We've all heard the tale. A jeweler gets caught switching out a customer's diamond for a fake after repairing it in the back room. The tale is handed down from person to person and retold over and over until, understandably, everyone becomes very nervous to leave their diamond with a jeweler. As jewelers, we have heard this tale even more often than the average customer. We hear it nearly every time a new customer comes to us to have their diamond ring worked on. "How do I know I'm getting back my diamond? How do I know you are not going to switch it out for a fake?"
First, as reputable jewelers, we completely understand the anxiety created by those rare unethical jewelers who have tainted our occupation. I say rare because it is indeed a rare occurrence that a jeweler would choose to break the law and switch out a customer's diamond for a fake. Most jewelers are honest, hard working reputable business people who understand that the only way to grow their business is to always treat the customer with honesty and integrity, that there is more to be gained by being honest than by being dishonest.
So if most jewelers are honest and reputable, why do so many people still mistrust leaving their diamond with them? I can tell you why in one word: transparency. Jewelers need to be completely transparent with customers when they leave their diamonds for repair or remounting. That means a jeweler must explain and show and record all the details of a customer's diamond when it is left for repair, and allow the customer to compare those records against the diamond they get back after the repair to prove that diamond is indeed their diamond and not another lesser quality diamond or a fake. This seems so simple and forthright that you would think that all jewelers would do this, but sadly they don't.
Why don't many jewelers fail to be completely transparent? I can tell you why, again, in one word: knowledge. Sadly, many people who work in jewelry stores are not fully trained in the skills of their profession. So when they take in a piece of jewelry for repair, they may not know what they are taking in. They may not know what the stone is, what the piece is made of, if the stone or material can be damaged by heat, how the item should be repaired, and so on and so on. It is knowledge that separates jewelers from clerks. And it is the sharing of this knowledge with customers that separates careful jewelers who stay above reproach from careless jewelers who get accused of crimes they have not committed.
Another issue is whether or not the jeweler does all their repairs on premises or whether they send them out. When a jewelers sends out their repairs they lose a level of control and that opens up problems. What if the jeweler they send their repairs to isn't as reputable and transparent and knowledgeable as they are? Always take your jewelry to a jeweler who does their work on premises.
At Cormier Jewelers in Southbridge, not only do we do all our repairs and diamond setting on premises right here in our store, we are very careful when taking in our customer's jewelry over the counter. Our training from the Gemological Institute of America in diamonds grading, colored stone identification and jewelry repair have made us experts, and we gladly share our knowledge with our customers. When you drop off your diamond we will measure it to within a tenth of a millimeter. note any inclusions or chips or abrasions and identifying marks, describe the mounting in detail, examine the entire ring to be sure it is sound and wearable without risk of losing stones, let you look at your diamond under magnification if you want and give you a receipt which can be compared to the item when you pick it up. On top of that we guaranty all work done for one full year. This way you can feel confident and rest easy whenever you give us your diamond for repair.
Shawn Cormier
Cormier Jewelers
42 Central Street
Southbridge, Ma 01550
tel 1-508-764-7415
www.ecormiers.com
CormierJewelers@aol.com
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