To shop online or not?
These days, when we are all doing some amount
of online shopping, it’s worth asking whether it’s
always the right way to go. I do have clients
express surprise that anyone would buy jewelry
online, as it is such an emotional, visual and
tactile
purchase, but many people do so. Sometimes
the
results are good, sometimes not. Here are some
things to think about:
Most jewelry purchases, especially diamonds, are
best made by comparing one item to
another. When
looking for a diamond for an engagement ring, for
instance, you make your best decision by being
able
to look at two or three diamonds side by side in
various lighting conditions to see which one is the
prettiest. That may sound elementary, but it is true
that diamonds have different “personalities,” and
differences may be seen even in two diamonds of
identical sizes and quality grades. Our job is to
explain the grades and values to you; then your job
is to select the gem which “speaks” to you the
most. The only way you can compare several
diamonds side by side with online purchases is to
purchase all of those gems at once, with the option
of returning those you don’t want.
When purchasing a diamond, you must have the
option of being able to examine it under
magnification. And this doesn’t mean just a
hand-held loupe, it means a gem-grading
microscope. It is not fair to expect you to purchase
a diamond using tools you are not familiar with. We
will always encourage you to look at your diamond
under a DiamondScope.
Remember, you are purchasing a gemstone with fire
and beauty, not a grading report. It is the
diamond
on the finger which will elicit the “wow!” reaction,
not the piece of paper. You must be able to
look at
that diamond and compare it to others before you
purchase it.
Colored gemstone grading can be subjective, and
the
choice can be very personal. When you come
into
our store, we can show you the ranges of colors
available in various gems, explain how the sometimes
subtle differences in colors affect prices, and allow
you to make your choice based on which color
appeals to you the most.
Workmanship and durability can be very difficult
to
discern without in-person evaluation. When you
look
at a selection of jewelry in our store, we can show
you how to determine various degrees of
workmanship, which has everything to do with
durability and long-lasting satisfaction, and help you
make the best choice based on your budget and the
way the jewelry will be worn.
If you are buying jewelry for yourself, it can be
very
important to be able to try a piece on. Jewelry
in
the case, or in a photo, can look very different on
your finger or on your wrist. Having the ability to try
on a number of different styles can help you
determine what styles are flattering to you.
Jewelry can be a “blind” purchase. If you are like
most people, you know a little bit about jewelry, but
possibly not enough to know what makes one piece
worth $5000 and another piece, similar in
appearance, only worth $1000. You want to be able
to look an expert in the eye and ask what makes it
worth a particular price. Our experienced staff
can
do this, and can answer your questions about value,
durability, style, and authenticity. We can also
help
you plan for future purchases, so you create a
coordinated jewelry wardrobe rather than a collection
of mismatched items.
We will take trade-ins. You may have jewelry items
you do not wear, for any number of reasons.
We are always happy to let you know what kind of
trade-in value you might receive.
Shopping locally rather than online helps your
community at home. Locally-owned firms like
ours
support our communities in innumerable ways, from
donations to countless community schools and
organizations, to participating in local civic and
business organizations, to providing jobs, to
collecting sales taxes, to support our local schools
and public agencies.
And finally, buying jewelry for an important
occasion
can be an emotional experience and deserves to be
honored for that emotion. Selecting the jewelry
itself should be part of the occasion you are
celebrating, and the personal connection you
make
with the expert in the store can be an important part
of the whole celebration. We know how to
provide
suggestions, how to guide you through the selection
process, and how to make it a fun, rather than
scary, experience.
Online shopping can indeed be a convenience. Next
time you consider shopping online for jewelry,
however, give a local store like ours a call and
see if
we can make that purchase just as convenient and
much more fun for you.
| Sparkling Jewelry For The Holidays |
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Are you planning to attend many holiday
parties? If
so, be sure to bring your jewelry in to any of our
stores so we can clean it for you. Even if you
have
a home ultrasonic cleaner, bring it by. Our cleaning
machines are stronger and will always do a slightly
better job. In addition, we will check the settings to
make sure all is secure, something we are happy to
do any time for no charge.
