YOUR GUIDE TO CREATING A CUSTOM ENGAGEMENT RING

Your engagement ring should not only sparkle but also reflect all the parts of your personality that make you, you! This is why many couples may like to design engagement rings that are as one-of-a-kind as their relationship. After all, a ring is something you will wear on a daily basis for the rest of your life. It should be something you absolutely adore and take pride in wearing.

The task may seem intimidating at first, especially if you’re designing a ring on someone else’s behalf. Rest assured that if you plan ahead and find a Jewler that you can trust, it will be smooth sailing. Here is everything you need to know to help you in your journey to source and design the perfect custom engagement ring.

 

Find a Visual of Your Style

One of the most helpful things you can do for yourself to find visuals for inspiration. It’s okay if you can’t find an image that has every element of your dream ring design. Instead, look for individual aspects you like. For example, you might like the band of one ring but the stone of another. Save both of those photos to your Pinterest board (or whatever you use to keep track of your inspiration photos) and note what you like about it so that you don’t forget later.

If you’re starting completely from scratch, consider taking some engagement ring style quizzes before searching for images online. If you’re looking for a way to browse rings other than Pinterest, try looking at blogs and social media like Instagram and YouTube. This will help you see some of the trending styles and what people are saying about them before you start looking at jewelry stores.

Researching ring style on behalf of your partner? No problem! If they have ever saved engagement ring favorites, it’s more than likely saved on Pinterest. Take a look at their boards and pins to see if any rings have been pinned. If you’re unsure whether they have a Pinterest account, try searching their other social media handles with the word ‘Pinterest’ as they may show up with the same name. If not, enlist the help of someone close to you who can help you and still keep it a surprise.

Choose Your Ring’s Materials

Engagement rings are traditionally fashioned of yellow gold, white gold, silver, or platinum. However, when designing your own engagement ring, you can select whatever metal you desire. Along with the more traditional metals mentioned, consider rose gold, palladium, titanium, and recycled (or blended) metals.

Along with selecting a metal for your ring, you’ll need to have a stone in mind. Diamonds are the most popular, but gemstones have experienced a boom in popularity recently. Perhaps you have a family heirloom with the perfect gem but you’re not crazy about the design – that would take one step out of the engagement ring customization process!

After selecting a stone, you’ll need to select a cut and setting. Round, cushion, princess, oval, emerald, pear, radiant, Asscher, marquise, and heart are all traditional ring cuts. You can also choose to leave your diamond uncut for a very unique look. As for settings, there are even more options to choose from than there are diamond cuts: Halo, suspension, cluster, three-stone settings, and more! This is another reason to get started on your engagement ring research sooner rather than later.

Another tip to keep in mind as you’re defining your custom engagement ring style is your wedding band. Even though you won’t need that one until later, you still want the rings to be some sort of set, or at least just complement one another. You’ll save a lot of time and money if you create your wedding band at the same time as your personalized engagement ring. Not only will this ensure that they complement one another perfectly, but jewelers frequently work out a deal when both are created simultaneously.

Finding The Right Jeweler

Once you’ve got a pretty good idea of what you want your ring to look like, it’s time to start sourcing jewelry stores for the job. Contrary to what you may have heard in the past, custom jewelry isn’t ridiculously more expensive than purchasing a pre-made setting. Be sure to do your due diligence and collect pricing information from a few different jewelry stores.

Talk with your family and friends and ask them if they have any recommendations for jewelers. You want to work with a respected jeweler who has experience creating personalized engagement rings. In addition to the trust factor, you’ll want to find a jeweler that has experience designing rings in the style you’re wanting to develop. Working with a jewelry designer whose style appeals to your own ensures that you will end up with a ring you enjoy.

After selecting a jeweler to work with, you’ll start working on bringing your vision to life. You will initially be shown a representation, or sketch, of the ring by their jeweler to check that it visually meets their specifications. After approving the sketch, the jeweler will usually create a wax or computerized model of the ring. Be sure to discuss what the process of creating prototypes will look like before you get started. That way, you know exactly what to expect and can set your expectations accordingly. This will also help you plan and create a tentative schedule.

Once you’ve approved the designs for your custom-made engagement ring, the jeweler will begin the casting process. It’s a good idea to double-check that you have the correct ring size before the ring is made. The ring will be cast and cleaned, followed by the setting of the stones. During this stage, the jeweler will create customizations such as micropavé by hand. After setting and polishing the ring, all that’s left is to make your engagement official!

