Events & AwardsMay 27, 2026
5 Security Tips for Las Vegas Jewelry Market Week 2026This year, it’s what could happen outside of show hours that worries JSA Executive Vice President Scott Guginsky.
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
ColumnistsMay 27, 2026
What Jewelers Can Learn From Luxury Fashion’s Digital PlaybookHigh-end fashion houses know how to emotionally connect with customers online. Retail jewelers should take note, Emmanuel Raheb writes.
Events & AwardsMay 27, 2026
Couture’s ‘The Iridescence’ Will Showcase 7 Emerging Jewelry DesignersThe designers are the third cohort of mentees from the show’s Belonging @ Couture mentorship program.
Brought to you by
All Eyes on Gold Prices. Alternatives to Look For. And What to BEWARE of in VegasAs gold prices rise, today’s retailers are looking for alternatives at prices that will appeal to wider audiences.
ColumnistsMay 26, 2026
The Key Mindset for Better Trade Show BuyingBuying discipline at trade shows starts with clarity about your inventory levels, Smith writes.
Weekly QuizMay 21, 2026
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
Events & AwardsMay 26, 2026
12 JCK Talks Sessions to Add to Your Las Vegas ScheduleThe trade show’s education series returns, with sessions on retail trends, AI, watches, marketing, corporate responsibility, and more.
Events & AwardsMay 26, 2026
CBG Brings Its Curated Designer Project to Las Vegas ShowThe Curated Designer Project has expanded to highlight eight independent jewelry designers during CBG’s Las Vegas show.
Brought to you by
How Modern Training Is Becoming a Competitive Advantage for Jewelry RetailersWith the trade and customer trust in mind, GIA® developed NextGem™ – on-demand training designed specifically for retail.
TrendsMay 26, 2026
Amanda’s Style File: A Cooldown Is ComingBring a cool tone to your summer jewelry with these white metal pieces.
Events & AwardsMay 22, 2026
Instore Buys JA New York ShowThe deal closed this week, which means Instore will produce the JA NY show slated to take place this fall.
FinancialsMay 22, 2026
Richemont’s Jewelry Brands Lead the Charge in Q4The company’s jewelry sales were up in Q4 and the fiscal year, with Richemont raising prices in part because of the cost of gold.
CollectionsMay 22, 2026
Leigh Maxwell Celebrates 5 Years at Couture With ‘Bauble’ CollectionThe “Bauble” capsule collection of colorful one-of-a-kinds includes our Piece of the Week, the “Bauble” earrings, featuring rose zircon.
MajorsMay 22, 2026
Stuller’s New Packaging, Display Catalog Is Out The updated catalog has a newly dedicated section for gift wrapping.
PodcastsMay 21, 2026
Episode 5: Sotheby’s Frank Everett Puts the Auction Market in PerspectiveEverett covers colored stones’ surging popularity, the mellow return of the “Mellon Blue,” and his “The Devil Wears Prada” doppelgänger.
IndependentsMay 21, 2026
Springer’s Jewelers’ New Flagship Will Serve Next-Gen Luxury ShoppersFourth-generation CEO Lilly Mullen wants to emphasize experience, connection, and personalized service.
Events & AwardsMay 21, 2026
JA Announces Nina Pugliese Memorial ScholarshipThe new award, created in partnership with Henne Jewelers, honors the late designer’s legacy through supporting jewelry education.
SourcingMay 21, 2026
Botswana, Angola Join WFDBThe addition of the diamond-producing countries as nation affiliated members broadens the federation’s global representation, WFDB said.
CrimeMay 20, 2026
NYPD Warns of Jewelry Swap Scams Targeting SeniorsThe NYPD is warning elderly New Yorkers to keep their jewelry hidden when walking outside to avoid being a target.
IndependentsMay 20, 2026
Adornment & Theory’s New Store Feels Like Home Designer Viviana Langhoff has realized her dream of owning a space for her Chicago jewelry store that looks and feels like her brand.
Events & AwardsMay 20, 2026
Here Is Couture’s 2026 Education Lineup 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.
Lab-GrownMay 20, 2026
Savannah Friedkin Jewelry Names New CEOFormer Stephanie Gottlieb Fine Jewelry executive Morgan P. Richardson is joining the lab-grown diamond jewelry brand.
WatchesMay 19, 2026
Here’s the AP x Swatch Pocket Watch That Caused PandemoniumThe $400 pocket watch is a blend of Audemars Piguet’s iconic eight-sided Royal Oak and Swatch’s unserious Pop watches from the ‘80s.
CollectionsMay 19, 2026
Chris Ploof’s New Collection Makes an Ancient Metal ModernWith gold prices on the rise, the “Modern Electrum” collection uses an alternative, non-tarnishing metal alloy composed of gold and silver.
IndependentsMay 19, 2026
Ellen and Michael Fruchtman Retire, Sell Marketing Agency Fruchtman Marketing has new owners, Erin Moyer-Carballea and Manuel Carballea, and will relocate to Miami.
ColumnistsMay 19, 2026
Peter Smith: The (Mostly) Immutable Sales TruthsIn a column for the 2026 State of the Majors issue, Smith lists 10 time-tested principles about sales that still ring true.
ColumnistsMay 18, 2026
Edahn Golan: What a K-Shaped Economy Means for Fine JewelryIn 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.
CollectionsMay 18, 2026
Foundrae’s New Collection Taps Into JoyThe “Limitless Expansion of Joy and Hope” collection evokes summer through colored gemstones and motifs of butterflies and florals.
