Peter Smith gives tips on leading meetings, developing marketing, and making trade show appointments in the age of short attention spans.
Committing to an Ethical Diamond Business
While ethical mining is essential to a diamond business, they represent only a fraction of the responsibility bestowed on jewelers.

Brought To You By Rare & Forever Diamonds
The jewelry industry has long equated ethics with a diamond’s origin. While sustainable, humanitarian mining efforts are essential to an ethical diamond business, they represent only a fraction of the responsibility bestowed on jewelers.
“Ethics is a big umbrella that boils down to accurately representing the products you present at the counter and giving customers the peace of mind they need to feel good about their purchase,” said Chris Croteau, Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Rare & Forever.
“Even with the best intentions, confusing, old school grading reports and images of misrepresented diamonds that customers find on the Internet often make it tough for jewelers to deliver on that promise.”
Turning to technology can help you ensure that you’re conveying the ethics and authenticity needed to win customers’ trust and earn their loyalty.
Rare & Forever, a brand of natural diamonds selected for their high quality, are prescreened for brown, green, and milky hues (BGM) that are not reflected in grading reports, yet detract from a diamond’s sparkle and value. The diamonds are graded by artificial intelligence (A.I.), rather than subjective human appraisal, to ensure the highest consistency and accuracy.
Rare & Forever utilizes blockchain technology to commemorate each diamond’s authenticity and credentials. The secure chain of custody confirms that a diamond is natural in origin, ethically sourced, accurately graded, and cut for beauty. It also shows proof of ownership with a permanent ionic table inscription. Customers have the option to purchase a non-fungible token (NFT), an immutable digital record of a diamond’s credentials, for added peace of mind and security.
“Offering Rare & Forever diamonds empowers us to stand behind the diamonds we sell and offer truthful pricing,” said Theresa Murphy from Newstar Jewelers in Joliet, Illinois. “The technology behind Rare & Forever diamonds gives us confidence in the grading and allows us to say that the price is truly reflective of it.”
The Rare & Forever brand relies on recycled metals for its bridal line and offers an Upgrade for Life Program that guarantees buyers the value of their purchase and facilitates upgrades. It’s a proud supporter of Diamonds Do Good, a global non-profit organization supporting programs that develop and empower people in natural diamond communities, and C.U.R.E. Childhood Cancer Association, a local organization that provides emotional, educational, social, and financial assistance to families with children who have cancer or a blood disorder.
The Rare & Forever diamond collections are available only through Rare & Forever authorized jewelers, local businesses with expertise and ethics that buyers know and trust. For more information on becoming an authorized Rare & Forever jeweler, visit us at become.rareandforever.com/
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Buying discipline at trade shows starts with clarity about your inventory levels, Smith writes.
























