Buying discipline at trade shows starts with clarity about your inventory levels, Smith writes.
Coach’s Corner: Pinterest, a gift for salespeople
Pat Henneberry loves Pinterest, the photo sharing site that has garnered more than 70 million users over the last five years. Here’s why salespeople should too.

I love Pinterest.
I grew up making big poster boards of things I loved and things I wanted to do in my life … someday. When Pinterest came out I was so excited to “make my boards up,” that I pinned every cool vacation photo, dream homes and body of water possible (I am a water person, as you might know due to my previous article about open-water swimming.)
And I am not alone. Since Pinterest’s launched date in March 2010, the social media site has gained more than 70 million users. That’s a pretty big audience to ignore and it isn’t just for foodies and fashionistas.
I am here to tell you that Pinterest is a place you-- jewelry stores and sales professionals-- should know and love.
I hope by now your social media efforts already include Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, but Pinterest is the ideal marketplace for your customers.
Not only should your store be on Pinterest, but you as a jewelry sales professional should know all about it.
Pinterest helps you get an idea of what your customer’s style is. So if, for example, a man is shopping by himself, his biggest worry is he won’t get the ring design right, that she might not like it.
If she has a Pinterest page or is on Instagram you can go to the page and see her style and boards. Usually, she already has a board with rings on it.
It’s a gift to sales professionals. You used to have to try to get her style out of him, and he never could really articulate it. Now we just go to Pinterest and it’s all there for us.
Take advantage of this powerful medium. Your customers have Pinterest boards that you get to see. It shows what their dream jewelry is as well as their personal style. It is a gift to us. They are telling us their stories!
Seize these opportunities that Pinterest has to offer. Remember, people buy with their eyes before their minds. In this world, striking visuals speak so much louder than words, take the time to post photos of the brands you carry in your stores … your customers will love them.
The Latest

The trade show’s education series returns, with sessions on retail trends, AI, watches, marketing, corporate responsibility, and more.

The Curated Designer Project has expanded to highlight eight independent jewelry designers during CBG’s Las Vegas show.

As gold prices rise, today’s retailers are looking for alternatives at prices that will appeal to wider audiences.

Bring a cool tone to your summer jewelry with these white metal pieces.


The deal closed this week, which means Instore will produce the JA NY show slated to take place this fall.

The company’s jewelry sales were up in Q4 and the fiscal year, with Richemont raising prices in part because of the cost of gold.

With the trade and customer trust in mind, GIA® developed NextGem™ – on-demand training designed specifically for retail.

The “Bauble” capsule collection of colorful one-of-a-kinds includes our Piece of the Week, the “Bauble” earrings, featuring rose zircon.

The updated catalog has a newly dedicated section for gift wrapping.

Everett covers colored stones’ surging popularity, the mellow return of the “Mellon Blue,” and his “The Devil Wears Prada” doppelgänger.

Fourth-generation CEO Lilly Mullen wants to emphasize experience, connection, and personalized service.

The new award, created in partnership with Henne Jewelers, honors the late designer’s legacy through supporting jewelry education.

The addition of the diamond-producing countries as nation affiliated members broadens the federation’s global representation, WFDB said.

The NYPD is warning elderly New Yorkers to keep their jewelry hidden when walking outside to avoid being a target.

Designer Viviana Langhoff has realized her dream of owning a space for her Chicago jewelry store that looks and feels like her brand.

The sessions will run from Friday, May 29, to Sunday, May 31, with one being a live taping of an episode of Couture’s podcast.

Former Stephanie Gottlieb Fine Jewelry executive Morgan P. Richardson is joining the lab-grown diamond jewelry brand.

The $400 pocket watch is a blend of Audemars Piguet’s iconic eight-sided Royal Oak and Swatch’s unserious Pop watches from the ‘80s.

With gold prices on the rise, the “Modern Electrum” collection uses an alternative, non-tarnishing metal alloy composed of gold and silver.

Fruchtman Marketing has new owners, Erin Moyer-Carballea and Manuel Carballea, and will relocate to Miami.

In a column for the 2026 State of the Majors issue, Smith lists 10 time-tested principles about sales that still ring true.

In a column for the 2026 State of the Majors issue, Golan spells out how the growing economic divide in the U.S. is reshaping the market.

The “Limitless Expansion of Joy and Hope” collection evokes summer through colored gemstones and motifs of butterflies and florals.

The jewel, circa 1890, is from the late Victorian era and was owned by descendants of the last high king of Ireland.

This is what the nine recipients plan to do with the funds.

The Western star’s 14-karat gold signet ring sold for six times its low estimate following a bidding war at U.K. auction house Elmwood’s.
























