ColumnistsSep 23, 2025
Quiet Luxury: What Fall’s Top Trend Means for JewelersColumnistsOct 01, 2025
Peter Smith: Why Vendor Success Starts With Self-Reflection
Smith shares the importance of looking at your company with openness and honesty to identify opportunities you may be missing.
Peter Smith is an industry consultant, speaker, sales trainer, and author. He can be reached via email at TheRetailSmiths@gmail.com.
In a recent post of mine on LinkedIn, I used a little sardonic humor in writing, “In breaking news, reports suggest retail stores that execute well this holiday season will do better than those that do not.”
I think most observers understood the humor and sentiment, especially as it was accompanied by one of the most wonderful photographs I’ve ever seen—a woman in a busy ballpark holding a baby in her right hand while catching a baseball in her gloved left hand.
I remember reading about the picture a few years ago and it was, apparently, taken at a minor league baseball stadium.
What’s most interesting to me, however, was not the remarkable catch the woman made while calmly shifting the baby to her right side for protection, but that she brought a baseball glove to the game at all, with the expectation that she might actually have an opportunity to catch a baseball while holding her baby.
It’s not entirely true to say that we get what we expect; sometimes, crazy stuff happens.
Who among us controls the price of gold or the tariffs nonsense?
What is true, however, and the point I was making with my LinkedIn post, was that there is so much we can do to give ourselves every opportunity to be successful in the coming season and beyond.
Related stories will be right here …
I think most observers understood the humor and sentiment, especially as it was accompanied by one of the most wonderful photographs I’ve ever seen—a woman in a busy ballpark holding a baby in her right hand while catching a baseball in her gloved left hand.
I remember reading about the picture a few years ago and it was, apparently, taken at a minor league baseball stadium.
What’s most interesting to me, however, was not the remarkable catch the woman made while calmly shifting the baby to her right side for protection, but that she brought a baseball glove to the game at all, with the expectation that she might actually have an opportunity to catch a baseball while holding her baby.
It’s not entirely true to say that we get what we expect; sometimes, crazy stuff happens.
Who among us controls the price of gold or the tariffs nonsense?
What is true, however, and the point I was making with my LinkedIn post, was that there is so much we can do to give ourselves every opportunity to be successful in the coming season and beyond.
That post has stayed with me in recent days as I thought about the challenges many of my vendor friends are having of late.
Some of the semi-mount companies, of course, continue to enjoy the fruits of the lower total cost of a complete engagement ring, given the preponderance of lab-grown centers, but that is not the case with all vendors.
Many are struggling to keep their heads above water and wondering what the near- and longer-term future holds for them.
Having lived through a couple of significant disruptions in my career, including the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, what has always struck me is how companies seem so often to cede their fate to uncontrollable factors, while dropping balls all over the place inside their own organizations.
Catching a baseball while holding a baby (not advised) is an incredible feat, but being objective about your own performance and your own shortcomings as an organization might be just as difficult.
When I recall the various initiatives I’ve helped create during seemingly desperate times, none of them required remarkable cognitive or creative prowess.
They were, nonetheless, critical decisions and actions that were needed given the times and the circumstances. Needed, but not so obvious.
In one instance, we failed to deliver a ring to our best customer and, as a consequence of that miss, changed our entire program and propelled massive growth.
In another, while lamenting the lack of SKUs that were driving sales performance, we made a change that saw those very same SKUs provide a phenomenal platform to boost sales.
Looking at your own operation requires openness and honesty.
The openness to accept that, however successful you may have been in the past, you might be missing opportunities that others might see, and the honesty to know that you don’t have to have all the answers, and that’s OK.
Sometimes, as the author David Baker once said, it’s hard to see the label when you’re inside the jar.
Happy selling!
Editors' Picks
Sponsored by
More on Columnists
The Latest
IndependentsAug 14, 2026
Smyth Jewelers to Open Fourth LocationThe family-owned jeweler will open a new showroom in Bel Air, Maryland, this fall.
CrimeAug 14, 2026
Wife of Man Convicted in Jeweler’s Murder Sentenced for Conspiracy Amanda Ileana Hernandez is married to Carlos Hernandez, one of two men in prison for the 2024 murder of Michigan jeweler Hussein Murray.
TrendsAug 14, 2026
Paul Morelli’s Latest ‘Wavey Vine’ Earrings Embrace ColorThe reimagined jewel, our Piece of the Week, trades the diamonds in the original 1998 design for blue, pink, yellow, and green sapphires.
Brought to you by
Why More Jewelry Retailers Are Hosting Turnkey Estate Buying EventsRetailers are seeking new ways to attract customers, increase traffic, and create revenue – Estate buying events are a popular solution.
