Sissy Jones, owner of the highly successful Sissy’s Log Cabin in Pine Bluff, Ark., broke up a serious-stuff meeting in New York a month or so ago with an explanation of why she expects Christmas business to be great this year. “My sales are going to be three times higher than last year,” she said. “I just know that because I bought three times as much!” Because Sissy Jones knows how to sell jewelry and knows her customers, she probably will do just as well as she plans. We certainly hope so. But the sad truth is that too many jewelers buy simply with the hope of selling, not with a well-thought-out plan. Part of the problem is that selling jewelry is such an unbalanced business. When you know that up to one third of your year’s total dollar volume may come between Thanksgiving and Christmas, it seems reasonable to load up the cases and shelves in anticipation. It’s na