CollectionsApr 03, 2026
Taylor Swift’s ‘Elizabeth Taylor’ Video Puts Jewelry Front and CenterIconic pieces, like the Mike Todd Diamond Tiara, appear in the superstar’s new music video for her song inspired by the actress.
OtherFeb 09, 2015
Coach’s corner: What hospitals can teach us
Pat Henneberry, the “Jewelry Coach” who is now a vice president at Hearts on Fire, shares four takeaways on customer service gleaned from time recently spent in the hospital with a loved one.
Pat Henneberry was just named vice president of global learning and development at Hearts on Fire. She also is founder of The Jewelry Coach, a sales training community for jewelers. Reach her at 512-203-3414 or pat@thejewelrycoach.com.
My mother just had surgery Thursday and I am sitting here writing this as she lies a foot from me.
Let me first start off by saying I hate hospitals. I’ve recently heard a number of horror stories from people in hospitals, warning me not to leave anyone alone for a minute.
I am happy to report, however, that my experience has been just the opposite at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa.
Here are four short takeaways on what the staff here at Mercy did to make my experience a pleasant one. Let’s see if we can apply them to what we do in our stores.
Yes, you heard me, we are going to be comparing hospitals and jewelry stores, which are polar opposites.
1) “Primary Contact”
Before surgery the hospital representitive immediately got to know me and made me feel special by placing a badge on me that reads “Primary Contact.” This way, the hospital knows I have someone in here and that I am a primary contact for that person. It made me feel heard and known.
Question: What do you do to immediately make your customers feel special? Do you recognize them as someone important in your store? Do you think they feel heard and known?
2) Communication
They gave me a unique number that applied to my mother’s case. At any time I could look on a computer screen, see the number the assigned and get an update on my mother, e.g., she is still in surgery, she is in recovery … They also had a special agent who would come find me and give me updates. This agent knew who I was before I even told them (because of my “Primary Contact” badge.) Not to mention: the hospital also had a full coffee and hot cocoa bar. I felt “taken care of” and comfortable in a very stressful time.
Question: What do you do to make your customers feel “taken care of?” How can you change their experience from just walking into your store to actually “knowing” who they are and making sure everyone in the store knows who they are as they walk around? What opportunities do you have to change the way you take care of your customers? How can you make them feel more comfortable?
3) Teamwork
I honestly have never seen such teamwork in
my life. It’s like watching a baseball team making no errors. Each nurse and nurse assistant had a small speaker clipped onto their shoulder. They are constantly using it to stay in touch with one another.
They ask for help, second opinions and guidance. One is a specialist in one area so they click on their radio and ask that nurse for help. In two days no one has ever said, “No, I can’t help.”
Question: Do you use your entire store as a team supporting each other? Can they play a perfect game with no errors? We have watch specialist, diamond and color stone specialist but do we use our unique abilities as best we can to help our customers? Is your store ready to jump at any given moment to help each other? The key is that they not only want to service the customer but they need to be willing to help each other.
4) Continued assistance
To say that the nurses have been on top of things is an understatement. Just about every 30 minutes they are checking my mom, checking on me and then double-checking. I realize we are in a hospital and a customer in a jewelry store is different but I can’t help but think how there are some powerful messages here from which we could learn, or question if there are opportunities to change.
Question: Do you check and double-check on your customers who are waiting for a repair or “just looking,” or do you leave them alone? What unique balance could you implement where they don’t feel suffocated but they feel special?
The lesson
Everyone wants to feel special, no matter the situation.
Opportunity: When was the last time you mapped out your customers’ experience?
A customer experience map a graphical representation of the service journey of a customer. It shows their perspective from the beginning, middle and end as they engage a service to achieve their goal, showing the range of tangible and quantitative interactions, triggers and touch points, as well as the intangible and qualitative motivations, frustrations and meanings.
This is a great exercise that you and your entire staff can walk through together. I recommend you start at a high level. As you work though the customers’ experience you can start breaking it down to micro-events.
More on Other
The Latest
MajorsApr 03, 2026
Saks Global Says It Will Emerge From Bankruptcy This SummerThe luxury retailer, which went Chapter 11 in January, announced Thursday that it has secured $500 million in exit financing.
Events & AwardsApr 03, 2026
JCK Luxury, NouvelleBox Partner on New Designer BallroomThe NouvelleBox ballroom will feature independent jewelry designers, including Lene Vibe, Wyld Box Jewelry, and Kiaia Limited.
Brought to you by
Protect Your Customers and Your BusinessYou deserve to know what you are selling–to protect your customers as well as your business and your reputation.
