Question: When a customer asks for "silver" wedding bands, what do you think he is asking for?

Arnaud Van Tilburgh · Mar 21, 2014

I feel the need to point on this and start a tread on it because both customers and jewelers are talking about different things.

About 10 years ago, I had my first customers asking for silver wedding bands.
So I thought, what is going on, are people running out of money?

It took me one year to find out that in fact they didn't ask for the material "silver" but the color silver.

Now a days, still they keep asking silver jewelery but now I know what they mean.
Most of the time they are only referring to the color "silver". They don't even know gold could be white as well.
So if you ask them why not gold, you prompt will get the answer, that is old fashion. Because there grandparents do wear gold, and it is always yellow they think.
All white jewels are silver, in most cases they have no idea about other metals like platinum, white gold, blue gold rose gold titanium, aluminum etc.

So if you deal with customers asking for silver wedding bands, do me a favor and try to find out if they are referring to the color or the material.

When I explain it to my customers, I tell them, no you do not have silver wheels on your car. :biggrin:

arnaud

Willem Parel · Mar 21, 2014

Mostly I deal with jewelers Arnaud so I do not have that question that much.
But I know that many people prefer silver instead of gold just for the material, not only for the color.
I think it's a good thing with wedding rings to inform the customer about the whole range of possibilities.

Roger B · Mar 21, 2014

The knowledge of customers who supposedly do their research prior to going out to buy their jewellery astounds me. Most of my customers will know what they really want and ask for the right metal but are unsure as to the quality (carat) they want.

As an aside - one young fellow came into the shop a few years ago with his girlfriend and whilst they were looking at the rings he commented that he went out into the bush and found a lump of gold but his main goal was to go out and find a nugget of white gold!!

Roger

DakotaDocMartin · Mar 21, 2014

Roger B said:
As an aside - one young fellow came into the shop a few years ago with his girlfriend and whilst they were looking at the rings he commented that he went out into the bush and found a lump of gold but his main goal was to go out and find a nugget of white gold!!

That's funny! You wouldn't believe the number of people who actually think that Black Hills Gold jewelry is mined from the earth in those colors. As if the mine in South Dakota produces a special gold found nowhere else.

Brian Marshall · Mar 21, 2014

Heard over the years at various shops & exhibitions:

"Yep, there's only a coupla those rare white gold mines... and that's why it costs so much!"

And then, the best one:

"Yeah, those black spots in that diamond yer lookin' at - that's how ya can tell that it came from the famous African Spotted Leopard Mine!"

(I've always assumed that that statement left the door open for the even more rare solid black diamonds that come from the Black Leopard Mine?)

Brian

And yeah, you DO hear a lot about the Black Hills colored gold mines... Arnaud doesn't have to contend with that. 10K is kinda looked down on in Europe...

Marrinan · Mar 21, 2014

Neal, Rose gold comes naturally from several mines, One is the Homestake in Lead SD down to the 3000 foot level then got real scarce farther. Another region that naturally produces rose gold is Cripple Creek mines in Colorado. I worked the Homestake down at 9000 foot level for one summer 120 degrees at the face, rock to hot to touch bare handed. Worked twenty min-twenty min in air conditioned room. Grew-up and worked the Camp Bird, Revenue and Yellow-Rose as summer jobs while still in high school. Yellow Rose had high zinc content and produced some green tinged color. In all these the impurities were removed in the milling process and yellow 24kt was shipped. Black Hills is the grape leaf/grape developed by Borglin (sp) to make money while he sculpted a mountain, Fred

DakotaDocMartin · Mar 21, 2014

Marrinan said:
Neal, Rose gold comes naturally from several mines...

