IndependentsMay 13, 2025
Eiseman Jewels’ Renovated Dallas Store Is Bigger and BetterLocated in NorthPark Center, the revamped store is nearly 2,000 square feet larger and includes the first Tudor boutique in Dallas.
OtherSep 14, 2015
The good old days, gone by quickly
We’re living in a time not unlike the Industrial Revolution, with the speed of change making many long-standing professions obsolete. Jewelers have to adapt or they’ll be done, retailer and columnist Jim Alperin writes.
Retailer Jim Alperin owns James Alperin Jewelers in Pepper Pike, Ohio. He can be reached at alpjewel@aol.com.
If you’ve had the pleasure of being in the jewelry business as long as I have, since the mid-1970s, you probably remember “the good old days,” the days about which you now get to bore your children and grandchildren, telling them stories of life before the Internet and big-box retailers.
Those were the days when people shopped at the jewelry store for jewelry, the local drug store for medicines and sundries, book stores for books, stationary stores for paper, optical stores for glasses, etc. Those were the days when your neighbor owned the store down the street and you supported their business and they knew you by name when you walked in the door.
Wait, let me bore you further; I don’t have any children or grandchildren to annoy with my stories.
There was a day when people trusted their jeweler like they trusted their doctor. Your parents shopped at a certain jewelry store and, when it came time for you to buy that all-important engagement ring, mom or dad took you by the hand to meet their jeweler and help you spend your money on a beautiful diamond ring. Those were the days before diamonds were commoditized into categories that now make shopping for a diamond not that much different than shopping for a Ford.
But, that’s enough indulgence in memories. The past is gone and it’s a new world with mega-stores, multi-thousand-location store chains and the Internet selling the product that once defined our industry. The world as it is today is here to stay, at least until the next great change.
We are living during the technology revolution, what will be looked at in history as one of the seismic shifts in the world of business.
Looking back in time, we can see that life really hadn’t changed much for people for thousands of years before the discovery of electricity. If you had been born in the year 400 or the year 1400, you cooked on a wood fire, heated your home with wood, went outside to use the bathroom and took a bath once or twice a year. The Industrial Revolution marked a point in history when electricity gave us light, gas heated our homes and gave us the ability to put the horse in the barn and drive a car. It put the ice man out of business and did
the same to the guy who ran the livery stable.
People who had good jobs, the only jobs they had known for a lifetime, suddenly found themselves out of work, not because they did a poor job but because with little warning, their jobs were no longer needed by a society that had changed, seemingly overnight. A thousand years of shoeing horses and within a short period of time, everyone wanted to drive a car.
One day, people will look back on our time as one of the great revolutions of society. It is a time when what had been a fine way to make a living for hundreds of years suddenly became obsolete because of the technology revolution. The local shop owner, the small wholesale business, businesses that have taken care of families for generations are beginning to disappear.
Not sure that it’s happening? Ask your children if they want your parents fine china, silver flatware or crystal stemware. Oh yes, the next generation still fights over grandma’s treasures but today it isn’t “I want Grandma’s china.” It’s “I don’t want it, you take it,” “No way, I don’t want it, you take it.” What about your mother’s yellow gold peridot and diamond brooch? Try giving that to the kids!
Adjusting to the new reality in which we live is going to be painful to many of us in the jewelry industry. Some will survive and flourish as they learn to integrate the technology age into their businesses. Others, well, others will suffer the fate of the farrier who couldn’t or wouldn’t learn how to change tires and pump gas. If you want your business to remain for the next generation to take over and grow, change is the watchword of the future.
Remember, there was a day when the local jeweler sold toasters and shavers--change isn’t new for our industry, it’s just happening much faster than in the past.
The “good old days” are nothing more than the past; they’re fun to remember but it’s time to come into the modern day and accept the challenges of the new reality of our industry.
Retailer Jim Alperin owns James Alperin Jewelers in Pepper Pike, Ohio. He can be reached at alpjewel@aol.com.
More on Other
The Latest
MajorsMay 13, 2025
DCA Announces New Learning Platform, Course UpdatesThe nonprofit has made updates to the content in its beginner and advanced jewelry sales courses.
MajorsMay 13, 2025
BIJC Launches New Education FundBIJC President Malyia McNaughton will shift roles to lead the new foundation, and Elyssa Jenkins-Pérez will succeed her as president.
Brought to you by
Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show: Showcasing the Most Collectible Merchandise from Across the GlobeGain access to the most exclusive and coveted antique pieces from trusted dealers during Las Vegas Jewelry Week.
