Instore Magazine • May 2025 • Jonathan Geller

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Follow these four guidelines to improve your client and staff experience with repairs

IF YOU HAVE on-site jewelers, you know that a thriving repair department isn’t just about pricing right or skilled bench work — it can be the difference between gaining or losing a customer for life. Some clear practices separate the good from the great, and they’re easy steps you can start implementing right away.

INSPECT & PROTECT. Anytime you’re taking a customer’s jewelry out of their sight, it should be inspected closely. Hand the customer a loupe and show them that missing stone, worn-down prong, or chipped corner. Annotate each detail and get a customer signature so there can be no question as to what was there before you received it.

The biggest nightmare is a swapped stone claim. Avoid these by mapping inclusions (again, in front of the customer) and annotating any inscriptions.

And train, train, train. Your staff needs to know how to inspect. What does a worn-down prong look like? How do you know if their stones are loose before they come out in the ultrasonic?

Of course, everything you notice also means an extra line on the repair order. Inspect, document, and get a signature before you get to work!

COMMUNICATE CLEARLY. Jewelers and salespeople are from different planets. Smart repair departments minimize interactions to prevent confusion and distractions. “When can this be done?” is the most frequently asked question — and the most irritating if you hear it 100 times daily while you’re trying to aim a torch.

Solve this by making time-lines visible and predictable. Post standard turnaround times clearly and adjust them daily based on workload.

Managers make this happen by helping jewelers review jobs, usually each morning, and setting priorities. One job may be due before another, but the next might need parts ordered before we touch the first.

One store cut the questions by simply posting turnaround times daily on a white board.

Some jewelers solve this by reviewing job statuses in each morning meeting. This way, the staff can hear what’s done, delayed, and in progress, then turn around and update their customers. In a higher volume store, have the sales team review all open repairs under their employee number weekly.

Whatever the case, give the customer a call with an update. If it’s a long lead time, let them know periodically where their jewelry is in the process. For routine jobs, don’t just reach out about delays, but also be sure to call if the job is done early.

CELEBRATE THE WINS. Repair work often feels invisible compared to the glamour of sales. When your bench nails a complex repair, share the win! Recognizing successes doesn’t just build morale in the shop, it also helps create a culture where quality repair work is valued at the front of the house.

JONATHAN GELLER is a 15th-generation jeweler, retailer, and former U.S. Army officer. He produces Geller’s Blue Book To Jewelry Repair & Design, carrying on what his uncle, David Geller, pioneered. Reach him at jonathan@gellerbook.com

BEAUTY IS TRADITIONALLY thought of as the aesthetics of objects, but it can apply to experiences as well. Appreciating that can greatly enhance cognitive health and well-being, say Stanford Business School marketing professors Jennifer Aaker and Szu-chi Huang. Such “beautiful moments,” like hearing a bird song, feeling the sun’s warmth, or even just observing a work area that is running smoothly, happen throughout our day. The trick is noticing them. Aaker and Huang cite the case of award-winning chef Michael Mina. “For him, a beautiful moment is in the kitchen when he goes in and he sees perfectly cut tomatoes,” says Huang, who advises journaling to keep track of such times. “These beautiful moments jumpstart ripple effects in our neural network, awakening us to richer sensory experiences and creating positive, enduring memories,” she says.

IF YOU WOULDN’T take advantage of that sale at another store, why would your customers take advantage of a sale at your store? Trevor Williams, Leitzel’s Jewelry, Myerstown, PA