Pearl Selling Tips
I love pearls—I think they are the easiest thing to sell in a jewelry store. Love your product—you should be able to help almost everyone find a pearl piece they like—many times I show a customer pieces I like—they thought they didn’t like pearls because they had never really looked at them and realized the diversity of designs and pieces available. I can reduce any objection you usually encounter with diamonds or many other gemstones:
1. Price—I can sell you nice pearl jewelry that is finished with 14k gold starting at $49.00 (akoya pearl stud earrings). This can be a hard price point to find in a nice diamond piece. I can also sell you the finest Crown Imperial strand or jewelry that you can wear for all occasions, and top quality Tahitian or South Sea pearls and you can have a piece that will be the envy of everyone.
2. Age appropriate—we sell pearls for baby’s first gift, and they are just as great as a special gift for her 50th wedding anniversary or birthday. They are the perfect gift for the high school or college graduate, her 18th birthday, definitely her wedding day.
3. Style—pearls have been revered for centuries—you can still wear your grandmother’s pearl necklace and it is in style!! Watch any old movies, and you will see at least some of the actresses wearing a pearl necklace. Remember the tin cup necklace?? We are still selling that necklace that became popular from a movie. The basic pearl strand/necklace is a timeless piece of jewelry that is suitable for every lady—and every lady should have one in her wardrobe. (Side note: How many pearl necklaces do you have personally?)
4. Pearl wardrobe—many men come in and say she has everything in a certain gem (ie , bracelet, necklace, earrings, ring). You just keep going with pearls—the variety of colors, lengths and styles make it easy to give them multiple looks with 5 or 6 pieces. If you add in the great variety of freshwater pearls and the great fun designs there, it becomes a self purchase for the lady as well as a great gift item.
PEARL SELLING NOTES
Keep it simple!! Most people do not know anything about pearl grading or the difference in freshwater and akoya pearls. I like to just give them these basic points to start with:
Akoya pearls grow in saltwater creatures. If your grandmother had a nice strand of pearls, most likely that is what they were.
Freshwater pearls grow in mussels. We used to just see them as irregular pearls and very small. They are now much more round and are a great value in building a pearl wardrobe and adding color and great fun design.
Cultured pearls—this is where most people are confused. You need to explain that all strands of pearls we see are cultured—grown in beds in the sea—there are very few natural pearls in jewelry stores today (with the exception of those of you who sell American freshwater or Tennessee pearls—we still have some natural pearls there).
Lustre—I like to talk about pearl lustre. Most people can see this and notice a difference. I don’t go into nacre, spotting and millimeter size unless the customer brings this up—I like to go with beauty and romance! You should be able to explain those facts in a couple of sentences if they come up, but most times I don’t find them to be an issue. If you are a trusted jeweler and have a variety they can see the difference.
Color—I tell customers they should select the color or variation of color that is most pleasing to them—this puts their mind at ease if they really want a more rose color than white, or prefer a golden color than peach. I always have a variety to display the difference, and I always show them my nicest strand so they can judge for themselves.
Do educate your customer on pearl care. Remind them not to hang their pearl necklace—it should lie flat (hopefully in the nice pearl folder or box you sold it to them in so they always see your company name when they put their pearls on). Do not get cosmetics, perfume or hairspray on your pearls—be sure that all those have been applied and let to dry—then put on your pearl jewelry. If you get something on your pearls, wipe them off with a soft cloth.
Have your pearls inspected yearly by your jeweler. Quality (not necessarily expensive) necklaces and bracelets are strung on silk and it can stretch. If you wear your pearls often, they will probably need to be restrung once a year.