It's gettin' deep... I had to put on my rubber boots! :biggrin:

Marrinan · Mar 21, 2014

Neal, When the earth goes occasionally molten do you find it hard to believe that copper and gold come into contact? Sitting on my mantel I have a piece of pure copper taken from between boulders after a blast at 2100 feet below the portal. In that same blast we recovered a large quality of iron pyrite, lead, zinc, copper pyrite and silver as well as gold. All from a ten foot face. You should read a little more about base metal, hard rock mining before you put you foot in it. Pun intended.

monk · Mar 21, 2014

marrinan : i don't want to embarrass you, but you're dead wrong ! i have a tree in my back yard that grows gold of any color you want, you just have to know when to pluck the leaves.
arnaud: something i do that's a bit controversial to some, i allow a client as much freedom as they want in producing the design work they ultimately get. this can produce a real barrier to effective communication regarding what a person actually wants. it can also lead to some real trashy looking bling.i always show sAMPLES of what things should look like. then i try to stay within whats good and what the person wants.

Brian Marshall · Mar 21, 2014

And just to take us COMPLETELY off the subject the thread... (sumthin' I'm expert at doin')

Here's what I have posted over my bench:

My Guarantee - I promise to make you exactly what you asked me to make.

I DO NOT promise that what you asked me to make is gonna be what you thought you wanted!

PAY ME!

Brian

monk · Mar 22, 2014

brian: i got a terrible headache thinking what that means !

DakotaDocMartin · Mar 22, 2014

Brian Marshall said:
I DO NOT promise that what you asked me to make is gonna be what you thought you wanted!

To continue your thread hijacking: That reminds me of a quote we used to see made into posters back in the 60's and 70's (Old hippie freak days):

“I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I’m not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.” Robert McCloskey

Brian Marshall · Mar 22, 2014

Monk, you must not work for very many women customers... (not denigrating women here, this is from actual experience - and yes, some men are this way, just fewer)

Women after all, are the jewelers best customers. Just happens about 1 out of 20 times. With the guys, maybe 1 out of 100?

We will agree on exactly what is to be made/engraved or set. When the job is finished, a fair percentage will try it on and say "Oh, well, I didn't think it would look like this".

This is after thoroughly explaining, sketching, laying out materials, showing similar work or images, carving and trying on the wax model (if it's a casting), actually seeing the piece go through the various stages of construction or engraving - and approving it every step of the way!

Brian

Arnaud Van Tilburgh · Mar 22, 2014

In my opinion we still are on the subject, I love to read these of yours,
It is always a challenge for every craftsmanship to deal with customers who are ignorant, but most of the time we succeed making them happy and getting paid for that.

arnaud

monk · Mar 22, 2014

arnaud: about 20 years ago a mother and her daughter asked me to do a variety of items for a restaurant they were about to open. they were quite happy with the engravings. they also wanted a 4 x 6' mirror etched for the place. they nearly began a fist fight in my office with their opposed design ideas. i sent them packing, tactifully as i could. they came back a few weeks later-- i could still sense one or the other was going to be unhappy. i ended doing the job the way i wanted, not close to what either lady wanted. they were quite surprised & happy with the result. me too, as i probably would have bought them a new mirror had the both disliked it. i no longer discuss any work with more than 1 person. it's not a mistake when you have learned from it !

LVVP · Mar 28, 2014

Brian Marshall said:
And just to take us COMPLETELY off the subject the thread... (sumthin' I'm expert at doin')

Here's what I have posted over my bench:

My Guarantee - I promise to make you exactly what you asked me to make.

I DO NOT promise that what you asked me to make is gonna be what you thought you wanted!

PAY ME!

Brian

Brian,

thank you very much, it is exactly what I need. If you do not mind I will put this slogan in my shop too

Question: When a customer asks for "silver" wedding bands, what do you think he is asking for?

Arnaud Van Tilburgh

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

Willem Parel

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

Roger B

Elite Cafe Member

DakotaDocMartin

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

Brian Marshall

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

Marrinan

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

DakotaDocMartin

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

Marrinan

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

monk

Moderator

Brian Marshall

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

monk

Moderator

DakotaDocMartin

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

Brian Marshall

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

Arnaud Van Tilburgh

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

monk

Moderator

LVVP

~ Elite 1000 Member ~

Latest posts

Sponsors