Sell Color With Expert Tips from DCA

Today, more than possibly anytime in the past, colored gemstones are a vital and growing part of the independent retail jeweler’s inventory. First, they present an opportunity in our margin-starved industry to earn profits unavailable from other product categories. Second, they offer a vast variety of affordable options  to the female self-purchaser as a fashion statement at an acceptable price point.

Ah, but, beware! The world of colored gemstones is diverse and somewhat more complicated than its diamond cousin. Terry Chandler, president of the Diamond Council of America, encourages jewelry retailers to embrace the “wonderful world of color” with gusto. However, he warns you need to “know your stuff” and make certain that you’re sales associates are well versed and knowledgeable.

Expert Tips from the Diamond Council of America on Selling Color:

• Training, Training, Training: Use the many resources available to jewelers -- from Jewelers of America, the Diamond council of America (DCA), American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) and Gemological Institute of America (GIA) -- to learn the facts about color. In this particular case, knowledge equals “selling power.”

  •     Extra Tip: Jewelers of America recently announced a new partnership with the Diamond Council of America, an expert source for colored gemstone and diamond sales training. Jewelers of America members can receive special access and discounts on DCA's membership and online education. Click here to learn more.

• Practice, Practice, Practice: Role play with other associates to hone your selling skills and your command of the gemstone vernacular. Remember to practice with your peers, never with the customer!

• Lean on Lore: The history and lore surrounding colored gemstones is fascinating and very intriguing. Know it and share it at the counter with your customers; they love it.

• Be Responsible With Disclosures: Have a firm and comprehensive grasp of all aspects of treatments and enhancements and be able, in simple English, to explain and disclose them to the customer. Shoppers have the Internet at their disposal, and many of them arrive at the counter with more knowledge than many sales associates. Don't let that happen to you!

  •     Extra Tip: Jewelers of America provides timely information on gemstone treatment disclosure in its "Counter Intelligence" training program. The American Gem Trade Association and The Jewelers Vigilance Committee are other expert sources of information.

• Be Environmentally Aware: Today, many consumers are deeply concerned about environmental issues. The colored gemstone customer, maybe more than any other, will seek specific information about the source of a particular gemstone and assurance that it was removed from nature in an environmentally responsible way.

• Emphasis a Gemstone's Delicate Nature: Most sales associates know that, in most cases, colored gemstones are more fragile and delicate than diamonds. Share that with your customer. It’s your responsibility to educate the buyer on the care requirements of their new special gemstone. It’s more productive than explaining, after the fact, why she should not have cleaned her new opal ring with a Brillo Pad!