NYTimes IJOdiamonds.com article

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Thought this might interest readers here. I guess this allows the little guy B&M to fight back, but personally I think they should just learn to write an informative webpage and locals will find them if their inventory is good quality. I do like that you might eliminate some of the hesitation of having your stone set somewhere you didn't buy it:

New Jewelry Web Site Sends People to Real Stores

By BOB TEDESCHI
Published: June 5, 2006

ONLINE jewelers have built a $4 billion business on the idea that customers don't really need to see a precious stone before paying thousands of dollars to own it. Traditional jewelers want to build an online business too, but with a slight twist. Their motto: Don't buy online.

Last week, the Independent Jewelers Organization, a trade group representing more than 800 small jewelers, introduced IJODiamonds.com, where consumers can select diamonds and have them delivered to a local store for a personal inspection before any money changes hands.
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Full Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/05/technology/05ecom.html

 

[Regular Guy]

As you say, makes sense that the guys being beat up on are doing this, but also, as the article says....

''Some people want the face-to-face approach, some will say ''I don''t need it,'' '' he said. ''But if their customers go online, they''re going to say ''Let''s also go to Diamond.com, Blue Nile, Amazon.'' Once you send them online, you''re sending them to the wolves.''

For some, the slope will be made more manageable, but it''s slippery. Going to the ijo website, I see the selections offered are not huge, the data associated with presented diamonds is not nearly as helpful as what you will find on this website, a search for ideal diamonds produced none with an AGS pedigree to consider, inputting my zip code to identify a quality local merchant only showed one shop to consider in the DC metro area....the whole enterprise is just not very robust.

Leonid tried to offer some similar assistance on this web site not too long ago, and at least one vendor...diamonds on the web, I think tried to offer similar assistance, partnering with other local vendors, but I think dropped the practice.

What would seem to be a reasonable idea seems to be hard to execute with teeth. Not sure if it is a matter of not being committed to executing it well, or what the problem is. But a brief review of this site does not suggest they''ve come upon the solution.

 

[pricescope]

^, Nice find. Thanks for the article.

We cannot, however, re-post entire article from another source because it violates copyright law. We only can quote a few sentences and give reference to the original source.

 

[pricescope]

Date: 6/5/2006 6:25:20 AM
Author: Regular Guy

Leonid tried to offer some similar assistance on this web site not too long ago, and at least one vendor...diamonds on the web, I think tried to offer similar assistance, partnering with other local vendors, but I think dropped the practice.

What would seem to be a reasonable idea seems to be hard to execute with teeth. Not sure if it is a matter of not being committed to executing it well, or what the problem is. But a brief review of this site does not suggest they''ve come upon the solution.

It''s hard to move an elephant up the hill, especially when the elephant does not want to move his behind.

 

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It''s got to be hard to unify a rag tag bunch like small jewelers. I imagine there''s no real efficient communication method, and there''s probably little in the way of standards in the industry. IJO has to trust that the jeweler isn''t going to order something and then close up shop. I mean, I''m sure that''s not really a big worry, but in some ways I''d imagine they sort of have to verify you''re not running a jewelry shop out of the trunk of your car or something.

Nice job checking out the site. Doesn''t sound like a feasible solution for serious consumers. If their prices are better than B&M I could see "psuedo-serious consumers" using it as a way to keep from "overpaying" at a B&M. Hopefully PS shows up in google before IJO though.

Thanks for the edit, mod.

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[Modified Brilliant]

Date: 6/5/2006 10:17:34 AM
Author: ^
It''s got to be hard to unify a rag tag bunch like small jewelers. I imagine there''s no real efficient communication method, and there''s probably little in the way of standards in the industry. IJO has to trust that the jeweler isn''t going to order something and then close up shop. I mean, I''m sure that''s not really a big worry, but in some ways I''d imagine they sort of have to verify you''re not running a jewelry shop out of the trunk of your car or something.

Nice job checking out the site. Doesn''t sound like a feasible solution for serious consumers. If their prices are better than B&M I could see ''psuedo-serious consumers'' using it as a way to keep from ''overpaying'' at a B&M. Hopefully PS shows up in google before IJO though.

Thanks for the edit, mod.

^

^ Please be respectful of the fact that many of us have been in this industry over 25 years and started out in the family jewelry business (part of the rag tag bunch).

www.metrojewelryappraisers.com

 

[klavigne]

My "Rag-Tag" local jeweler will match any price I bring him from the internet. And nine times out of ten he has something very very close to what I am looking for, his inventory is huge and he will make anything you can dream of. He might be a small fish in a big pond but is nothing short of amazing when it comes to pleasing his customers. He might not have an internet presence and does not advertise but he''s been in business for over 40 years by word of mouth alone. I wouldn''t call that "Rag-Tag".

 

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Whoa, looks like my words are getting misinterpreted. By ragtag I meant non-standardized. I mean to emphasize that there are no easy ways to get the word out to the number of smaller stores en masse, that you''d need in order to make IJO effective. I mean to stress how difficult and time-consuming an undertaking it would be. In some ways you''d need to standardize the industry.

As a small business owner myself, I meant no disrespect to small shops. Quite to the contrary, I prefer the personal attention of those shops to the mall jewelers.

And now I''ve ticked off the mall jewelers...

^