February 12, 2018
Private Jeweller vs Retail Store
Often times when clients first inquire with me, a very common question that I get asked is whether or not I have a retail store - to which the quick answer is no I do not. That said, this blog post is to explain why I chose to work as a private jeweller over opening a store, to discuss all the benefits that this business model has brought to my incredible clients, and those that I can hopefully one day bring to you as well.
Having gone through all the same motions that many of you have, bouncing from store to store trying to find the perfect ring for myself, it wasn’t long before I realized that I simply was not going to find my dream ring sitting somewhere in a retail store waiting for me to come find it. If you have ever walked into a jewellery store at the mall like a Peoples or Michael Hill, you surely know what I am talking about. These stores are filled to the brim with endless designs of ready-to-take-home rings at a full retail price and yet somehow, none of them are exactly what you were picturing in your head as the one! Then, while in the store a salesperson will approach you trying to help, making suggestions that either just don’t hit the mark, don't fit the budget, or that as a last resort you can pay a hefty customization fee to try and change into something you might actually like. In the end, what you are left to ponder is if it's going to be worth spending the extra few hundred dollars to try and find out whether or not they will be able to successfully design your dream ring, especially given that you didn’t like any of the rings they had in stock to begin with.
Simply put, a retail store environment is limited in what they can do for each individual client because of the way their business is structured. The primary goal/purpose of a retail store is for you to walk in, see something you like, buy it, and leave. That is why they built a physical location for you to visit and put a big chunk of money into ready-made inventory-- it makes perfect sense that ideally they'd prefer to sell you something they already have. Pretty much, unless you are willing to shell out more of your dollars for them to go above and beyond for you- chances are they won’t. To be fair to retail though, it’s not completely unreasonable for that to be a common practice. I don't think it's the case at all that they don't want to go to extra mile for customers- but more so that it's not in their best interest to do so financially. Think about all the costs associated with operating and maintaining a retail store front: a decently sized space is needed to operate in, which is often associated with a monthly rental fee - $. The space has to be renovated to look the way they need it to - $$. They have to pay to purchase or to produce all of the products that fill up the store - $$$. They need to pay for staff to service the customers that come in - $$$$. Security, insurance, office supplies, furniture, décor, advertising, etc… the list goes on and on. All of these things are taken into consideration when building a business plan and are therefore factored into the cost of the products sold in the space so that the business can not only pay its bills - but ideally turn a profit as well. So when you hear the term ‘retail mark-up’ that is what they are referring to - the inflated amount that a retail store needs to charge for their products in order to sustain their business and afford the overhead costs associated with their daily operations.
As a private jeweller, my operating costs are nowhere near that of a retail store front and because of that, I am able to offer some of the most competitive and affordable pricing for my clients - simple as that. Now, in case that weren’t incentive enough, when you work with me you also get the benefit of having my undivided attention during our scheduled consultation so that I am able to answer any and all of your questions in a calm, no-pressure environment. I book each of my clients in for an hour so that you have plenty of time to view the stones, rings, design/choose your setting and again, ask as many questions as you like. I don’t charge any fees to have a ring customized to your exact specifications as all of my rings start from scratch and therefore each ring I make is already custom with the potential to be one-of-a-kind! Lastly, working privately, I am also able to hold extremely flexible hours in order to meet the needs of my clients and accommodate those who are only able to come by later in the evenings and on weekends. Find a cheaper price in any physical retail store and I promise to beat it.
In conclusion, the reason why I started this company was to expand on all that I learned from personal experience on the hunt for my own ring come true, so as to help others achieve the very same thing without having to compromise or settle. What I learned from that experience is that being picky is not something to feel bad about and that the benefit of working with a private jeweller and being able to design the ring of my dreams from scratch, far outweighed any type of convenience that a retail store might have had to offer. My goal as your private jeweller is to make sure that the process of creating a custom dream ring for yourself or the person you love stays as easy and stress-free as possible. No gimmicks, no pressure, no frills - just beautifully designed and perfectly crafted moissanite engagement rings for everyone!
