Diary Of A Pawnbroker May 2016

Diary Of A PawnbrokerFeatures

Diary Of A Pawnbroker May 2016. It’s almost 2 years since we opened our Shipley shop, Christopher Brown Jewellers. For those who don’t regularly visit Shipley it’s a wonderful market town, well looked after and with a friendly atmosphere. Our shop is right in the market square and has become a very busy branch with more and more happy customer recommendations every week.
The store sells a lot of quality diamonds and Rolex watches, with easy parking – right outside the shop, it couldn’t be easier to call in and take a look.
Diamonds…
Being called ‘Christopher Brown Jewellers’ people often like to be served by myself, especially when they are looking to design or source a particularly high value or unique piece. With 6 shops to run it is not always possible so therefore I trust the managing of the store to a jeweller who I have known as a friend and worked with for over 25 years.
Jane Coates was the former manager of one of my old Herbert Brown Stores and I knew if anyone could make this store succeed it would be her along with the team she has worked with for most of her career. There is very little Jane doesn’t know about quality jewellery and diamonds and every week we meet customers who have known her in the past suddenly recognising her saying ‘so that’s where you went – we will shop here now we have found you’ which as a business owner endorses everything you wish for!
My time in the business is spent driving the 6 branches at Brown & Gold, buying the right stock and working with the team to deliver on the customer enquiries we get. So it was strange to find myself on a train to Birmingham to meet a new customer who has been recommended to call me regarding sourcing a rather special engagement ring for his fiancée.
This customer lives south of Oxford and we have never actually met, but I do know his friend. Sat in a quiet restaurant near Birmingham New Street station, I present him with 5 diamonds to choose from, all ranging from 1.5 to 1.65 carats and each stone a brilliant rare white ‘D-F’ colour. These are important stones, graded high above the ‘commercial white’ stones you find in most high street jewellers and each stone is worth around £20,000. He knows he won’t have to pay that though as I give him the news that, as promised, I will discount the finished ring to a price that will save him thousands.
As we gently unwrap each stone they send sharp blades of coloured light streaking across the room and a spectrum of iridescent colours dance around the ceiling.
‘Oh wow, they all look amazing’ says Steve, and they are. Over the last 4 weeks I have been calling my trade suppliers around the world to get him the best of the best. One was sourced from Israel, one from South Africa and others from Antwerp. All from trusted suppliers who I have worked with and known most of my career. However one stone jumps out at him. His fiancée is sat alongside and between them they fall in love with a 1.63ct perfectly cut ‘E colour’ diamond that shines like a beacon and lights up her smile just as brightly. We discuss and design a 4 claw platinum twist setting and the decision is made. I return back to Leeds and they return to Oxford. In two weeks’ time they will receive a special delivery that will be worn and admired every day for the rest of their lives.
Perhaps this is an extreme example as I don’t often travel halfway down the country to meet a semi-stranger but the reward of seeing their delight was worth it all.
Luckily, you do not have to spend the same amount of money or arrange to meet in a train station to get the same service. Every one of my branches has access to these stones and I am always available to fix a personal appointment to discuss what you want and find the perfect jewellery for you. That’s why people use and seek out a professional jeweller and why stores like Shipley, Seacroft and Batley continue to grow and grow. Why risk buying on-line and hope the product is as good as the description, when you can buy it for the same price from a trusted jeweller who will go out of their way to make your purchase special and right for you?
In my view you cannot make a large buying decision without seeing and ‘feeling’ the stone. For many it is one of the biggest single purchases they will ever make.
However if you are lucky enough to have a fiancée who really cares about what he buys you, or be marrying my new friend Steve, that purchase will give you pleasure for the rest of your life.
Brown & Gold and Christopher Brown Jewellers sell a range of diamonds to suit every taste and budget. Call us to book an appointment or visit your local store to view our range.
Chris Brown

Diary Of A Pawnbroker May 2016

Diary Of A Pawnbroker May 2016

Diary Of A Pawnbroker May 2016

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