The Plumb Club’s Podcast

5 Key Insights into the Lab Grown Phenomenon

On behalf of HK Designs, George Prout takes the listener on a journey through the state of affairs on the supply side of lab grown diamonds and what appears to be happening on the consumer side. He discusses the trends in the category and provides insight and tips that will help retailers navigate the the market and category. HK Designs is a vertically integrated company known for pioneering innovations and creating cutting edge designs. They supply an extensive range of diamond and gemstone jewelry to retailers around the world, including a lab grown diamond division called Craft Lab Grown Diamonds.

The Rise and Importance of Special and Custom Orders

Customers today want more personalization and customization in everything that they buy and retail stores can cater to that desire, often significantly increasing ROI and the ticket-price of the sale. Stuart Marcus and Binoy Shah provide numerous statistics on just how important customization is to several target consumer markets and why retailers should be embracing this customer. They provide tips on interacting with the special-order customer and advice on what to look for in manufacturer support, to help take confusion away and ease the sale. Stuart Marcus and Binoy Shah are with Asian Star, a preferred supply partner of leading brands and retail chains across the world for brilliant diamonds and innovative jewelry.

The Growth and Opportunity in Colored Diamonds

Colored diamonds can help a store stand out from competition, but with the growing increased consumer desire surrounding the category, they can represent increased sales opportunities to customers who are looking for the unique. Mark Funk talks about the growth of colored diamonds in Hollywood and among consumers in general, providing fun facts and historical stories about the various colors of diamond.  Mark Funk is the vice president of sales and marketing at CIRARI by Color Jewels, a prime source manufacturer building all categories of product, with a strong commitment to the expansion of colored diamonds.

Seed to Stone: A Behind-the-Scenes Tour of the Premium Diamond Growth Process

Consumer demand for lab grown diamonds continues to rise. It is more important than ever that a retailer can accurately and powerfully share the unique story behind lab grown diamonds. In this podcast Brittany Lewis, Chief Marketing Officer and Dr. Jonathan Levine-Miles, Chief Process Officer for WD Lab Grown Diamonds give a clear overview of the premium lab grown diamond growth process, to ensure retailers can answer questions at point of sale. They provide fun facts about lab grown diamond growth, as well as talking points on sustainability and traceability and give retail tips on engaging the next generation customer. WD Lab Grown Diamonds is a leading lab grown diamond manufacturer, founded in 2008. A global leader in high-quality laboratory created diamonds with distribution under the brands WD Lab Grown Diamonds and Latitude.

Building Your Business With Diamond Milestones

Long term customer relationships are vital to the success of your business. In this podcast sponsored by Jasani Group, a vertically integrated diamond company, Cheryl Kremkow shares how focusing on customer lifecycles can increase sales and profits. Structuring marketing, merchandising and sales on life’s milestones can help you make sure that customers come back to you to celebrate all their important occasions.

From the Laboratory: Everything Retailers Need to Know About Disclosure and Detection of Diamonds

Retailers are ultimately responsible for the final disclosure of the origin of the diamonds and diamond jewelry they sell. Before going across that final 18 inches of sales counter, diamonds must go through multiple processes including screening and detection, and laboratory testing and analysis to ensure that the consumer receives exactly what the retailer has represented as origin. Alethea Inns, Chief Learning Officer for Gemological Science International outlines some of the ways that a retailer can best detect and disclose laboratory grown diamonds, and why accurate disclosure of diamond origin is essential to the health of the jewelry industry.  

Piercing & Zapping Parties 101

Curating the perfect ear and wearing permanent jewelry are two of the biggest recent fine jewelry trends. In this informative “How-To” podcast, Duvall O'Steen and Katherine Whitacre, on behalf of Plumb Club Member Chic Pistachio, provide you pro tips for producing successful piercing and “zapping” parties to bring more Gen Z and Millennial customers into the store. Discover the tools required and the pitfalls to avoid so that your customers will have an exciting and pleasant experience of self-expression and/or gifting that they can talk about and share on social media, all with your expert help.

The Rising Popularity in Colored Gemstones

Colored gemstones are a continually growing category for today’s retailers. The reasons are multifold. Among them a changing consumer demographic, a changing economy, fashion and fashion influencers/celebrities. Oren Akhavan discusses each of the underlying reasons that account for the surge in colored gemstone popularity and illustrates how the category helps provide support and opportunities for a retail jeweler.  Oren Akhavan is the operations manager for Ryan Gems, a second generation family business specializing in both gemstone and diamond jewelry.   

Lighting is Essential to a Successful Jewelry Store

Great lighting is crucial for a successful jewelry store. In this podcast, Leslie McGwire helps listeners understand the goal of lighting and how the proper intensity of light impacts the merchandise and customer perception. She gives tips on best in-case lighting as well as the lighting in aisleways between the showcases. Further, she details how decorative lighting captures the customers attention and adds to the store’s perception. Leslie McGwire, ASID (American Association of Interior Designers) Allied, is an award-winning interior designer and author, with 35 years of experience in retail design and a specialization in jewelry store design. She is the owner of Leslie McGwire & Associates, Inc.

Programed For Success - Making Vendor Programs Work for You

Efficiency and effectiveness at the sales counter is a “must” for retailers. By simplifying the visual product and value presentation, a retailer can not only help a consumer understand the various options available to them within a category, it can help guide and expedite the consumers decision making process.  In this presentation, on behalf of Plumb Club Member Shefi, Kate Peterson of Performance Concepts illustrates how vendor programs allow the consumer to eliminate the need to search further, help them “self-qualify” on quality and budget options and assist the salesperson in closing a sale. Shefi was established in 1975 and is a top source for programs such as: Anniversary Bands, Clusters, Stackables, Diamond Hoops, Diamond Bracelets and Bangles, plus a variety of new Bridal Collections.