It’s June in South Texas and it’s HOT! As it usually does, the weather goes from spring to Summer swelter immediately. But what does that have to do with jewelry? Quite a bit, actually. Summer is usually a dead time for jewelers and is the worst time for their business. But that means it’s a good time for YOU! So crank up the a/c, hop in the car and do a little shopping for you, your loved one, or who ever else is on your jewelry list.
From now till mid September, the jewelry business as a whole suffers. Add the current economic situation into the mix and it really creates a train wreck for the local jewelers. For you though, that equates to some serious wheeling and dealing. Take a peek in your local shops, see what they have, make an offer on a piece and see what the jeweler offers back. Make a real offer and not half of the price of the piece offer. Markup’s are not what most people believe they are. A little bit of something is better than a whole lot of nothing as far as profit is concerned.
August is the prime time for your wheeling and dealing. It’s is dead in August for jewelers. I know of one jeweler that I worked for that suggested that they bowl in the showroom it was so dead. That’s the time for you though.
Your best deals will still be from your Mom and Pop family owned jewelers and from estate and antique dealers. Any of the mall owned stores or chain jewelry companies will not work to get you the best prices. They may work with you for a tiny bit but not much because of the restrictions of their home offices. There are others that will provide you better deals and service to go along with your piece.
You know who to buy from. Now you need to know what to buy. New jewelry has new pricing attached to it and there’s not a lot of room to move. Antique and estate are where you get your best jewelry deals. Antique jewelry has to be 100 years old or more. Estate jewelry can be 15 minutes old but it’s pre-owned and less than 100 years old.
When buying antiques, go to a reputable source that knows antiques. Look at other pieces on line from the time period for a “like-ness” or theme. No two antique pieces will ever be alike. Your best source will be a dealer that has been in the antique business for quite some time and has a good reputation in the community.
Estate jewelry is a little wider open for you at the moment. You can pick up some great deals whether you are looking for a big diamond, a Rolex watch, pearls, pins or brooches, cameos, or what ever strikes your fancy. Graduated cultured pearls are not in style but offer one of the best buys for the person with a minimal budget. Don’t hesitate to make an offer to an antique or an estate dealer.
Ask what’s been in the case a long time. There’s always something that’s been there a while and the jeweler would love to get out of the inventory. Most of these pieces may be out of style at the moment. Maybe you’ll love the piece. Start your own style. Buck the trends. You can get a fantastic deal that way.
If you can’t pay for it all at once, ask about a lay-a-way. Again, because of the economic climate, that tried and true old way of getting a desired piece is making its way back into common business practice. Discuss the details with the jeweler before embarking in this area. You may pay closer to the retail price for this because the jeweler can’t use the money as they would from an immediate cash sale. It’s a service worth paying a little extra for and it’s a great way for you to get a new piece for yourself, a loved one or for the clever shopper, an early Christmas present.
Even though it’s hot, hot, hot outside, you now know about the deals you can have for a piece of jewelry, where to find them, and who to buy it from. That should make you feel cool as a cucumber with a hot deal in one hand and still keeping some of your hard earned cold cash in the other!
