Saturday Story Time – From $400 to $4,000 in 4 minutes

He must have been in his mid 20s when as a superstar employee was given shares in the company to keep him connected and motivated.  Now 10 or 12 years later the company had been sold and he was ready and able to buy his girlfriend the diamond of her dreams, his-and-hers Rolexes, build a luxuriously appointed reclusive home on a large acreage along the North Saskatchewan River and plan a big wedding.

Now it was time to select his wedding band.  “Awe, just a plain band will be good enough for me.”  Not only did I perceive an ability to afford something more, I had never listened to any groom-to-be when they uttered those foul words.  I of course showed him some nicer 18kt and platinum bands, many diamond set pieces, and shared with him a partially deconstructed ring that I had on the drawing board.  I called it the “rebar ring.”  From one side it looked like a fairly heavy plain tiffany style band, but part of the ring was “cracked-away” to reveal the inner structure; including white gold “rebar” and small diamonds looking like the crystals inside a geode.  Having been in construction, he loved the idea and we made it for him.

Well, by looking at and trying on some nicer heavier more luxurious rings, we went from $400 to $4,000 in about 4 minutes.  Now this was in a luxury jewellery boutique, but even when I was selling jewellery in the mall, I would routinely bypass the plain wedding band display and go right for the diamond-set wedding rings.  My average sales in men’s wedding bands were always about twice that of any other salesperson.

More and more, young ladies are expecting and wanting to put some effort and expense into her future husband’s band.  I say, LET THEM.  CJG stores have a promotion where they throw-in an inexpensive titanium wedding band with the purchase of a men’s gold wedding band of a certain value.  Good idea; it allows him to get the cool look of titanium along with something more permanent and serviceable.  David Stratton in Banff points-out that decked-out titanium, ceramic and tungsten bands can carry price points of up to $3,000.  Show them the decked-out ones first!

It’s really, really, really easy to let them buy the plain wedding band or the cheapo titanium band.  Consider that your fallback plan after you’ve made an attempt to sell them something more.  Something they’ll be proud of and rave about to their friends who just might be the next ones shopping for a wedding band.