Ecommerce and Repairs

Jewelry Discussion
1

All,

Most of us jewelers are increasingly being approached by anxious
customers who have received a gift or who have a product ordered from
the net which is in need of repair, sizing, adjustment or appraisal.
Yesterday I had a customer come in with a three stone diamond ring
which consisted of a quarter carat center brilliant and two
triangular side stones. One of the side stones was secured by just
two prongs while the third prong was askew leaving the stone just
barely hanging in place. I told the client that it was a poor setting
job and that the diamond was in imminent danger of falling out. I
then told her that she should send it back to the seller. She
countered with “couldn’t I just reset it?”. I told her that my
doing that might invalidate the warranty. I also, quite frankly, told
her that it was obvious that this kind of inconvenience is the
drawback of doing business “out of town”. It pees me off to realize
that those of us who have worked long and hard to establish service
oriented local businesses should have to relegate ourselves to the
ignominious task of cleaning up other people’s messes. Maybe it is
time for us to take a stand and not accept this kind of work. I
really think that people ought to be made aware that there are
serious disadvantages to anonymously sourcing expensive goods !

Ron MIlls, Mills Gem Co. Los Osos, Ca.

2

For 15 years I did pretty much every kind of repair that came in the
door. It was at best a constant “learning experience” at worst…
well, I leave that to your imagination.

For the following ten years I was a bit more careful about what I
took in and sent about 30% of the work down the road.

For the past five years I’ve only done 3 repairs. I usually do them
for free. You see, I now only repair items that I made… and they
never need repairs.

Oh there’s a tipping now and then, sometimes a ring sizing, but
that’s usually all it amounts to - and it’s free. Brings the customer
back around, and we get caught up on what’s been happening in their
lives - while they watch me work.

Having all the trade shop experience that I had, and seeing the
garbage that the discounters and websites are selling I am glad (read
ecstatic!:slight_smile: that I no longer have anything to do with it.

Seems like 90% of commercial jewelry you see nowadays has stones
treated in one or more ways, made out of foil, has most stones cast
in place, and is designed to be worn by something or someone from
another planet!

Gone are the days when you just soldered the tips - right on the
diamond - without giving it a 20 minute inspection first. Everything
is drilled, filled, coated, or radiated… What I call disposable
jewelry with frozen spit for stones.

Teaching people to repair this stuff is a losing proposition for
both myself and the prospective student. I don’t need students
cussing me because I helped them into this situation!

I quit teaching general jewelry repairs about 5 years ago.

Brian P. Marshall
Stockton Jewelry Arts School
Stockton, CA USA
209-477-0550

3

Most of us jewelers are increasingly being approached by anxious
customers who have received a gift or who have a product ordered
from the net which is in need of repair, sizing, adjustment or
appraisal.

I feel like you do, Ron, and I have decided to turn away this type
of work. If I did take it in, I would tell them I am not responsible
for any other problems they have after I do the work I agreed to.
Someone brought a 3 stone ring at Costco, probably $15,000-20,000,
to be sized. I charged 3 times normal price, but I was pissed about
doing it. I have told a customer that pretty soon Wal-mart and the
internet is all they need, and pretty soon there will be no one like
me to do the repairs. Went right over their head.

Richard Hart

4

Or, we can try to educate those who have already made the mistake,
do the repairs at a profitable price, and by doing this graciously
win over a new customer who is now aware of the pitfalls of shopping
solely for price. By being ugly and punitive with these customers,
you might educate them, but when they now shop locally, it will be at
a different store, not yours. I know if it were me as the customer, I
would take the lesson to heart, but not return to a store that had
made me feel foolish. On the other hand, though, as a repair jeweler,
I would also be looking at the overall quality of the piece, and the
general attitude of the customer. I am presented with many similar
situations (bought it in the islands, on a cruise, at the local
discount chains blow-out sale, etc), where the stuff is junk to
begin with and no amount of fixing is going to turn it into a good
piece. Add in the type of customer who expects that now that I have
touched the piece, it is now my responsibility to warrantee it for
life. So, balance trying to win over a new customer with covering
your butt.