TrendsMay 13, 2025
State of Jewelry Design: The Top 10 Jewelry Trends of the Past DecadeAs a nod to the theme of JCK Las Vegas 2025, “Decades,” National Jeweler took a look back at the top 10 jewelry trends of the past 10 years.
Weekly QuizMay 08, 2025
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
Lab-GrownMay 12, 2025
Lightbox to Go Dark by Summer, De Beers Says The company plans to halt all consumer-facing activity this summer, while Lightbox factory operations will cease by the end of the year.
Policies & IssuesMay 12, 2025
Tariffs on Chinese Imports Temporarily Slashed as U.S.-China Reach Deal Following weekend negotiations, the tax on Chinese goods imported into the United States will drop by 115 percent for the next 90 days.
Brought to you by
Watch: The Winston Red: GIA Examines the Smithsonian’s Newest AdditionSupplier Spotlight Sponsored by GIA
Events & AwardsMay 12, 2025
Jewelry By Picasso, Dalí on Display at Florida Art Museum “Artists’ Jewelry: From Cubism to Pop, the Diane Venet Collection” is on view at the Norton Museum of Art through October.
Events & AwardsMay 12, 2025
CASE Awards Now Accepting Entries For 2025The deadline to submit is June 16.
IndependentsMay 09, 2025
Lugano Diamonds CEO Resigns Amid Internal InvestigationMoti Ferder stepped down Wednesday and will not receive any severance pay, parent company Compass Diversified said.
CollectionsMay 09, 2025
Pieces of the Week: Marie Lichtenberg’s Collaborations for Mother’s DayLichtenberg partnered with luxury platform Mytheresa on two designs honoring the connection between mothers and daughters.
SourcingMay 09, 2025
Gemfields Resumes Emerald Mining in ZambiaThe miner announced plans to recommence open-pit mining at Kagem.
CrimeMay 08, 2025
Former NYC Jewelry Store Employee Arrested in 2017 Choking Death of Boss Michel Desalles allegedly murdered Omid Gholian inside World of Gold N Diamond using zip ties and then fled the country.
EditorsMay 08, 2025
5 ‘Superfine’ Met Gala Jewelry MomentsAssociate Editor Lauren McLemore shares her favorite looks from a night of style inspired by Black dandyism.
Supplier BulletinMay 08, 2025
Instappraise Introduces Game-Changing Trifold Appraisal FormatSponsored by Instappraise
FinancialsMay 08, 2025
Brilliant Earth Notes an Uptick in Engagement Ring Sales in Q1CEO Beth Gerstein discussed the company’s bridal bestsellers, the potential impact of tariffs, and the rising price of gold.
IndependentsMay 08, 2025
Margot McKinney Lands in the U.S. With New BoutiqueThe brand’s first independent location outside of Australia has opened in Beverly Hills, California.
IndependentsMay 08, 2025
Verragio Announces New Regional Sales ManagerCathy Marsh will lead the jewelry company’s efforts in the upper Midwest and western United States.
FinancialsMay 07, 2025
Pandora Posts Strong Q1, Plans for TariffsThe company has multiple strategies for dealing with tariffs, though its CEO said moving manufacturing to the U.S. is not one of them.
ColumnistsMay 07, 2025
The Smart Lab: Building a Seasonal Marketing Strategy for Mother’s Day and BeyondConnecting with your customers throughout the year is key to a successful holiday marketing push.
SourcingMay 07, 2025
Gemfields Says Emerald Sales Improved in Latest AuctionIts commercial-quality emerald sale held last month totaled more than $16 million, up from about $11 million in September 2024.
TechnologyMay 07, 2025
Punchmark’s Latest Podcast Features a Very Special Guest National Jeweler Editor-in-Chief Michelle Graff joined Michael Burpoe to talk tariffs, consumer confidence, and the sky-high price of gold.
AuctionsMay 06, 2025
Harwell Godfrey Reimagines 10-Carat Blue Diamond for Met Gala-Ready BroochDesigner Lauren Harwell Godfrey made the piece as an homage to the 2025 gala’s theme, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.”
Events & AwardsMay 06, 2025
Here’s Who Made Jewelers of America’s New ‘20 Under 40’ ListExpanded this year to include suppliers, JA’s 2025 list honors 40 up-and-coming professionals in the jewelry industry.
IndependentsMay 06, 2025
Sissy's Log Cabin Opens New StoreLocated in Fort Smith, it’s the Mid-South jeweler’s first store in Northwest Arkansas.
IndependentsMay 06, 2025
Gunderson’s Jewelers to Be Featured on ‘World’s Greatest’ TV SeriesThe episode about the family-owned jeweler will premiere May 17.
