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A recent first-time customer made an impression on us here
at Poway Fine Jewelers. She came in with an idea; she wanted to incorporate the
birthstones of her three children into some sort of piece of jewelry. A
pendant? A ring? She couldn’t decide. She came in the first time and perused
our cases to no avail.
Something so special and one-of-a-kind couldn’t possibly
be sitting, already together and perfect, waiting her arrival, could it? Nope.
That’s not how this business works.
Sure, there are always those moments where a customer walks
into our store, knows exactly what look, style and stone they’re seeking, and
fall in love at first sight with one of our pieces. But for someone wanting
something so unique, this would have to be a custom-made piece.
This woman has been struggling a bit. She thought about
using gold from another ring. Should she use stones from a past ring as well?
Or start from scratch? Should she sell some of her old, forgotten pieces still
sitting in closets at home, or hang onto their sentiment? For those of you who
understand the importance of a piece of jewelry, you know this woman’s
struggle.
We certainly do. A piece of jewelry is a lifetime
investment. It’s something that will get handed down from generation to
generation, meaning something different and beautiful to each who wears it. It
will contain stories and memories, and the older it gets, the more cherished it
becomes. This woman was not going to make this decision lightly. Aside from the
financial investment in a piece like this, there is also the emotional
investment, and with both, value and longevity are essential.
Before making a decision, this customer needed to think
about it, sleep on it, let the choices absorb into her thoughts until she was absolutely
sure which one was right for her. Her daughter might wear this ring someday;
maybe one of her future daughter-in-laws. It must be beautiful, captivating,
and full of heart. After all, this ring will symbolize her children, and what
is more valuable than that? She wants to smile and think of her children every
time she glances down at her finger. This ring needs to be perfect. (No
pressure, Tim!)
And that is why he is smack dab in the middle of the
decision-making process. During every visit with this particular customer, Tim
seems just as perplexed about her decision as she is. He goes into deep,
careful thought, rummaging through his brain as if able to draw from the same
decision-making knowledge that she is able to draw from hers. He doesn’t, of
course, but he knows that. With Tim, what starts out as a complex decision
turns smoothly into a pleasant conversation of reminiscing and weighing options
– a combination of the most emotional and practical ways to make these kinds of
decisions.
Tim has spent hours with this customer, and he will get it
just right. That is Tim’s specialty. He has been in the jewelry-making business
for more than 40 years. He has seen thousands of pieces, worked on hundreds,
and has given the same care to every single one. Together, they decided on
three channel-set, stackable rings. Each ring will contain seven stones – four
colored and three diamonds.
One will contain green diamonds rather than her child’s
birthstone of peridot. The second will have red rubies, and the third will
contain four stunning blue diamonds in place of her child’s birthstone of blue
zircon. This ring, filled with brilliant diamonds and rubies, will undoubtedly
be the striking, long-lasting piece of jewelry she is seeking.
Once Tim works his magic of creating such a piece, this
customer will have a ring full of precious stones with her at all times,
containing lifetimes of memories that she will carry with her forever. And that
is what jewelry is all about, right? There is a story behind every piece. Tim
is helping this customer tell hers. And that’s what we do for you and every
other customer we work with. So, bring us anything and everything – from
thoughts, old pieces, new ideas, contemplations, drawings – whatever it takes,
and we will make it happen.
It’s that simple.
