|
|
Cover
Retail Rap
By Phyllis Schiller
|
Opaque diamond and ethically sourced gold rings
from Dawes Design. |
The 4Cs are not the only things that make a piece of diamond jewelry a sales winner. In an ongoing series, Rapaport Magazine explores the “3Ws” — what’s selling, what’s not and why — by going straight to the people who really know — jewelry retailers. Each month, we ask a sampling of retailers to comment on the important issues that are facing the industry today. Here is what they had to say when asked: “Are your customers asking about whether diamonds and gold are ethically sourced?”
“The question is whether the owner and the executives of our company care about responsible sourcing — and the proof is in the pudding. We’re the only Forevermark jeweler in this part of the state. Prior to Forevermark coming to this country, I had been on a trip to Namibia, South Africa and Botswana. I try to make it a point to go to all the factories where our diamonds are cut and to visit all the manufacturers we use if I can. We still run an infomercial on Namibian diamonds and how those diamonds benefit that country. So we are actively talking about this subject and have been for a number of years. This was not in response to ‘Blood Diamonds’; this was in response to having been to the source — the mines — and having some knowledge of what was really going on.
“We need to make sure the diamonds that we’re buying are coming from the right places. So we buy predominantly from sightholders, where we know the sourcing. This company cares. And if we care, then the question of ethical sourcing is a nonfactor for our customers.”
“I don’t think they really come out and ask, ‘Is this made in America?’ But if I do have information on a piece being from a vendor out of Cincinnati or Chicago or something like that, I try to point it out to them. And when that happens, they do seem more interested. I think it’s a positive when it’s brought up but I haven’t had anyone say, ‘I’m not buying this if it’s not made here.’ The ‘Blood Diamond’ issue has not really been much of a factor for us. Being around for over 90 years, the trust factor is here, as well as the fact that we do very well with Hearts on Fire and those diamonds are all certified.”
“Not every customer is asking that question; we get it on occasion. It’s a small percentage. We try to explain that we only deal with vendors who put on their invoices that these diamonds to their knowledge are sourced from conflict-free areas. We don’t hear concerns about gold nearly as much as with diamonds.
“Once we’ve explained, they are happy that we show some concern about the issue. They understand that we don’t have all the answers but that we are showing some concern and we do have a policy in effect in the store.”
“Yes, they are. We’ve had a lot of customers, especially young engagement customers, asking for colored stones because they perceive diamonds as being unethically sourced. We sell a Canadian brand of diamonds and we also sell all-recycled gold for our custom work. I would personally love to carry a Botswana-branded diamond if there was one.
“It’s a complicated issue. It’s something that we have to figure out as an industry. It’s easy to get a 1-carat stone that’s ethically sourced, let’s say, from Canada. It’s much harder to get sourcing on a halo ring, for example, with a ton of small melee.”
“We sell Forevermark. The people who have seen the ads and are specifically asking for Forevermark, they are very concerned that the diamonds are responsibly sourced. But of the general public coming in, I’d say only about 30 percent ask. They’re interested in better quality these days and nicer makes. But most of the general public assume that the jewelry is responsibly sourced, so it’s not a huge question.”
“It’s not that they’re coming in asking about it, but that we’re very forthright in talking about it. That’s usually part of what we speak about with diamonds because, with the diamond companies I’m affiliated with, that’s important. I usually address it before it becomes a question. I think it allows the customer to know that we’ve got the fix on our ethics and how it relates to what we do for them.”
“No, that’s not really brought up a whole lot for us. We read about it but we don’t encounter that across the counter. If that is a benefit of the particular stone they’re looking at, we might talk about it. But otherwise, if they don’t bring it up, we don’t bring it up.”
“Occasionally, we get asked that question, especially with younger customers. And that is an area of emphasis for our company. We have a section of our website dedicated to fair-trade issues. More than five years before the ‘Blood Diamond’ movie, we had put a policy in place and had been asking our suppliers for assurances on sourcing. And we look at it as really a win-win.
“I think jewelers who try to do the right thing and try to proactively look at these kinds of issues are also the ones who are positioning themselves for a better share of the market in the future. I think that, more and more, consumers are going to be increasingly aware of these kinds of problems and looking for materials that are ethically sourced.
“We all have to define what kind of company we want to be. We’re just a small, mom-and-pop kind of store and we can’t solve the world’s problems. But because we can’t do everything doesn’t mean we can’t do something. So we have been an advocate. We signed up for the ‘Golden Rules’ pledge from Earthworks; we were on the record very early against the Bristol Bay mine. We have the capability of casting in-house using old gold, and if people have concerns about gold, we can cast using their old gold. We have assurances from as many of our suppliers as we can that they’re using recycled gold rather than new gold. We are a customer of Columbia Gem House, which does fair-trade colored stone jewelry and loose gems. It’s an area of interest for us. Martin Rapaport did a column a long while ago called ‘Spiritual Sparkle’ and to me it was an ‘aha’ type of article. It is still a surprise to me that no one has come up with a major diamond fair-trade brand. I think the market is screaming for one.”Article from the Rapaport Magazine - March 2013. To subscribe click here.
|
|
|
|