Jim
http://www.forrest-design.com

5

In a different incarnation, I used to do a lot of repairs on jewelry
that came from the shopping channels. Most of the problems were from
the poor quality workmanship and thin metals. I would explain this
and suggest that they return the piece. If they still wanted to do
the repair, I would use the problems to explain how hard it would be
to make effective repairs and hence justify the much higher price for
the repairs. Few ever walked and a few even learned to buy from us
first. I usually charged at least triple the cost of a repair to a
well made piece. Few walked. They paid more out of the emotional ties
to the piece than any common sense. It was their choice. I remember
one $90 ring that ultimately cost over $350 and she still though she
had a bargain!

Cynical, you bet! I have come to believe it is a sin for the foolish
to keep their money. Better it be in my pocket than someone else’s.
You give them a price, they can take it or leave it. Once enough
people get tired of this and quit buying the junk, we may see less of
it made. Now isn’t that a pipe dream!

Never said I was a nice guy.

Bill Churlik
@Bill_Churlik
www.earthspeakarts.com

6

Ron,

I have a sign hanging in my store that asks “customers” if they are
bring in a new purchase made at Walmart, K-Mart, the internet, etc.
for sizing and/or repair, please take it back to where it was
purchased. It explains that most jewelry from these retailers do not
meet our minimum standards for metal thickness and quality of
craftsmanship for us to assume the risk of attempting to work on. It
asks them to please return the item to the point of sale and request
that the work be done there.

It finishes with the following: “When Dad bought Mom’s ring he
intended it to last nearly a lifetime, and many have. Today’s
discount locations only want you to make it to the parking lot”.

We turn away two or three new ring sizings every day, on average,
and never concern ourselves with that loss of income. These are the
shoppers who are simply looking for a deal, and will never be
interested in developing a life-long relationship with their jeweler.
They live their whole life within a mile of your store, but have
never walked inside or given you a chance at winning their business
and loyality. They think Art Van is the king of furniture stores, and
believe that 50% off means exactly what it says. You are better off
without them, period!

Jon Michael Fuja

7

It is unquestionably your right to turn away this or any kind of
work. But it occurs to me that if you show the individual what is
wrong, graciously agree to do the repairs, and charge what they are
worth-- while making clear, politely, that you cannot promise that
something else will not go wrong tomorrow-- that you have made a
little profit, and the customer has learned the true price of her
"bargain", and you come out looking good.

Noel

8 
It is unquestionably your right to turn away this or any kind of
work. But it occurs to me that if you show the individual what is
wrong, graciously agree to do the repairs, and charge what they are
worth-- while making clear, politely, that you cannot promise that
something else will not go wrong tomorrow-- that you have made a
little profit

It never fails to amaze me, and Noel this is not specific to you,
those of you who do not have retail stores and actually had to deal
with these situations might understand better if you understand that
the customer has a problem, and when you take in that piece of crap,
the customer transfers psychologically the problem to the person who
accepts responsibility to correct what is wrong even if the repair
is to help the customer mitigate some of their loss. Might gain a
customer, might lose them, can go either way, it is a risk.

There is an old saying, no matter how much whip cream you put on
poo, it is still poo. And some of these customers do not learn
anything, they return again and again, with poor quality jewelry, or
I never see them again.

And doing something for a little profit, taking on someone else’s
problem and stressing and spending more time than anticipated has
not and never will be my idea of a good time.

I believe anyone in their right mind will refuse these jobs as soon
as they have something that is a bigger better deal, anything that
has less problems, more reward financially or emotionally.

Sometimes I joke that there should be a base charge for just having
to look at some jewelry, as in, it’s painful to see what someone’s
done to themselves, whether technically or esthetically challenged.

Richard Hart

9

Ron,

Maybe it is time for us to take a stand and not accept this kind of
work....

I empathize with you but what you are suggesting won’t work unless
you have a union that enforces it. Therefore, in my humble opinion,
the best way out is to enter into a symbiotic relationship with
online sellers.

Well, that brings me to the next question. How would such a
relationship work and what would be the terms and conditions of this
relationship? I have a few ideas but let us discuss this on this
forum.

Regards,
Rasesh Chasmawala.
Mumbai, India.

10

Brian,

This response is not directed at just you but everyone on Orchid
that has made an issue of poor quality work from web marketers.

I owned my own full scale Jewelry store for 25 years before I
decided to just do private appointment work and web based work.

I take pride in my work and the quality I offer and from what I have
seen there are many other people on Orchid that have websites and
offer very high quality work.

Just because someone offers a product online does not make it low
quality.