To Sum it Up

Good things take time, and your custom engagement ring is no different. The customization process is a lot less complicated than you may have originally thought, but it does require a lot of careful thought and planning ahead. You’ll also need a jeweler who understands your vision and can bring it to life. Our high-end custom designs are made from the finest materials to ensure you get the high quality of high fashion without the ridiculously high price tag.  Here at The Gold Mine Fine Jewelry & Gifts...we love the entire custom design process and welcome your questions and look forward to serving you as you create your "Dream Ring!"  

Reach out to us soon,

"Diamond" Bill Warren, Owner/Gemologist

The Gold Mine

www.hudsongoldmine.com

828-726-1009

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What Is My True Passion Here At The Gold Mine?

I'm often asked about why I love the jewelry business so much and what my true passion is.  Is it selling beautiful creations? Yes...is it repairing jewelry?  Why yes...but the number one thing that I simply love to do is to design and create beautiful custom one of a kind jewelry for my friends and clients.

With today's technology including laser welders/engravers, computer CAD design and casting...design work is so much easier than it was almost 40 years ago when I started. 

Imagine this...we goldsmiths used to sit down and carve a piece of jewelry out of a blue block of wax just so we could give our client's an idea of what something might look like.  Now with computer aided design software, I can show a customer in "Real Time" what their ring will look like and even picture it in realistic terms on their finger!  How cool is that?

Yes, things have come a long way in the way jewelry is designed & made these days.  Every day I hear of some new technology that makes our lives easier.  I think back to how long it used to take to create jewelry and I as well as my customers are thankful that now we can turn out a piece in days or a few weeks instead of a month!

Interestingly, we've had clients come in with designs scribbled on napkins...talk about unique :)  We were able to take their ideas and bring them to fruition.  So...if you enjoy unique pieces perhaps of your own creation or mine....I'm your guy!

Would love to chat anytime about jewelry design & creation...it truly is my passion!

Until next time,

Bill Warren, Owner & Gemologist
The Gold Mine
828-726-1009
www.hudsongoldmine.com

Noted Jeweler, Bill Warren Becomes Principle-Centered Marketing Coach

NOTED JEWELER, BILL WARREN BECOMES LICENSED, CERTIFIED PRINCIPLE-CENTERED MARKETING™ COACH Renowned independent jeweler, Bill Warren, has become our latest, Licensed, Certified, Principle-Centered Marketing™ Coach with Ascend Marketing. Warren is well known in the jewelry & gift industry for the extraordinary success he has enjoyed for the last 17 years, building a million-dollar plus retail jewelry business in an infinitesimally small market town of just 4,000 people; the North Carolina mountain village of Hudson. He has parlayed that success into a speaking and writing avocation, addressing jeweler groups around the country and regularly contributing to industry magazines like INSTORE and Southern Jewelry and Mid-America Jewelry News. “I am NOT giving up my jewelry store,” Warren emphatically states. “This is not a situation where I failed at one thing and am now moving on to something else. On the contrary, my jewelry business is as healthy as it’s ever been and my business is now set up in such a way that I can pursue my other passion… helping people. Coaching my independent jeweler colleagues is a great way for me to do that.” It hasn’t always been roses for Warren. Back in the early 2000s, he was struggling. Business was off over 25% and had slipped to annualized revenue of just $475,000 heading into the Fall. That’s when he hooked up with Marketing Coach, Jim Ackerman of Ascend, and life instantly began to turn around. By the time the year was out, the deficit was erased and Bill tallied nearly $750,000. Almost a 60% turnaround in just four months! Thus began a friendship and partnership between Bill and Jim that has now led to them joining forces to expand the Ascend footprint in the industry, and to reach more retailers who need the same kind of help Bill experienced. According to Ackerman, “Bill Warren is one of the consummate implementers I’ve ever worked with. As we worked together, he was all-in, doing whatever I asked. As a result his was one of the most remarkable turnarounds in our history. And the best part is, Bill has sustained his marketing focus ever since. It’s that kind of concerted effort that I’m confident he’ll bring to the world of marketing coaching, and any of his clients will be fortunate to work with him.” Ascend Marketing has worked with hundreds of retailers through their Coaching program which is unique in the industry. Coaches Ackerman, Paul Furse, Royce Blake, and now Warren, work with stores over an extended period to help them get more new customers, increase average transaction, and get existing customers buying more frequently. “Marketing is more than know-how. It’s DO-how,” Ackerman says. “ Retailers need sound marketing habits, skills and systems to succeed in today’s competitive environment. You can’t get those in hour-long seminars at trade shows. Skills take time and practice, and we’re the only ones who provide you with the feedback and accountability to acquire those vital attributes in business.” “I’m excited for what I can bring to the table. Jim’s program certainly changed my business and my life. Now I want to do the same for other retailers. With this program I know I can make a difference,” Warren says. Bill Warren has been in the jewelry business nearly 40 years, having started while in school. He’s owned and operated his store in Hudson for 26 years, and before that worked in jewelry chain-store operations. He’s a goldsmith, gemologist, appraiser, gem cutter and watch repairman, but says, “I found true success when I became a “marketer of jewelry, gemstones and jewelry-related products and services.” Bill is also an avid musician, playing acoustic and electric guitar, banjo, mandolin and bass. He and his wife of 30 years, Angie, have one son, Dillon. Warren recently completed his certification training with Ascend in Atlanta and is now certified to administer the program to clients. In celebration of Bill’s addition to the Ascend stable of Marketing Coaches, the company is providing FREE Marketing Fitness Check-ups through April 30, 2019. This diagnostic tool is a $397.00 value and helps identify weaknesses in the marketing systems and programs of independent jewelers. The administering Marketing Coach then provides three or more specific recommendations the jeweler can immediately implement to increase traffic and improve closing rates. Interested retailers can contact Bill Warren directly at goldman86@bellsouth.net or by phone at 828.729.1020. The may also contact Ascend Marketing at 800.584.7585 x3, or at mail@ascendmarketing.com.

