ModernJeweler.com |

In my 26 years in the jewelry business, I have learned that I want to offer my clients distinctive, fresh, and different jewelry that they don’t see everywhere else in a personal, fun shopping environment. This sounds simple but it requires a great deal of research and investigation in the market and also time learning about your clients. Most of my clients stop by the store as many as 20 times during the year; therefore, we have to constantly change and evolve our look so they keep seeing something fresh.

My clients are modern fashion forward women that have definitive taste and know what they like. One of their biggest concerns is finding the right piece of wearable jewelry for today’s casual lifestyles. Part of my job is developing a relationship with each client. I care about my clients very much and take great pride in finding the next perfect piece for them to add to their growing collections.

I think people shop with us because we offer a very personal shopping experience with beautiful things. Consequently, I don’t buy anything that I wouldn’t wear myself. I also love converting and restyling clients’ old jewelry—sometimes just tweaking a little here and there can make something fresh again.

Even in troubled economic times, I don’t agree that you have to be conservative in what you offer clients. I try to stay abreast of current fashion trends because I am always looking for new styles to introduce to my clients for each season. Investing in good jewelry is a lot better than a closet full of clothes.

For example, we introduced Sevan, a very artistic line which no one in Houston had ever carried before. It has been very successful. It is beautifully designed, each piece one-of-a-kind, very old world fabulous jewelry.

At the recent Las Vegas shows, I found some fashion product that I think will add some excitement to the cases. It’s so hard for me to narrow it down because there were so many amazing pieces to choose from—like fabulous mountings and bright colored stones from Erica Courtney to the one-of-a-kind sliced diamond pieces at Nina Runsdorf and the high polished geometric “Jackson” collection from Mimi So.

Besides staying fresh in assortments, you have to make even more of an effort to remain fresh in your clients’ minds. Fortunately, we have a lot of referrals. Constant communication with our clients is very important.

We also feature a designer each month using a combination of advertising in prominent local magazines, such as the glossy fashion magazine Paper City here in Houston. We also utilize our direct mailing list and often host special events and trunk shows in the store. We also don’t hesitate to call customers and ask them to come by to see something new that we know they might like.

In a year when many retailers are concerned about the economy and consumers’ hesitation to spend, we remain positive! Special occasions are still going to come around and what better way to mark an occasion than with fine jewelry? With the right marketing and gorgeous jewels, business will happen. We don’t focus on the negatives. When times are tough, we just work harder.

I am so lucky because jewelry is my passion and I love what I do. That might sound corny, but there’s something to be said for authenticity. Clients understand and respect that.

Judi Bufkin
Judith Ann Jewels, Houston, Texas