October 5, 2009
Dan: Part 2
If you read our last post, you know we’ve had some fun diamond customers in the store lately. Dan was one of the best in the last few weeks. He was having trouble deciding between a diamond from our store and a diamond from Sam’s Club.
Here’s a recap: When he was in the first time, our sales associate gave Dan a whole list of reasons to buy locally.
- We are a full-service jewelry store so we provide services beyond just the purchase.
- We are concerned with quality of materials and manufacturing, so our inventory is of higher quality than department stores.
- We rigorously inspect every item that goes out on our sales floor, so your jewelry isn’t going to fall apart a couple weeks after your purchase.
- We also provide services like customization, ring sizing, complimentary appraisals, free lifetime inspection and professional cleaning.
- If you need to have prongs rebuilt five years down the road, we can do that, too.
- We are trained gemologists and jewelers and a member of the American Gem Society
, so we know diamonds, colored gemstones and repairs.
Knowing that most of these services are included — free of charge — when you purchase jewelry from us, Dan was more willing to work with us, but still wanted to see all of his options. We brought in a cushion cut diamond that met his specifications in price, color, clarity and carat weight. Because we are willing to do special searches and find one-of-a-kind items, Dan got further assurance of our commitment to our customers.
Although he didn’t go with the cushion cut, we’re very happy to say, “He bought a diamond from us!” He decided on an ideal cut Hearts & Arrows round diamond that we had in stock. He chose a mounting that needed some altering to fit the diamond he picked, but we threw in the labor cost. His wife now has a ring with a diamond that he personally picked.
We may think customers are a bit crazy and sometimes they present us with weird situations, but at the end of the day, we’re grateful that they come to us. It’s great to know that people are wearing and enjoying nice, well-made jewelry, especially when we get to create one-of-a-kind pieces that are just what our customers were dreaming of.
July 7, 2009
Caring for your Engagement Ring
Martha Stewart Weddings today posted an online article about keeping your precious jewelry safe and secure — and we agree with most of what was said. For that reason, we’re posting a link to the article and suggest you take a moment to read it. http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/article/caring-for-engagement-ring?xsc=eml_dwd_2009_07_07
If you’d rather just have a simple run-down, here’s what we recommend: 
- Have your engagement ring (or any valuable jewelry, really) appraised by and independent appraiser or obtain a thorough receipt from the store you purchase it fro.m
- Insure your engagement ring — this is when the appraisal and/or receipt will come in handy.
- Clean it often. Use a soft toothbrush to gently scrub your jewelry using a mild solution of ammonia and water. Just a hint of ammonia (or dish soap) will do, and be sure that your stones are tight before just scrubbing away.
- Have it checked by a jeweler a couple times a year to ensure that prongs are in good shape and that stones are tight. An added bonus is that the jeweler will clean it, too.
- Be gentle on your jewelry. Take it off if you’re going to be in the pool (chlorine weakens gold) or if you’re gardening, rock climbing, moving furniture, painting, etc.
