Sharon Zimmerman
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Why Does Platinum Jewelry Cost More Than Gold Jewelry?
Platinum is less expensive than gold, so what gives?This is a question that I get a lot. And I get it – you can clearly see if you check metal prices online that platinum is currently less expensive than gold, and yet you go to buy jewelry and the platinum pieces cost more. The answer…
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What the Kimberley Process Doesn’t Want You To Know
The Kimberley Process is BrokenWhen a Summer of 2021 meeting of the Kimberley Process (KP) turned contentious, I found hope.
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Email Marketing Ethics 101 – how spam email practices hurt us all and what to avoid
Recently I got added to an email list by a climate organization and I was incensed. It seemed, even to me, like it might be a petty annoyance, but thinking about it more and more I couldn’t help but reflect on how ethics affects our jewelry businesses in more ways than just sourcing gems and…
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All about recycled diamonds – I was interviewed for JCK Magazine
In an industry where that are no easy answers, and often no simple or straight forward answers, choosing reused diamonds is one of the easier choices I can make as a designer.Is it perfect? No. Absolutely not.
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Selling on consignment – from the retailer’s perspective – an interview with Liz Tucker from Poppy
Have you looked into what store owners are looking for in a relationship?Liz Tucker, owner of Poppy in Columbia, Missouri is the store owner who taught me that I could expect more from my consignment relationships. The care and integrity that she takes shows up in the artists that she carries, the loyal clients who…
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Use Canva Pro to remove the background on your photos
I usually use a professional service to do most of my photo processing for when I need something that looks great. I especially need it for when I need a piece of jewelry to be shown in both gold and silver (without having to make both pieces. It’s a process called color masking and it…
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Holiday planning for your jewelry business – part 2 – all about supply chains
The disruptions in the worldwide supply chain amount to some minor changes and inconveniences to my business, for others the disruptions have created even bigger issues.
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What to do when social media goes down?
This won’t be the first time that I have talked about the need for all of us as small business owners to shore up our businesses, and it certainly won’t be the last.
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Stop lying about which gold you use
If your gold is “cheap” it either a) isn’t solid gold or b) someone is getting exploited. Gold fill, plate or vermeil – these are budget-friendly ways to get the look of gold without the higher price. But they aren’t the same thing as a piece of jewelry that is gold through and through.
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Conflict-Free – Does it Mean What you Think It Means? Great Question
Conflict-free. It sounds so nice, doesn’t it? “This diamond is free of conflict” “these minerals are free of conflict” “this ring is free of conflict” They sound like peaceful, tranquil ephemera; drifting along, never encountering conflict. Just free as a bird or a hot air balloon – floating away from and above all of the…