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| Holiday Watch Fair! |
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Be sure to stop by our stores the weekend of
December 9 and 10! We are hosting our second
annual holiday watch fair. The largest
collections will
be at our Stanford Shopping Center store, where we
will have expanded collections of all our major watch
brands, including Breitling, Cartier, and Baume &
Mercier. In addition to our own on-staff experts, we
will have representatives from these companies
available to answer your questions and show you the
special features of the watches we have, and we will
be offering special pricing throughout. If
you are
considering a watch as a holiday gift, this would be
the weekend!
Saturday – Sunday
December 9 &
10
**Sunday, Stanford store only
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| Palo Alto Businesses Honored |
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Last month we were pleased to be one of the
Palo Alto businesses honored for our longevity by the
Palo Alto History Museum and Palo Alto Historical
Association. These groups identified over 60 local
businesses which have been in business for 50 years
or more. If you are from Palo Alto, you will
recognize some of the names: Palo Alto Sport Shop
and Toy World, Stanford Electric, University Arts,
Roller Hapgood & Tinney, and even Stanford
Shopping Center. And December 4 we will be further
honored to receive a Proclamation from Palo Alto’s
Mayor, Judy Kleinberg, recognizing our own 75
years
in business. This all sounds impressive, but
what
does it mean to you, our customers? It means that
every day, for 75 years, we have been re-
earning
your trust and confidence. Our customers are
smart,
and can easily recognize if we are not treating them
with
fairness and integrity. It means that you can have
confidence in the fact that we will give you good
advice, show you quality jewelry, answer your
questions honestly and, perhaps most important,
make a sincere attempt to correct any mistakes.
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Holiday 2006 |
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DETAILS
Holiday Shopping Intelligence
How often have you wandered into a jewelry
store in December, intending to find that perfect
gift,
only to be stumped by the variety of choices and an
inability to know which is the right one? It’s very
frustrating, isn’t it? You might end up picking
something out almost at random, just because you
are running out of time, but knowing inside that you
did not give the selection, the careful thought you
would prefer.
How to avoid this kind of stress? Sit down with
one
of our associates and make a plan for building a
jewelry wardrobe. Let us give you
suggestions which
allow you to build a collection of pieces which will
coordinate with each other, suit many different
occasions, and provide the recipient with years of
enjoyment. Here’s how it can work.
First, get some kind of idea of what your wife or
girlfriend or partner already has in a jewelry
collection. Note which items are worn often; this
can indicate a style preference. Then come in to
see us. Once we hear a little bit about the
recipient
(tall or short, fair or dark, classic or avant-garde) we
can give you suggestions which will work with the
jewelry already owned. Not only that, we can make
suggestions for items which you can find in the
future which will coordinate with what you have
already purchased. We will keep a record of what
you have purchased so we can help you build on that
wardrobe.
You can also make plans to upgrade the
collection
in the future. Diamond earstuds which look fine
today can start to look small in a few years. The
original earstuds may normally be traded up to a
larger pair. The same goes for other wardrobe
basics, such as pearl strands, diamond tennis
bracelets, even diamond engagement rings. Overall,
this kind of well-planned approach to jewelry buying
makes sense financially as well, as you know in
advance what you need to plan for.
You might also suggest that your wife or
significant
other come in to the store to look at our collections
and fill out a wish list card. This way you know
you
will be selecting something guaranteed to be liked.
Our goal is this: to make your jewelry gift-giving
as
easy and stress-free as possible. As we work
with
you, it is not unusual to be able to handle future
wardrobe additions with a simple phone call, knowing
we will select the right item from the list, giftwrap it,
and deliver it to your door. We’ll do most of the
work; you get all the thanks!
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