The JA Report: News, Tips & Trends from Jewelers of America

Practice Good Citizenship Year-Round

Being an active and positive force in your community shouldn’t just happen during the holidays. Jewelers of America’s “Cracking the Code: A Guide to Jewelers of America’s Code of Professional Practices” encourages you to connect with and give back all 365 days.

Each month, we're excerpting sections of the Guide, offering up insightful strategies to help improve your business. This month, we share tips on getting more involved with your community.

JA's Communications Toolkit

As jewelers, you'll experience more than a third of your annual sales in the next two months. With the extra foot-traffic could come extra inquiries into your store practices and how your business responds to current ethical issues that affect the jewelry industry, like diamonds from Zimbabwe, gemstone treatment disclosure or responsible gold mining.

Ensure your sales staff is ready for any questions they may receive this holiday season by having them review “Cracking the Code," the comprehensive online guide to Jewelers of America’s Code of Professional Practices. The online guide is designed to boost your bottom-line by giving you strategies to reinforce your customer's confidence in the products you sell.

Each month, we're excerpting sections of "Cracking the Code" to highlight the insightful and creative strategies included in it. This month, we spotlight the section in "Consumer Communications" that reviews JA's issue guidance -- an exclusive benefit to JA members.

Cracking the Code: Strategize Store Communications

Talking to your customers about the beauty of a piece of jewelry comes easy, but are you able to communicate your professional practices that support the jewelry you sell? This month's sneak peek of Jewelers of America's new online guide, “Cracking the Code: A Guide to Jewelers of America’s Code of Professional Practices,” previews a chapter on strategizing consumer communications. 

In Section 2, "Communicating the Code," JA members get tips on how to communicate their strong commitment to ethical, social and environmental practices. The excerpt below details strategies to identify your target audience and the issues that matter most to them.

The guide is part of the JA website’s new eLearning Center at www.jewelers.org/elearning/.

Cracking the Code: Practice Full Product Disclosure

In August, Jewelers of America launched “Cracking the Code: A Guide to Jewelers of America’s Code of Professional Practices.” The guide is designed to help Jewelers of America members protect their businesses and achieve high standards for ethical, social and environmental practices.

To highlight the insightful and creative strategies included in "Cracking the Code," we’ll be offering regular "sneak peeks" at its content, which is divided into three sections: 

• "Living the Code" with information on specific JA practices
• "Communicating the Code" with tips on communicating responsible business practices
• "Beyond the Code" -- an overview of the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC)

This month, we focus on the important and timely topic of proper product disclosure. 

Analyze Your Business Ethics

Jewelers of America recently launched a comprehensive online guide to its Code of Professional Practices, titled “Cracking the Code: A Guide to Jewelers of America’s Code of Professional Practices.” It shows JA Members how to use JA’s Code of Professional Practices to build their business and increase profitability, customer satisfaction and customer retention. The guide is part of the JA’s new eLearning Center at www.jewelers.org/elearning/.

To highlight the insightful and creative strategies included in "Cracking the Code," we’ll be offering regular "sneak peeks" at its content, which is divided into three sections: