Aebischer’s Endures with Relationships of Trust
What sets Aebischer’s Jewelry apart from other jewelry stores?
Adam Aebischer, jeweler at Aebischer’s Jewelry: With the amount of years that the Aebischer family and staff have in this industry, we pride ourselves on the knowledge that we pass on to our customers when they are picking out a piece of jewelry.
I personally specialize in the loose diamond and watch department. A common question I get is, “How much does a one-carat diamond cost?” Being an expert in this department, I start by educating the customer on how you can find a $3,000 one-carat diamond, and a $15,000 one-carat diamond and why there is such a vast difference in price.
We pride ourselves on our passion to help educate the customer so they can choose what they want, and not us choose it for them. We believe this creates a better shopping experience than just telling a customer that this piece is “more beautiful” than that piece.
How has Aebischer’s Jewelry managed to become a fourth-generation family business?
Aebischer: Throughout our 89 years, keeping our focus on the customer and their needs has been a top priority for not only the members of the Aebischer family, but for the staff as well. In doing so, we get a pulse of what our customers are looking for and that in turn helps us with inventory management. Continually updating our inventory styles from conservative and timeless to progressive and trendy has helped us meet our customers’ needs.
Another reason why Aebischer’s Jewelry has thrived throughout four generations, and what we believe keeps customers coming back, is our drive to maintain high standards of integrity and honesty.
When the occasion arises that a repair or remount is needed, you want to trust your piece of jewelry to a jeweler who will give your treasured pieces the professional attention and care they deserve. From my great-grandpa, to my grandpa, to my dad, to myself, we have always viewed ourselves as jewelers and not salespeople. We believe that customers can sense our passion for what we do and, in turn, we gain their trust. Building strong rapport with our customers has resulted in customer retention and positive word-of-mouth advertising, enabling us to manage our successful growth.
A trusting relationship with our manufacturers is also integral to our success throughout our 89 years. Being a family-owned and operated business, we have sifted through manufacturers and have surrounded ourselves with ones that treat us like family. In so doing, they allow us to work with jewelry on long-term memorandums without having to restrict cash flow, and also go the extra mile to meet our customer’s deadlines.
How does Aebischer’s operate its business that creates an environment unlike a regular sales floor?
Aebischer: Aebischer’s Jewelry always has been a noncommission business. We have incredible relationships with the staff and we all believe that we are a team that helps serve the community and do not want to risk our work environment becoming cut-throat. We also believe that this helps us give an honest representation of the jewelry, without being focused on getting a commission.
The amount of work we do behind the scenes is another key characteristic of our store. Every single piece of jewelry is checked before it is put in a showcase or sold to a customer. Because a large amount of jewelry is still manufactured by hand, there are instances when a piece of jewelry might have to be adjusted before it is in our customer’s hands, and we do our absolute best to catch those needed adjustments.
How has the jewelry industry changed throughout your years of operation?
Aebischer: Today’s consumers want to personalize their engagement rings to add a more personal touch by tweaking the original model or designing one from scratch.
Another big change that the jewelry industry went through is the way loose diamonds are sold. Diamonds used to be sold in A, B and C qualities. Diamonds are sold today with more specifics and many of them are accompanied with a gemological laboratory report.
What are some of the trends you see today in the jewelry industry?
Aebischer: In the bridal department, dainty diamond-accented engagement ring mountings are the hot style. This style is described as a thin shank with little diamonds going down the sides. Because the shank is so thin, this draws a lot of the attention to the center stone. And regarding the center stone, we have seen an uptick in demand for fancy shaped diamonds. These would be any shape other than round. Some examples are oval, cushion, pear, radiant and emerald cuts.
Other popular trends are vintage inspired designs containing a filigree design, pairing a traditional style engagement ring with a nontraditional style wedding band, and halo designs, which are a ring of diamonds that surrounds the main gemstone.
Within the watch department, vintage reissues are what consumers are gravitating toward. This year at the large BaselWorld Watch and Jewelry show, many different watch manufactures released styles that have been modeled from designs in their archives.
How do you keep up with trends?
Aebischer: Beyond work hours, we continue our education by attending trade shows and jewelry seminars. This helps us get a pulse of happenings within the jewelry industry along with style trends and management advice.
What should a consumer look for when selecting a jeweler?
Aebischer: Do your research and find a jeweler known for their honesty and integrity. Whether it be asking around your community or reading reviews, those are two characteristics that a good jeweler must have. If the customer is pleased with their experience, they will most likely tell others. We are incredibly blessed to say that we still have families trusting us today that have dealt with us back in the 1920s and 1930s.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