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How To Develop The Marketing Mindset

You know you need to do it…you see other’s being successful because of it.  What is it that I speak of?  I’m so glad you asked…the answer is becoming the “Maverick Marketer” of your store!  Marketing truly is the engine that drives your store’s business.  Dare you neglect it?

Early in my career as a store owner we were doing ok.  However, larger, older and better financed competitors still were getting the lion’s market share in our area.  So what did I do?  I got help from those who knew what I didn’t in the marketing realm.  Coaching and developing a marketing mindset is what set our store on fire!

While so many retailers concentrated on brand building otherwise known as “Image Marketing”, I started learning about “Direct Response” marketing.  After putting direct response principles in place, I noticed an uptick in sales the very first month.  Therefore, I started crafting more offers, writing better headlines that would elicit a “Direct Response” to my marketing efforts.

You’ll discover as I did that building your in house mailing list is the center post that you build your marketing efforts on and everything else should follow and connect to it after that.  Here’s a marketing tip you shouldn’t ignore…with direct mail, postcards, etc…your client has to at least look at it.  If you do your job well in crafting a good offer, they’ll do more than just look!

Let me give you one more tip about direct response marketing.  The next time you go to your mailbox, carefully look at the offers being made to you from other businesses.  The best direct marketing minds in the world craft offers every day and send them to you.  So before you throw it away…look at the headlines, the offers, coupons and subscriptions they send you to see how you might use them in your operation.

Quit building a brand for someone else…if you create the right offers and store traffic, you’ll build your own brand in the minds of your customers.  When you develop the “Marketing Mindset” using sound direct response marketing principles, you’ll beat the “Image Marketers” every time!

Don't Miss My Info Packed Seminar at The Atlanta Jewelry Show!!!

Have you worked hard to build a mailing list for your retail store but can't seem to figure out how to put it to good use? No worries...help is at hand! Make plans to attend my FREE seminar on "How To Find The Riches in the Niches of Your Store's Mailing List!" This will be held at the Atlanta Jewelry Show on Friday, August 3rd from 4:00 to 5:00 PM. This seminar is based on real world experiences in my own jewelry & gift store. Cut time and waste by learning from my successes as well as failures! Make plans to attend today so you'll be able to find those "Hidden Profit Centers" in your store's mailing list! Find out more well as sign up info by visiting: https://www.atlantajewelryshow.com/sessions/find-the-riches-in-the-niches-in-your-mailing-list/

Discover this and other hidden nuggets of gold I'll be teaching....it would be a shame for others to learn these techniques! I really do look forward to seeing you in Atlanta...let's all profit together! Sincerely, Bill Warren, DDJM (Doctor of Dynamic Jewelry Marketing) 828-729-1020 Email: goldman86@bellsouth.net www.warrenmarketing.blogspot.com P.S. - need a marketing speaker for a group you belong to? I'd love to help...call 828-729-1020. P.P.S. - I'm a retailer just like you who has a love of teaching others! I like to keep things simple..no fancy websites or a bunch of bells & whistles...just results!

