Do You Buy Goods From India?

RAPAPORT… The 4Cs are not the only things that make a piece of diamond jewelry a sales winner. In an ongoing series, Rapaport Diamond Report explores the “3Ws” — what’s selling, what’s not and why — by going straight to the people who really know — jewelry retailers. Each month, we ask a sampling of retailers to comment on the important issues that are facing the industry today. Here is what they had to say when asked: Do you buy loose diamonds or jewelry made in India?

JEFF ROSEMAN, PRESIDENT

DAVID HARVEY JEWELERS

NORWALK, CONNECTICUT

“I buy a lot of finished jewelry, and I’m sure some of my vendors are using Indian goods. But if you’re asking if I purposely import loose diamonds from India, the answer is no. If you ask me if some of my finished jewelry might be assembled in Asia, with stones coming from India, the answer is probably, unbeknown to myself. If you’re asking whether I buy commercial goods, the answer is no, I don’t.

“It used to be, you bought Russian goods to buy the most expensive and Indian goods to buy the least expensive, but that doesn’t hold any longer. You can get quarter-carats of a better cut now out of India than you could years and years ago, and that’s why I might not identify them. It’s a misnomer that if you’re buying goods from India, you’re buying lower quality. That’s just not true any more.”

STEWART BRANDT, OWNER

H. BRANDT JEWELERS

NATICK, MASSACHUSETTS

“I’m going to say ‘probably yes,’ only because a couple of the vendors that I work with through IJO [Independent Jewelers Organization] are Indian-owned. So I’m going to go out on a limb and say some of the product I purchase from them is made in India. Most of the Indian-made stuff that I’m buying is price-point merchandise and sold as such, although I have seen an awful lot of beautiful Indian jewelry come over the counter in terms of scrap buying.

“I’ve been dealing with the same couple of guys for a while and the product has been consistent from these two particular vendors. They call it as they see it. If they tell me that the diamond studs are JI1s, then they’re JI1s and if that fits the customer’s price point and that’s what they want to buy, then why not. And the same with some of the other finished jewelry; it is typically price-point merchandise. I haven’t seen any real variation in the quality within the five or so years I’ve been dealing with them. It’s been fairly consistent. And when there’s been an issue, both companies have been right up front about taking care of it immediately, no questions asked, ‘send it back and we’ll fix it or replace it,’ which is what I’d expect from any company.”

LEE ESKRIDGE, CO-OWNER

LEEBRANT JEWELERS

ATLANTA, GEORGIA

“Not directly that I know of. It’s just worked out that the people we deal with aren’t selling that. I guess I should say that we possibly do, but I don’t think so. ”

THOMAS WIGGINS, MANAGER

BIXLER’S JEWELERS

WHITEHALL, PENNSYLVANIA

“No, we do not. We just really haven’t introduced ourselves to any companies that are dealing in Indian goods. Our loose stones we get mostly from Antwerp. We have some companies we deal with whose things are made in China — finished goods, usually earrings or things like that. But we haven’t been introduced or introduced ourselves to any of the Indian companies.”

HERB BORESON, MANAGER

THE DIAMOND SHOP

LEWISTON, IDAHO

“We have very little in either loose diamonds or jewelry from India. We have a lot of loose diamonds and a lot of jewelry, but probably 5 percent to 10 percent is made in India. In diamonds, it’s mostly the diamond melee, smaller, under 5 points. In jewelry, it’s more price-point items. It’s just what the market dictates. Sometimes we have to have it and if we do, it’s under the counter somewhere and if we have to pull it out, we do. It’s not something we’re excited about.”

GEORGE FOX, OWNER

FOX FINE JEWELRY

VENTURA, CALIFORNIA

“I’m sure some of the diamonds I have are cut there, but I wouldn’t be able to discern which ones. I go to Antwerp every year and I’m sure they have factories [in India] that cut them. But I’m not specifically buying them. In the past, we did well with some jewelry from Price Point Marketing, which is an Indian company, but I’m not sure if they manufacture here or in India. They’re very nice and one of the best companies I’ve dealt with. It was a moderately priced line of karat gold with colored gemstones set with diamond accents. I don’t do so much with it now because it ran its course, but that wouldn’t exclude us from doing it again. For us, it’s a question of is it right for our store, is it a well-managed company, do they have the Western values I have concerning timelines and availability and responsiveness?”

TIMOTHY QUIGLEY, OWNER

TQ DIAMONDS

MADISON, WISCONSIN

“No, not that I’m aware of. In my past experience — and I’m sure there are many different factories and in some the quality is better than others — I’ve not been overly satisfied with the quality of the diamonds or the settings or the weight of the mountings. And personally, I prefer to keep my money within the United States, with U.S. manufacturers, for the most part. Again, that’s not totally realistic in this industry, but I try.”

BRAD KOEN, CO-OWNER

JOE KOEN & SON JEWELERs

AUSTIN, TEXAS

“I am not. Usually because if I order a piece and I need to do some repair work to it or need some warranty work done or if I like it and want to order another, it’s just so far away to do business, it causes some backlog. I’d rather be doing something local, where the shipping isn’t as expensive and it’s quicker.”