almost impossible to completely certify a diamond based on it being in a setting, thus you can't accurately value that stone. An independently certified diamond is graded before it is set, eliminating error.
I recently had a customer enter my store with a diamond ring and its valuation. She was looking for a matching, diamond-set, wedding band.
The stone in her ring was valued at a G-SI1. I had a look at it and could instantly tell it was not a G-SI1. I could see an inclusion in it right away. I had to tell the customer that if I used one of my G-SI1s in her band, it would look markedly different. I recommended a lower quality diamond to match it.
She was quite upset and went elsewhere for her business. Either she didn't believe me, or didn't want to believe she'd been ripped off.
Too many jewellers in this country don't sell with independent certificates; they sell with store valuations. I've had too many valuations come in that I believe to be wrong, and I have to tell the customer.
This is a very delicate process because typically, when they come to me, they can't exchange it so they're just angry. They're angry with the industry as a whole, not just that particular retailer. The next time this customer wants to buy a diamond, they are deterred because they believe they're going to get ripped off again.
Perhaps retailers are failing to teach their customers because it's such a time-consuming task. Perhaps they believe less information makes consumers more naïve, more likely to purchase anything. But this breeds distrust.
Our industry is getting hurt because we're trying to make the quick sale and we're not giving the customer the correct information.
Sure, the dearer piece may not be the most viable option for your customer, but at least ensure they are fully informed about differences in quality before they decide on a cheaper alternative. Ensure you're giving a full disclosure of the product. That way, the customer can walk out fully aware of what they've bought.
Consumer awareness of jewellery products is increasing, but it's the responsibility of the retailer to educate staff and, in-turn, educate customers about the quality of the product on sale.
At the moment, the industry has lost some of its consumers' trust because members have not been completely open with their customers. I recommend that we all try to be as transparent as possible in order to regain this trust. Once we do this, customers will start to believe in jewellery as a viable gift.
About the Author
Name: Jago Gavin
Age: 26
Company: Tamanie Jewellers
Position: Development Manager
Qualifications: Store Owner, Diamond Valuer
Years in industry: Five
Soapbox is a monthly column that aims to allow industry figures the opportunity to discuss specific industry problems and how they can be solved. If you would like to appear in soapbox and have your say, please contact the editor on 03 9696 7200 or email: ajed@gunnamattamedia.com.au