Greg DeMark
greg@demarkjewelry
www.demarkjewelry.com

11

Hi All;

I’ve heard a lot of good perspectives on this subject, and I thought
I’d throw in my 2 cents.

Yes, I do lot of these kinds of repairs. It’s one of those “don’t
try this at home” kind of situations. Fact is, after 35 years of
fixing stuff, all kinds of stuff, I’ve gotten good enough at seeing
problems coming that I can work on this kind of repair. Yes, I get
the occasional melt down (literally!). I play the odds, and usually
make enough to make it worth my while. I really don’t recommend
repairing the cheap stuff unless you’re good at sneaking up on it.

Many is the case where I have to say, “yes, I think I can fix this,
but I can’t guarantee it’s going to work out, and I can’t guarantee
you won’t have problems with it later”. If they still want to throw
good money after bad, it’s their choice, and I won’t take the hit. I
do the best I can for them.

I never make a customer feel bad about their purchase. You can be
completely right, but you can gently let them down that it’s not
worth it to repair (and don’t use that expression, “not worth it”).
Let them make the choice.

This is the way I feel about it. I’m a jeweler. People bring me
their jewelry to repair. The don’t know as much about jewelry as I
do. I either can fix it or I can’t. I don’t try to be a hero, but I
won’t be a snob either. Don’t think for a minute these people won’t
look at your inventory and know that it’s much better. Encourage them
to look at your stuff. Let them see that, yes, it’s usually more
expensive, but sometimes it’s really not. I believe that the Wal
Marts and the other big box stores and retailers of cheap jewelry on
the internet aren’t really taking business from us, they have created
their own market for people who previously thought that jewelry, in
general, was only for people with lots of money. But here’s the
kicker. Once they get used to jewelry being a part of their
lifestyle, they are going to start longing for some really good
stuff, especially when the crappy stuff disappoints them, and they’ll
figure out ways to dig deeper and get better goods. I’ll be ready to
help them with the upgrade.

But it really saddens me to see how people get taken by the junk
they buy. The fact is, just about anybody should be able to afford
somthing that makes them feel special. In the early days of the
unions, the wives of the men on strike used to chant, while their men
walked the picket lines, “We want bread AND roses!”

David L. Huffman

12

Bill,

People arrive at our door with all kinds of cheap jewelry in need of
repair. I remember one distinctly which was a bracelet bought at some
island in the Carribbean. It had cracked in the middle from wear. The
bracelet was hollow and made of 24 gauge. The bracelet lasted only 4
months and was ripped and chewed to bits. They paid $25. The repair
would have been $75 at least. The client ended up scrapping his cheap
bracelet and instead commissioned us for two solid ones of a
different but similar design of $100 each. They have a lasting memory
of their island trip and we had two happy customers. Sometimes you
just have to take the time to explain why a repair costs more than
the original piece.

And our happy customers? They each came back to take several
classes.

-k

13

well here is my twisted take on the matter ! i tell my customers "
there is only one way to save $$ on jewelry and that is to put less
gold in it ! " i also have ONE tray of low price point imported
(into the usa) junk then i say i have these items that are for
immediate sale if someone needs an inexpensive gift item or quick
outfit finisher. The gemstones are supposed to be natural but i
can’t garauntee it. sometimes they still buy the stuff most of the
time they experience an enlightenment and become aware that VALUE &
LOW PRICE are NOT bedfellows. lets all get julie andrews with a
spoonfull of sugar about this thing and make some lemonade, this
could really be a great opportunity in disguise-goo

14

I think there are many sides to the issues that Ron brought up here.
First of all, yes Greg, there are some fine jewelers selling through
the web. However there are far more companies and individuals selling
junk (of course, that sort of applies to bricks and mortar sales too)
on the web than stuff that isn’t. I continually get things in for
repair that were bought from junk sellers on the web and on EBay. I
also get junk in for repair that was bought from bricks and mortar
stores. The difference is that people who purchase over the web
usually have no clue what the pieces they are buying truly look like
and how they are made. There is no one there to point out to them why
one piece is priced higher than another. Additionally the constant
mantra from the web dealers is that they can sell things cheaper
because they are selling over the internet, but the fact of the
matter is that good quality does cost more no matter where it is
sold, so what they are really doing is selling poorer quality, not
cheaper.

