True Blue

Some customers need help with even the basics of jewelry, while others are connoisseurs—savvy women who have a passion for jewelry and fashion. They already have an impressive collection of jewelry, so when they shop they look for pieces that fit their wardrobe or simply seduce their design sense. These women, like Bonnie Adleman of Richmond, Va., can become a jewelry retailer's top clients—but only if salespeople appreciate their sense of style and love of jewelry.

By Carrie Soucy, Senior Editor -- JCK Online, 11/1/2001 2:00:00 AM

Bonnie Adleman, 55, buys jewelry for herself about four times a year, but she drops in and browses the cases at Schwarzchild Jewelers much more frequently than that. She likes to look at and touch jewelry, and she loves to try it on.

"I've always loved jewelry, ever since I was a little girl. It's just such a feminine thing, and it makes you feel beautiful," she says. "But you don't know how wonderful it is until you try it on."

Above all, she relies on the expert advice of her favorite salespeople. Whether just dropping in for a look though the cases or coming in armed for a purchase, Adleman says she is greeted with an enthusiasm and professionalism that keeps her coming back to her favorite jewelry store.

Adleman, a poised businesswoman who owns her own modeling agency, has fair skin, light blonde hair, and blue eyes. She is drawn to color and knows not only which gemstones she loves but also which look best on her. She favors blue stones—a fact that is remembered by Schwarzchild employees Trish Harris and Cindy Belcher.

Adleman enters Schwarzchild on makeover day dressed in a classic black top, diamond stud earrings, two strands of faceted tanzanite and pink tourmaline bead necklaces, two diamond line bracelets, and a gold Rolex. She wears diamond stack rings on one hand and, on the other, a ring with blue sapphires and diamonds.

For months, she has been eyeing a Color Story necklace with a large iolite and blue topaz flower on a strand of aquamarine beads. The logical earring choice is the matching set from the same designer, which she tries on.

"It's really nice as a set," Adleman says, then adds, "It is very pretty, but it's too matched for me."

Instead, a more classic pair of iolite and diamond earrings is chosen. Now unsure about her necklace, Adleman worries about timelessness—whether she will want such a statement-making flower-motif piece as time goes by. Harris and Belcher suggest another necklace that features a diamond-accented iolite pendant; it matches the earrings, but the effect is too formal-looking for Adleman's classic style.

"I think I would wear my diamond studs with this necklace," she offers.

Harris, however, recognizes an opportunity. Respecting the customer's desire to pair the piece with diamond earrings, she suggests diamond pavé hoops, which Adleman had not considered. When she tries them on, her smile grows and she is focused on her image in the mirror. Though an expert about fashion, she's surprised and grateful for the jewelry expertise of Harris.

Picking up on the blue theme of the jewelry chosen thus far, Harris suggests stack rings in blue sapphires and diamonds—a set of which is one of Adleman's favorite pieces in the store.

For her other hand, the search is on for something that, unlike the sapphire and diamond rings, is a little different. Harris suggests something in yellow to contrast with the white gold set Adleman has chosen … and a fancy yellow diamond solitaire in an 18k gold ring does the trick.