Keeping the Thing..."The Thing!"

Let me ask you a question - how many of you are bombarded daily with things that seem to pull you away from the important task of running your store? You know, you have three civic groups wanting you to donate an item for an auction or you’re hit up by someone wanting you to do a hole sponsorship for the latest golf tournament.

It seems we have time vampires all around us wanting to suck up all of our time and attention!

Since childhood I’ve been a huge Star Trek fan and I’ll never forget what Captain Kirk once told Captain Picard in one of the movie versions of Star Trek. He said something to the effect of, “While you’re captain of the ship, you’ll get to explore, do things and see things that no one else gets to see or do! Don’t let them promote you, don’t get distracted because while you’re in the captain’s seat… you’ll make a difference!” In other words, Keep the Thing, “The Thing!”

For those who’ve followed my columns over the years, you know my story - how finding success meant quitting being a jeweler per say and instead becoming a “Marketer of Jewelry” and related services to our area’s consumers. It was a subtle shift in my thinking, but a very important one.

Over the years I’ve found it easy to become distracted with day to day challenges, administration, employees, etc. However whenever I came out of the fog and realized that as “Captain of The Ship” and “Chief Marketer” it’s very important to constantly be developing marketing strategies that create the loyalty and store traffic we’ve enjoyed. 

Friends, I feel sure you’ll discover that marketing is the engine that drives your store’s business - dare you neglect it? It is easy to set aside that next e-mail blast, Facebook/Instagram post, direct mail promotion for the daily administration of business, etc. I get it! But when you do set it aside, just like letting off the accelerator of your car, you’ll slow down. 

Take 15 minutes each morning before everyone gets to work to plan your daily, weekly & monthly marketing. If that is not practical, take just one morning a week, lock yourself away and give yourself time to think about the systems that run your business. Above all else remember, Keep the Thing, “The Thing!”

"til next time,

Bill Warren

WANT TO MAKE A WITHDRAWAL? YOU'VE FIRST GOT TO MAKE A DEPOSIT

Let me ask you a question. How many times have you said to yourself, “I sure wish we were doing more business and that we had more clients coming in the door”? Answer - I’m sure all of us have thought this very thing! Let us take a look at a simple analogy…

When you go to the bank and wish to make a withdrawal, would it be fair to say you must first have made a deposit? If you ask your body to jog five miles, would it be fair to say you must first give it the proper fuel with a good meal? Then how can we as sensible adults reasonably ask our stores to produce business and clients without first marketing properly?

You see, marketing would be likened unto a farmer plowing a field and planting the seeds. Only then can he “reasonably” expect to reap a harvest. So what am I getting at with all of these analogies? Gee, I thought you’d never ask! 

Instead of sitting around living off past successes and glory of days gone by, waiting on a client to darken your door, why not do something about it? Get your calendar out and plan a succession of promotions, sales and events that will attract someone to your store?

I’ll give you a few examples that have worked well for me as of late. In the fourth quarter of 2016, I took the time to invest in doing inexpensive Facebook social media promotions that really paid off. The nice thing about this was, I could target the exact client I wanted. One ad I ran costing only $50 brought in a new client who purchased a ring for $2499 - not to shabby!

Another success was that I took the time to identify a newspaper in a small town near me that still works well. Taking a small part of my Christmas ad budget, I placed several ads in this newspaper I’d never used before. The results? Several sales from new clients who’d never visited our store or town even though they only lived a half hour away! 

Are you starting to see what I’m getting at? In this day and age, you simply have to be proactive instead of being reactive. It’s my personal opinion that gone are the days we can just open our door and wait for customers to flock in. It’s up to you to give them a reason to come visit. That reason is something only you can answer, but good marketing is the vehicle!

You’ll also discover that integration is key to your marketing success. It is not good enough to just run an ad in one medium. Take the time to plan your marketing and have key elements of it appear in each form of marketing you do. For example: combine newspaper with a radio ad combined with Facebook, combined with a well-timed e-blast to your e-mail list.

Over time, your efforts will build and start paying off with more regular visits from your customers as well as new visits from new customers! I admonish you, don’t complain to the stove about not providing heat if you didn’t put any wood in to start the fire!