The heist happened in Lebec, California, in 2022 when a Brinks truck was transporting goods from one show in California to another.
Winning Engagement Rings Sales as an Independent Retailer
Nivoda breaks down the best methods for independent jewelers to stay competitive in the modern market.

Brought To You By Nivoda
Written by Rob Rangel, North American Sales Manager at Nivoda
There is one question I hear from brick and mortar jewelers more than any other. “How can I stay competitive?”
These jewelers, often running successful and multi-generational businesses, who are pillars of their local communities, are troubled by this exact question. And the answer? Technology.
We can break this down into two parts.
To compete with large retailers as an independent retailer on a diamond engagement ring sale, you need to offer customers the best diamond for them in the world, not just the best diamond in your area, or even your country. It has become sparsely possible to deliver the best and most competitive price to a retail customer without a global supply chain.
At Nivoda, we list over 1.6 million natural and lab-grown diamonds on our platform, immediately available to retailers, to allow them to easily source the globe and find the right diamond for their customer. However, without a powerful sales tool to present and sell these diamonds to retail customers, they are just videos on a screen.
The landscape has changed for brick and mortar jewelers in important ways. Gone are the days where a retail customer had just a few places to find a diamond, their local jewelry stores. With customers having access to hundreds of jewelers, particularly with the growing online sector, traditional jewelry stores will need to leverage technology to modernize their approach.
A large piece of this puzzle centers around reducing the inventory risk that the online players are simply not burdened with. So the question is, how do I offer customers diamonds at the best prices globally, without carrying inventory? This is something Nivoda has solved. We offer a virtual sales tool called Nivoda Showroom to deal with exactly that dilemma. Retailers can now offer their customers the perfect stone, regardless of location, with their unique branding, logo and retail prices displayed on an iPad or laptop during appointments or walk-ins. The result? Hundreds of jewelers telling us they managed to increase their margins and are converting more sales than ever before. When retailers always have the right diamond available, the customer never needs to leave the store before finding their diamond.
Throughout my years in the jewelry industry, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing exactly how technology can benefit a business and watched many clients embrace the new way of buying diamonds and selling them to their customers.
For any jewelry retailers reading this and asking themselves “how can I stay competitive?” or who are simply looking to invest in the future of their business by leveraging technology, I invite you to join our free platform. I look forward to continuing the learning and solution building process with some of the most interesting and insightful business owners, independent jewelers.
For more information, visit us at nivoda.net.
The Latest

The 10-carat fancy purple-pink diamond with potential links to Marie Antoinette headlined the white-glove jewelry auction this week.

The Starboard Cruises SVP discusses who is shopping for jewelry on ships, how much they’re spending, and why brands should get on board.

The Seymour & Evelyn Holtzman Bench Scholarship from Jewelers of America returns for a second year.

The historic signet ring exceeded its estimate at Noonans Mayfair’s jewelry auction this week.


To mark the milestone, the brand is introducing new non-bridal fine jewelry designs for the first time in two decades.

The gemstone is the third most valuable ruby to come out of the Montepuez mine, Gemfields said.

The countdown is on for the JCK Las Vegas Show and JA is pulling out all the stops.

Founder and longtime CEO Ben Smithee will stay with the agency, transitioning into the role of founding partner and strategic advisor.

Associate Editor Natalie Francisco shares 20 of her favorite pieces from the jewelry collections that debuted at Couture.

If you want to attract good salespeople and generate a stream of “sleeping money” for your jewelry store, then you are going to have to pay.

The top lot was a colorless Graff diamond, followed by a Burmese ruby necklace by Marcus & Co.

Gizzi, who has been in the industry since 2001, is now Jewelers of America’s senior vice president of corporate affairs.

Luca de Meo, a 30-year veteran of the auto industry, will succeed longtime CEO François-Henri Pinault.

Following visits to Vegas and New York, Botswana’s minerals minister sat down with Michelle Graff to discuss the state of the diamond market.

The former De Beers executive is the jewelry house’s new director of high jewelry for the Americas.

The New York Liberty forward is the first athlete to represent the Brooklyn-based jewelry brand.

Take a bite out of the 14-karat yellow gold “Fruits of Love Pear” earrings featuring peridots, diamond stems, and tsavorite leaves.

The one-day virtual event will feature speakers from De Beers, GIA, and Gemworld International.

The California-based creative talks jewelry photography in the modern era and tackles FAQs about working with a pro for the first time.

Al Capone’s pocket watch also found a buyer, though it went for less than half of what it did at auction four years ago.

The foundation has also expanded its “Stronger Together” initiative with Jewelers for Children.

Assimon is the auction house’s new chief commercial officer.

The De Beers Group CEO discusses the company’s new “beacon” program, the likelihood diamonds will be exempt from tariffs, and “Origin.”

The Danish jewelry giant hosted its grand opening last weekend, complete with a Pandora pink roulette wheel.

Industry veteran Anoop Mehta is the new chairman and independent director of the IGI board.

The winners of the inaugural “Kering Generation Award x Jewelry” are student Lee Min Seo and China-based startup Ianyan.