Every other week we ask retailers how they handle client requests, questions, and conundrums. This week we asked: “What’s the best way to calm the nerves of an anxious ring shopper?”

“Typically, an anxious ring shopper is anxious because he feels that he doesn’t have the knowledge. I ask them questions that I know they know the answer to. Don’t say bezel-set—you may as well be talking Japanese to them. I ask them things about themselves. What’s your girlfriend’s name? What does she do for work? If she’s a nurse, I’m not going to suggest a six-prong Tiffany that sticks up high. With anxious shoppers, I talk for the first half hour about nothing pertaining to jewelry.”
—Winklette Taylor, Perrywinkle’s Fine Jewelry, Burlington, Vt.

“You have to find out what frightens them the most. A lot of men want to know they’re getting the right thing at the right price, so I try to use what they do or what they’re interested in to put them at ease. We have a lot of men come in who are in the horse business, and I say, ‘I would feel the same way if I were buying a horse, but I would have to trust you because you’re the expert.’”
—Shelia Bayes, Shelia Bayes Fine Jewelers, Lexington, Ky.

@jckmagazine We would say “No matter what ring you choose you cannot go wrong as long as you both love each other” #happiness #confidence

— SNS Jewelry Studio(@SNSJStudio) February 27, 2013

“RT @jckmagazine: What’s the best way to calm the nerves of an anxious ring shopper?” They already got THE girl, this is the easy part!

— The Source Jewelers (@thesourceROC) February 27, 2013

Emili Vesilind

JCK Senior Editor