What Does Diamond Education Really Mean?

Ben Prior, sales executive at De Beers Group Industry Services, reflects on a busy 2019 and explores what independent retailers can do to enhance their diamond knowledge and prepare for consumer scrutiny in 2020

- Ben Prior

Today’s end-consumer is really discerning. With the accessibility of the internet, many shoppers have done incredible amounts of research before they enter your independent jewellery retail business. They arrive armed with knowledge of the 4Cs, but also a deeper understanding of colour grading, clarity grading, fancy cuts and colours, settings and precious metals. To engage this kind of self-educated consumer, a sales associate needs to be able to impart diamond wisdom in a way that can’t be replicated online. That means handling diamonds, demonstrating, perhaps with a loupe, the differences between stones and sharing the history, heritage and properties of diamonds in a way that builds a complete, ‘diamond story’.