Here’s a good example. Look at all the Viagra spam you get every day.
These guys are selling “Viagra” at what they claim are far cheaper
prices than you would pay in the drugstore. Sounds like it should be
accurate right??? Less overhead, cheaper costs. But if you buy your
Viagra from them will you get Viagra? Or something that has been
watered down? Or something that isn’t at all what it is purported to
be? Sure you might get lucky and end up with some pills that actually
are Viagra or you might end up with some that aren’t (of course all
of this could be in your head and the placebo effect might kick in)
or you might end up with poison. It’s going to be cheaper than going
to your pharmacy but what are you really getting? And is there
someone there who can talk to you about mixing it with other
pharmaceuticals you may be taking? Or who can truly discuss proper
dosage quantities?

Then there is the next issue that comes up with internet sales which
applies directly to the repair question. Very few of the companies
selling jewelry actually offer repairs and alterations of pieces they
sell, or even when they do, the customers are reluctant to send
pieces back both because of the inconvenience of the shipping and the
time frame. So that forces them to come to someone like me, who,
quite frankly, is often going to charge them a huge amount (relative
to what they paid) to fix a problem they never should have had to
begin with and that the original seller should have to handle.

And doing something for a little profit, taking on someone else's
problem and stressing and spending more time than anticipated has
not and never will be my idea of a good time.

Richard,

This is why I won’t work on repairs for a little profit. If I’m
going to take it in to work on I’m going to make some money on it and
when they bring in the junk we charge them more because we know it’s
junk and will cause problems for us. (Incidentally the high prices
don’t usually drive them away.)

Sometimes I joke that there should be a base charge for just
having to look at some jewelry,

You know there are businesses that charge you just to quote on jobs.
Maybe it’s not such a bad idea after all…

Daniel R. Spirer, G.G.
Daniel R. Spirer Jewelers, LLC
1780 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02140
617-234-4392
@Daniel_R_Spirer

15 
This is the way I feel about it. I'm a jeweler. People bring me
their jewelry to repair. They don't know as much about jewelry as I
do. I either can fix it or I can't.

This is how I feel about it too. And its paid off quite well for
about 30 yrs now. I stay busier than I even want to be, day after
day, for as long as I can remember, I have not even advertised for
around 15 yrs. I have found that the last person out the door is my
next advertisment, and I better have made a good impression, by being
professional, knowledgable, accurate, and polite. Battering their
‘jewelry purchase decision’ doesn’t accomplish anything but take the
situation to a negative place thats hard to sell anyone anything.
With today’s material prices, and marketplace in general, I think we
will only see more and more of this grade of goods coming over our
benches as time passes. We might as well get used to it. A little
guy simply can’t beat Wally World,and fellow associates, in a free
marketplace. But you sure can position yourself to reap
more-than-ample benefits from the big-guy dominance.

I have customers that will come in with their son’s broken $99 rope
chain, that Mom and Dad bought him for Christmas at Walmart, but
while they are here, will strike a deal with me for a multi thousand
$ custom piece for their spouse, or themselves. Cheaper stuff as
gifts to kids, friends, relatives, etc… but the sky is the limit
when its for their wife or hubby. They take these things back to the
place of purchase to hear ’ we can’t repair this’, and if they hear
the same, or worse, from us, what seperates us from the no-skill big
box places. Plus, the big-box stores send dozens of people to me
weekly, with the things that they haven’t the slightest ability to
handle, and if I start slamming their products, that very steady
flow of ‘free’ customers will soon dry up. Why would I want to pay
for advertising, when I can get my competitors to send me 20-50
perfectly good, ready to spend, new customers every week. These
people have agreed to spend $ before they even walk in my store. Its
like shooting fish in a barrel.

Besides, if you have the bench skills to handle it properly, and
profitably, why not? I have a $ rate per hour that I must make as a
minimum, and I don’t care if its a bubblegum machine ring with a
sentimental story attached, or a $10,000 piece, if I can make my rate
per hour, or more, and have a clear understanding of if, or any
warranty, in writing. Often times, this cheaply made piece is a
‘test’ piece that they bring in as a new customer, only to bring
better grade pieces later, once they have experienced dealing with
you on a less important item. I have a lady right now, that initially
brought in a lightweight ring purchased on tv. Then after pickup, she
brought in literally bags full of better pieces, she told me that the
first ring sizing made her decision for her because there was
absolutely no telltale sign of the ring being sized. Now I am
writing an insurance appraisel for over 300 medium to better pieces
as well as creating 3 mounting jobs for her. I sure am glad that I
didnt tell her that first ring was too cheap to size.

