Smith shares the importance of looking at your company with openness and honesty to identify opportunities you may be missing.
5 Tips from the Southeast’s ‘Jeweler of the Year’
The owners of the Cumberland Diamond Exchange talked with National Jeweler about hiring the right people and how long customers spend in their jewelry store. (Hint: It’s not long.)

As trade journalists, I think we too often see stories come in, such as this one spotted in the Marietta (Ga.) Daily Journal, and we miss an opportunity to reach out to the retailer and ask them one simple question: What are you doing right?
But not this time; my rampant Olympic fever broke just long enough for me to catch up with Mark, Rhonda and Melissa Jacobson, the husband-wife-daughter team behind the Cumberland Diamond Exchange in Smyrna, Ga., a suburb of Atlanta.
Cumberland Diamond Exchange just received the prestigious “Jeweler of the Year” award from the 24 Karat Club Southeastern United States at the organization’s annual banquet, held Aug. 8.
The week after the banquet, I interviewed Mark, Rhonda and Melissa via phone. Here’s what they had to say about what they believe has made their first-generation, family-owned jewelry business so successful.
1. You can’t just write a check. The Jacobsons make giving back a hallmark of their business and, in fact, it’s written in the store’s mission statement, which reads: “The benchmark of our success is not measured by the longevity of our business, but the relationships we establish with you and the impact we make in the community.”
Giving back, however, is not just about writing a check and (literally) mailing it in or donating an item for a raffle, Rhonda says.
You have to attend the events, shake hands with people and, most of all, chose charities about which you are truly passionate. When your generosity is heartfelt, it comes back to you tenfold.
For Cumberland, this includes the YMCA Northwest Georgia, the American Cancer Society’s Pink Ribbon and SafePath Children’s Advocacy Center, an organization that aids children who have been victims of abuse.
“You don’t give to get,” Rhonda says. “We feel obligated; we’re blessed and we feel obligated to bless others.”
2. Aim for perfection, or as close as you can get to it. In other words, try to be the Simone Biles of presentation and customer service.
Don’t overpromise and underserve, says Mark. If a customer comes in with a repair, finish it while they wait, if possible, or tell them they
Another piece of advice he had, which was echoed by Peter Smith in his future of retail column: get the customer in and out of your store as quickly as possible.
Mark says that the old adage of “the longer they stay, they more they’ll buy,” is just that today: old. Outdated.
While the store does have some “regulars” who like to come often and linger long, in general they try to do short presentations and get to the point quickly, especially with men, who generally don’t like to shop for more than 15 minutes.
Having observed my father sitting on many a mall bench waiting for my mother and I, I’d have to say I don’t disagree with that one.
3. Bring in the next generation. “It’s paramount to have the young professionals in (the business) and involved,” says Rhonda. “They have a whole different pulse on the market.”
For Cumberland Diamond Exchange, that is their 26-year-old daughter Melissa, who came on to redesign the store’s website so it was responsive and is now the store’s marketing manager, handling email marketing, social advertising and doing some sales.
Melissa does a monthly e-newsletter for the store, which features a bride of the month each time, and also does #WeddingWednesday on social media, taking advantage of the alliterated hashtag to get a testimonial from a bride who was their customer. She says they’ve gotten a number of referrals from #WeddingWednesday.
“We couldn’t train anyone to do a better job than she does,” her mother says.

4. Cultivate relationships. “It’s not always about the price,” Mark says, noting that these days, you can always find a lower price online if you look hard enough. “(People) wouldn’t buy at Tiffany’s if it was about the price.”
Jewelers need to establish relationships within their community by being involved in charities (see No. 1 above) and by joining other organizations such as the local chamber of commerce.
For Rhonda, it always comes back to one of her favorite quotes from the late poet Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
“That’s how we run this business,” she says. “That’s how we treat our employees. That’s how we treat our guests who walk through the door. It’s all about relationships, and you can’t have relationships without feeling, in my opinion.”
5. Hire the right people. Right before we got off the phone, Rhonda had something to add; she wanted to mention, and to thank, the people who work for them. “We couldn’t run the store without them,” she says.
She says they look to hire people who, quite simply, love people.
“We can train them in the jewelry business but if you don’t like people, it’s impossible for you to have the patience to serve people,” Rhonda says. “They’ve (your employees) got to be people-oriented.”
The Latest

Respondents were concerned about job availability and rising prices.

Its latest interim financials revealed a challenging first half due in part to production troubles at its mines.

Alexander Lacik has led Pandora since 2019. Berta de Pablos-Barbier will succeed him, the first woman to head the company.


Two men allegedly used counterfeit bills to purchase luxury watches and jewelry from a North Carolina jeweler.

The “Lovestruck” collection, designed with the Academy and Grammy award-winning siblings, is the brand’s first lab-grown diamond offering.

With their unmatched services and low fees, reDollar.com is challenging some big names in the online consignment world.

The brand, celebrating its 15th anniversary, has popped up at Market, a luxury fashion destination in Highland Park Village.

She was remembered as a creative and generous woman of faith, who also had a sweet tooth.

Move over neck mess, the ear story is the way to make a layering statement today.

The New York-based brand is set to launch a limited-time offering for the holiday season at Holt Renfrew in Toronto.

The “Volume 7” bridal catalog features best-selling engagement rings, trending styles, and a new section highlighting anniversary bands.

Holiday sales growth is expected to slow as consumers grapple with inflation and tariff-related uncertainty.

Jamie Turner Designs is among the winners of the local “Austin Shines” contest, hosted by Eliza Page, a jewelry store in Austin, Texas.

The red and azure colorway is one of many fun enamel pairings offered, bringing whimsy to the classic style of a monogramed signet ring.

A trade deal with Switzerland seems probable, but reaching an agreement with India remains a challenge, David Bonaparte said.

Botswana’s president said his country wants a controlling share, while Angola envisions multiple countries holding minority stakes.

The manufacturer is adding 1,400 chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactors to its growing facility in India.

The jeweler to the stars has worked with Drake, A$AP Rocky, Tyler the Creator, and other celebrities.

The Scarsdale, New York-based jeweler donated a professional-grade watch cleaning machine.

The 50 percent tariffs on diamonds shipped from India to the U.S. have pushed midstream manufacturers to the edge.

De Beers’ refreshed, multipronged approach, which includes generic promotions and retail partnerships, is delivering positive dividends.
They are trying to balance the need to sustain well-established relationships with the pressure higher tariffs have put on margins.

Jewelry manufacturer Jewelex has partnered with JOSH, an industry training center, on a program for people with disabilities.

The collection includes pieces dating back to the Victorian and Art Deco periods as well as mid-century and late 20th-century designs.

He previously served as co-chair of the nonprofit’s beneficiary committee.