CollectionsApr 03, 2026
Buddha Mama Brings Its ‘Moon’ Locket To DallasThe one-of-a-kind locket, our Piece of the Week, opens to reveal three hidden images to keep close to your heart.
Weekly QuizApr 02, 2026
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
MajorsApr 02, 2026
Pandora Opens New Canadian Distribution Center Amid Tariff ConcernsThe new facility was also designed to better serve its growing customer base in Canada.
TrendsApr 02, 2026
Michelle Yeoh Fronts New Mikimoto Campaign The campaign is a tribute to the year 1893, when Kokichi Mikimoto created the world’s first cultured pearl.
Brought to you by
Is This You? Every Jeweler Has This Problem; We Have the Solution.Every jeweler faces the same challenge: helping customers protect what they love. Here’s the solution designed for today’s jewelry business.
GradingApr 02, 2026
GIA Debuts New Campus in TaiwanIt is the only GIA school to offer the GIA Graduate Gemologist program in Chinese.
MajorsApr 02, 2026
DCA Launches ‘Second Spark’ Workforce InitiativeThe initiative connects veterans and parents returning to the workforce with careers in jewelry retail.
MajorsApr 02, 2026
Hoover & Strong Names New National Sales RepresentativeThe wholesale manufacturer and precious metals refiner has appointed Michael Angelo as its new national sales representative.
MajorsApr 01, 2026
Foundrae Sues Pandora for Allegedly Copying Its Medallion DesignsFoundrae also accused the jewelry giant of copying its mood board style of marketing.
AuctionsApr 01, 2026
John Jacob Astor IV’s Titanic Pocket Watch Heads to AuctionA Patek Philippe for Tiffany & Co. timepiece owned by the American businessman who died on the Titanic will be offered at Freeman's Chicago.
SurveysApr 01, 2026
Consumers’ Outlook Improves Again in MarchThe Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index edged up, with optimism about the present outweighing worries about the future.
IndependentsApr 01, 2026
Zachary’s Jewelers’ Constance Polamalu to Release Children’s BookThe retailer’s Zach Bear gift comes to life in “Zach Bear and the Window Necklace,” which centers on curiosity, bravery, and helping.
Events & AwardsApr 01, 2026
AGA Opens 2026 Gemological Scholarship, Research Grant ApplicationsApplications are open for the AGA Gemological Scholarship Program through May 15, and until June 2027 for the Gemological Research Grant.
ColumnistsMar 31, 2026
Q1 Clues That Reveal Where Your Jewelry Store’s Sales Are Heading These customer behavior patterns say a lot about how successful your jewelry store is going to be this year, Emmanuel Raheb writes.
CollectionsMar 31, 2026
Mejuri Adds Silver to ‘Puzzle’ CollectionMejuri’s popular collection of 18-karat yellow gold vermeil rings debuted in sterling silver alongside new “Puzzle” slider charms.
CollectionsMar 31, 2026
Buddha Mama, Ashley Longshore to Host Pop-Up in DallasThe Miami-based jewelry brand and the NYC-based artist will be in Dallas from April 9-11.
SourcingMar 31, 2026
NDC Designates April 8 as 'World Diamond Day'The initiative invites those in the industry to share stories on social media highlighting the meaning and impact of natural diamonds.
SourcingMar 31, 2026
GIA VP Jillian Wolk to Take Over at Tracr Wolk’s first day on the job as CEO of Tracr, De Beers Group’s blockchain platform, will be May 1.
EditorsMar 30, 2026
Tom Moses Looks Back on His Decades at GIA Moses, who will leave the lab in May after nearly 50 years, discusses his start in the business, gemstones that stand out, and what’s next.
TrendsMar 30, 2026
Oscar Heyman Debuts First Spring CatalogThe new catalog, which showcases 35 one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry, is a compliment to the company’s popular holiday catalog.
SourcingMar 30, 2026
Rio Tinto Hauls Last Load from DiavikProduction has ceased at the Canadian diamond mine, which has yielded more than 150 million carats of rough diamonds in its 23-year run.
MajorsMar 30, 2026
Tanishq Opens First New England LocationThe store opening marks the 10th United States location for the India-based jewelry retailer.
MajorsMar 27, 2026
Saks Global Has Changed Its Mind About Closing These 3 StoresTwo Saks Fifth Avenue locations, one in Florida and one in California, and one Neiman Marcus store are off the chopping block.
IndependentsMar 27, 2026
Jimmy West, Longtime LJG Executive Director, Dies at 72West, who started in the art department at the Leading Jewelers Guild in 1979, is remembered for his patience, kindness, and dedication.
