ColumnistsApr 30, 2026
Peter Smith: A Sleazy Salesman and the Case for Regret Avoidance Smith uses a comment he overheard in the grocery store to remind retailers that their job is to inspire buying behavior, not just sell.
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
Editors' Picks
Sponsored by
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
MajorsApr 30, 2026
Claire’s New Summer Campaign Is a Sensory Wonderland for Gen Alpha“A Girl SMR at Claire’s” celebrates girlhood through the five senses with stacked jewelry, slime toys, scented accessories, and ASMR.
AuctionsApr 30, 2026
Vintage Cartier Watch Crashes Through Records, Selling for $2MBelieved to be one of three made in 1987, the Cartier London Crash was hot at the “Shapes of Cartier” sale at Sotheby’s Hong Kong.
Brought to you by
Discover Timeless Treasures: A Showcase of Antique Jewelry & Timepieces in Las VegasGain access to the most exclusive and coveted antique pieces from trusted dealers during Las Vegas Jewelry Week.
CrimeApr 30, 2026
Masked Group Uses Hammers, Pepper Spray in Texas Jewelry Store RobberyOfficials are looking for a group that robbed Marc Robinson Jewelers at an outlet mall in Round Rock, Texas, in broad daylight on April 21.
Weekly QuizApr 30, 2026
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
Supplier BulletinApr 30, 2026
OROAREZZO 2026: The B2B Event for Italian Excellence in Goldsmith, Jewelry and Silver ManufacturingSponsored by OROAREZZO International Jewelry Exhibition
MajorsApr 29, 2026
The Thought Process Behind the Mother's Day Email Opt-OutSome retailers are taking a nuanced approach to marketing what can be a difficult holiday for many.
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.
IndependentsApr 29, 2026
Dick Abbott to Retire From The EdgeThe Edge has announced its new CEO, as well as a new partnership with an investment firm focused on founder-led software businesses.
SourcingApr 29, 2026
De Beers’ Production Rises, Market Remains ‘Challenged’De Beers’ diamond production was up 17 percent in Q1, boosted by increased output at its mines in South Africa and Canada.
AuctionsApr 29, 2026
This'll Be the Day You Own John Wayne's RingA signet ring belonging to the Western film star of Hollywood’s Golden Age will be up for auction at Elmwood’s next month.
Policies & IssuesApr 28, 2026
Tariff Refunds: How to File, What to Expect Importers can submit claims now to receive money back for the IEEPA tariffs they’ve paid, with refunds expected to take up to 90 days.
IndependentsApr 28, 2026
This North Carolina Jeweler Is Passing the TorchThe owners of Gregory Jewelers in Morganton, North Carolina, are heading into retirement.
SourcingApr 28, 2026
Doug Hucker Retires From ICAThe colored gemstone industry leader is heading into retirement after four years as the association’s CEO.
SourcingApr 28, 2026
NDC Hires Tapestry Exec to Head Global Marketing Susie Dewey joins the Natural Diamond Council as its new chief marketing officer.
AuctionsApr 27, 2026
12 Years Later, the ‘Ocean Dream’ Diamond Resurfaces at Christie’sThe largest known fancy vivid blue-green diamond could fetch more than $12 million at its second auction appearance.
ColumnistsApr 27, 2026
Stop Treating Mother’s Day Like an AfterthoughtEmmanuel Raheb says jewelers need to start marketing early and make it easy for customers to pick a gift for mom.
IndependentsApr 27, 2026
Longnecker Jewelry Celebrates 30 YearsIn honor of the milestone, the Nebraska jeweler has debuted Leslie & Co., its new in-house jewelry brand.
MajorsApr 27, 2026
JBT Re-Elects Jeff Corey as Board ChairThe trade organization, which held its annual elections earlier this year, also added five new board members.
SurveysApr 24, 2026
Mother’s Day 2026 Jewelry Spending to Top $7B, NRF SaysNRF’s annual survey found that 45 percent of consumers plan to purchase jewelry for a loved one this Mother’s Day.
TechnologyApr 24, 2026
TwentyFour’s Digital-Age Locket Is a Virtual VaultThe “Vault” charm, our Piece of the Week, expands on the memories that can be stored in a locket by connecting to your phone.
Events & AwardsApr 24, 2026
Hamptons Jewelry Show to Return in JulyThe open-to-the-public luxury jewelry and timepiece show, in its second year, is slated for July 23-26.
IndependentsApr 23, 2026
Meet the Real Moms of Day’s JewelersThe jeweler’s Mother’s Day campaign highlights the women who work there—mothers, grandmothers, women who want to be mothers, and dog moms.
Supplier BulletinApr 23, 2026
JM® Shipping Solution: Smarter Shipping for High-Value GoodsSponsored by Jewelers Mutual
Lab-GrownApr 23, 2026
Charles & Colvard May Sell Assets for $1.5MThe proposed agreement follows the moissanite maker’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection filing last month.
AuctionsApr 23, 2026
John Jacob Astor IV’s Titanic Pocket Watch Fetches $1MThe Patek Philippe for Tiffany & Co. timepiece Astor brought aboard the ill-fated ship sold for double its estimate at a Freeman’s auction.
CollectionsApr 23, 2026
Adam Neeley’s High Jewelry Collection Steps Into Salvador Dalí’s GardenThe “Dalí’s Garden” collection was inspired by a surreal dream Neeley had after cooking a recipe from Salvador Dalí’s 1973 cookbook.