I have even laughingly told people that I guarantee a particular
piece to break if its worn, to emphasize how fragile it actually is.
But they still insist on making the repair, because Aunt Gertrude,
that raised them, gave it to them when they graduated high school 30
years ago. It was made cheap, and sold cheap, but has always been
worth at least a couple zillion hugs and kisses to them, because
‘cheap’ was even more than Aunt Gertrude could afford. Its been broke
for 29 yrs now, and everywhere they have taken it said ‘no way’, and
now, its your turn! Now is your chance to win them, maybe forever, or
just become ‘next’.

Ed in Kokomo

16 
I never make a customer feel bad about their purchase. You can be
completely right, but you can gently let them down that it's not
worth it to repair (and don't use that expression, "not worth it").
Let them make the choice.

I agree with the post from David Huffman. I see no value in making
the customer feel bad because they brought in a piece of junk. True,
they probably aren’t your customer, and they never will be if you
make them feel like a heel for buying crap. I live in a small town
and we have a local lawn equipment dealer/repairman that operates
like some of the suggestions I’ve seen posted here. I don’t buy cheap
outdoor equipment, but the experience of dealing with someone with
his attitude is such that I only go there as a last resort. I don’t
want people to have that feeling about coming in to see me. My father
always said “it’s not what you say, but how you say it”. I agree with
David’s concept of taking someone who isn’t your customer and turning
them into one. Teach them to appreciate better made jewelry and show
them it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg.

James S. Cantrell CMBJ

17

Greg,

You oughta know know that the web marketers that I referred to are
the ones who sell the mass manufactured crap I described. There isn’t
enough time in a day to get more specific…

Brian

18

There’s a name for people who buy things somewhere else and then
discover that that your advice and service is more valuable than they
originally thought. These are called customers. The dealer who sold
them the piece of junk has just lost them. What remains is how you
can gain rather than passing them on to the next guy.

It’s nearly always possible to repair this stuff, even if the
’repair’ involves making an entirely new piece that looks sort of
like the old one but that’s made properly. They may not like the
price, but this is a different issue. If they paid $50 to buy and it
costs $300 to repair it, they probably won’t do it but whether they
do it or not, you’ve now established that if they have any problem
with a piece they can probably fix it by bringing it to you, that if
they bring it to you it will be done correctly and not half-assed
which is what got them into this pickle in the first place and,
presumably, if they buy something from you they won’t have these
sorts of problems in the future. This is all good. Why deliberately
make them feel bad about their purchase when what you’re trying to do
is make them forget that other joker entirely and feel good about
coming YOU.

Neil

19

Ed in Kokomo says it best. He’s voiced one of the best
business/marketing strategies I’ve read on this forum.

It’s the way I’ve always worked in our store, and the KILLER
marketing part he mentioned was “I have even laughingly told people
that I guarantee a particular piece to break if its worn, to
emphasize how fragile it actually is.”

We guaranteed these low end items. Look, they buy them and last for
a long time, why should your workmanship ruin them? Besides, we
charged right and when you do you can have money to pay for problems.

I’m sure many jewelers are polite when they turn this business down
but Ed has shown people who own low end jewelry also own high end and
have money to spend on what they want.

Turn them down and they will be on a mission to find someone who
will fix it. If you send them away and they came to my store, I
promise you, you’ve lost a customer for life. They will NEVER tread
your doorstep again. Once my customer, they’ll never go to another
store for repair or custom again. They probably might shop product
from the case, but we’d have a better chance of that than you.

Our motto:

“The only thing we can’t fix is the Crack of Dawn and a Broken
Heart”

David Geller

P.S. Good Job Ed!

JewelerProfit, Inc.
510 Sutters Point
Atlanta, GA. 30328
(404) 255-9565 Voice
(404) 252-9835 Fax

20 
If you show the individual what is wrong, graciously agree to do
the repairs, and charge what they are worth-- while making clear,
politely, that you cannot promise that something else will not go
wrong tomorrow-- that you have made a little profit, and the
customer has learned the true price of her "bargain", and you come
out looking good.

Do you do repairs on this type of product, Noel?

M’lou Brubaker
Minnesota, USA