Xoxo Ring Come True
Having gone through all the same motions that many of you have, bouncing from store to store trying to find the perfect ring for myself, it wasn’t long before I realized that I simply was not going to find my dream ring sitting somewhere in a retail store waiting for me to come find it. If you have ever walked into a jewellery store at the mall like a Peoples or Michael Hill, you surely know what I am talking about. These stores are filled to the brim with endless designs of ready-to-take-home rings at a full retail price and yet somehow, none of them are exactly what you were picturing in your head as the one! Then, while in the store a salesperson will approach you trying to help, making suggestions that either just don’t hit the mark, don't fit the budget, or that as a last resort you can pay a hefty customization fee to try and change into something you might actually like. In the end, what you are left to ponder is if it's going to be worth spending the extra few hundred dollars to try and find out whether or not they will be able to successfully design your dream ring, especially given that you didn’t like any of the rings they had in stock to begin with.
Simply put, a retail store environment is limited in what they can do for each individual client because of the way their business is structured. The primary goal/purpose of a retail store is for you to walk in, see something you like, buy it, and leave. That is why they built a physical location for you to visit and put a big chunk of money into ready-made inventory-- it makes perfect sense that ideally they'd prefer to sell you something they already have. Pretty much, unless you are willing to shell out more of your dollars for them to go above and beyond for you- chances are they won’t. To be fair to retail though, it’s not completely unreasonable for that to be a common practice. I don't think it's the case at all that they don't want to go to extra mile for customers- but more so that it's not in their best interest to do so financially. Think about all the costs associated with operating and maintaining a retail store front: a decently sized space is needed to operate in, which is often associated with a monthly rental fee - $. The space has to be renovated to look the way they need it to - $$. They have to pay to purchase or to produce all of the products that fill up the store - $$$. They need to pay for staff to service the customers that come in - $$$$. Security, insurance, office supplies, furniture, décor, advertising, etc… the list goes on and on. All of these things are taken into consideration when building a business plan and are therefore factored into the cost of the products sold in the space so that the business can not only pay its bills - but ideally turn a profit as well. So when you hear the term ‘retail mark-up’ that is what they are referring to - the inflated amount that a retail store needs to charge for their products in order to sustain their business and afford the overhead costs associated with their daily operations.
As a private jeweller, my operating costs are nowhere near that of a retail store front and because of that, I am able to offer some of the most competitive and affordable pricing for my clients - simple as that. Now, in case that weren’t incentive enough, when you work with me you also get the benefit of having my undivided attention during our scheduled consultation so that I am able to answer any and all of your questions in a calm, no-pressure environment. I book each of my clients in for an hour so that you have plenty of time to view the stones, rings, design/choose your setting and again, ask as many questions as you like. I don’t charge any fees to have a ring customized to your exact specifications as all of my rings start from scratch and therefore each ring I make is already custom with the potential to be one-of-a-kind! Lastly, working privately, I am also able to hold extremely flexible hours in order to meet the needs of my clients and accommodate those who are only able to come by later in the evenings and on weekends. Find a cheaper price in any physical retail store and I promise to beat it.
In conclusion, the reason why I started this company was to expand on all that I learned from personal experience on the hunt for my own ring come true, so as to help others achieve the very same thing without having to compromise or settle. What I learned from that experience is that being picky is not something to feel bad about and that the benefit of working with a private jeweller and being able to design the ring of my dreams from scratch, far outweighed any type of convenience that a retail store might have had to offer. My goal as your private jeweller is to make sure that the process of creating a custom dream ring for yourself or the person you love stays as easy and stress-free as possible. No gimmicks, no pressure, no frills - just beautifully designed and perfectly crafted moissanite engagement rings for everyone!
Xoxo Ring Come True