Supplier BulletinAug 13, 2026
Your Piece Could Be the One Editors Talk AboutSponsored by American Gem Trade Association
Weekly QuizAug 13, 2026
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
FinancialsAug 13, 2026
Pandora’s ‘Talisman’ Collection Shines, Lab-Grown Diamond Sales FallIn the United States, second-quarter sales were flat amid soft consumer sentiment and lower in-store traffic.
AuctionsAug 13, 2026
This Gold Cadbury ‘Conundrum’ Egg Set a World Auction RecordThe 22-karat gold egg, sold at Batemans Auctioneers in the U.K., was part of a 1980s treasure hunt ad campaign for Cadbury Creme Eggs.
Brought to you by
Wedding Band Trends 2026: Personalization Takes Center StageColored gemstones, artisan finishes, mixed metals, and meaningful details are shaping demand in bridal jewelry.
SourcingAug 13, 2026
2,488-Carat Diamond, Largest Found in Botswana, Has a New Owner Lucara Diamond Corp., which recovered the “Motswedi” diamond from the Karowe mine, sold the stone for an undisclosed amount.
CollectionsAug 13, 2026
John Hardy Infuses ‘Icon,’ ‘Heishi’ Collections with ColorThe expanded collections now feature hand-cut gemstones like topaz, tanzanite, chrysoprase, chalcedony, smoky quartz, and fire opal.
Lab-GrownAug 13, 2026
Jean Dousset Opens Third StoreThe lab-grown diamond jewelry brand’s newest boutique is in Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara, California.
SourcingAug 12, 2026
Eshed-Gemstar on the Painstaking Process of Cutting ‘The Legacy Emerald’The gemstone supplier and manufacturer acquired the remarkable 104-gram Zambian emerald at Gemfields’ auction in May.
CrimeAug 12, 2026
Elderly NYC Woman Targeted in Jewelry Swap SchemeTwo suspects offered to trade the woman a “winning” lottery ticket for her jewelry.
SourcingAug 12, 2026
Another Diamond Mine Poised to CloseFinsch has been in business rescue since May, and owner Petra Diamonds said it sees no viable path forward for the mine.
CrimeAug 12, 2026
Jewelry Store Employee Gets 20 Years to Life in Choking Death of BossMichel Patrick DeSalles was sentenced after pleading guilty to the 2017 murder of Omid Gholian, who owned a jewelry store in Manhattan.
MajorsAug 12, 2026
Frederick Goldman Names New SVP of SalesLongtime industry executive Beth Miller has taken on the role.
AuctionsAug 11, 2026
Verdura Unicorn Brooch With Royal Connection Up for Auction The brooch was owned by Virginia Fortune Ryan Ogilvy, who served as a lady of the bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth II for nearly 50 years.
MajorsAug 11, 2026
Signet Jewelers Selects Mattel Exec to Lead Zales, BanterJamie Cygielman will take on the role on Aug. 24.
IndependentsAug 11, 2026
Polly’s Fine Jewelry Co-Owner Richard Moore Dies at 69Moore, Polly’s husband, is remembered as a family man with an easygoing spirit and a love for sports and the outdoors.
Events & AwardsAug 11, 2026
NAJA Announces Lineup For 2026 Fall Virtual ConferenceThe mid-year conference for jewelry and watch appraisers will take place Sept. 5-6 on Zoom.
TechnologyAug 10, 2026
Colorado Jeweler Launches Customization Tool He Built HimselfHonest Hands Ring Co. Founder Benjamin Bosworth shared his thoughts on jewelry technology and why AI can never replace the human element.
MajorsAug 10, 2026
QVC Exits Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, Names New Interim CEOQVC Group President and CEO David Rawlinson is temporarily being replaced by a familiar face, former QVC CEO Mike George.
CollectionsAug 10, 2026
State Property Puts a Ripple in the ‘The Voyager’ CollectionThe brand also added two one-of-a-kind brown diamond pieces to the “Sanssouci” series of its “Gardens” collection.
MajorsAug 10, 2026
And IJO’s 2026 Vendor of the Year Is … Ostbye took home top vendor honors at the Independent Jewelers Organization’s show, held last month in Kentucky.
Supplier BulletinAug 07, 2026
Why More Jewelry Retailers Are Hosting Turnkey Estate Buying EventsSponsored by Stratus Estate Buyers
MajorsAug 07, 2026
Retail Veteran Pam Cloud Appointed President of Blue NileCloud, who will officially join Blue Nile on Monday, spent 26 years at Tiffany & Co. and founded jewelry brand Roseate.
MajorsAug 07, 2026
Pandora Appoints Paulo Garcia as New CFO Garcia will take over from the company’s current CFO, Anders Boyer, who is retiring at the end of November.
