Until recently, a large portion of my jewelry collection was from J.Crew and the J.Crew Factory store. I like jewelry that stands out and for the past 3+ years, they've been able to deliver that. In fact, I loved their jewelry so much that I frequently gifted it to my friends. Like this year, when I bought my best friend a J.Crew Factory necklace for Christmas. Originally like $60, I think I got it on sale for somewhere in the $35 range. Not a bad price, and I knew how badly she wanted that particular piece (which had previously been sold out), so I felt good about my purchase. Well I got it in, wrapped it up, and gave it to her. My friend is like me and has a million and a half different necklaces, so she put it into her closet for a few months until she had the perfect outfit for it. When she pulled it out, one of the stones has fallen out of it. No big deal. We'll just take it back to the store when we are in Dallas for work in a few weeks. So we do, only they wouldn't exchange the necklace because they didn't have another one like it in the store, and instead of letting us pick out another piece to replace it, they told us that we could return it for credit. The credit on that necklace without a receipt was whatever it rang up at, then 50% of that because of the discount they were running that day. So the $60 necklace that I had purchased for $35 was now worth a whopping $15 of store credit. I was infuriated. I explained the situation and yet, we still only got $15 in credit. I suppose my friend could've kept it, but a stone was gone and I knew she would never wear it. I told her to get the credit, but in my head, I was screaming angrily about the money I had just flushed down the commode.
This is when it all changed for me. I guess because of this one bad experience I started thinking back to all of the times that I'd bought jewelry that didn't last. And then, I started thinking about how long my other pieces of jewelry would last before looking tarnished or getting that weird old metal smell to them. At some point during my reflection, I started talking to my friend about how fed up I was with companies charging me $30-60 for something that barely lasts the season, and it's not like I'm buying 1 piece for the season. I was buying 5-6 pieces every season. So then my friend said something to me that made me stop dead in my tracks - "we spend a lot of money on cheap a** jewelry". As a matter of fact, I spend a CRAP TON of money on cheap a** jewelry, and for what?! When it gets broken, they give me $15 for it even though the tags are still on and it's never hardly even been touched. NO, thanks.
NOTE: I would like to state for the record that this is an issue with lots of companies that sell fashion jewelry. This particular experience just happened to have been with J.Crew.
So here's what I decided…
From now on, I am only buying direct sales jewelry (Chloe and Isabel, Premier, Stella and Dot, Origami Owl, etc.). In fact, I signed up to be a Chloe and Isabel merchandiser for just this reason. I'm sure you are wondering why the heck I'd ever do that, but here's why…
Even though the jewelry from direct sales companies can sometimes cost a little bit more, the benefits of FAR outweigh the little bit extra on the pricetag.
1. The quality of the jewelry is a ZILLION times better than the stuff you find in most clothing stores. Most fashion jewelry is plastic or a generic plated metal. It is only made to last a season, so it can break and tarnishes quickly. Chloe and Isabel's pieces are usually gold or rhodium plated. It makes for a better looking and longer lasting piece of jewelry. Also, they use semi-precious stones, the crystals are pave, and they have a line of really adorable sterling silver jewelry.
2. So let's say something happens to your jewelry in 3 months, most direct sales companies have a lifetime guarantee on their jewelry. If my Chloe and Isabel jewelry ever breaks or is damaged, I can return it to the company and get a new one. All I have to do is pay a shipping and handling charge of $5. So even though I may pay more for a necklace, at least I know that I'll literally have it for the rest of my life if I want to.
3. Buying the jewelry from a merchandiser is helping that person make a little extra money. I always like knowing that my purchases will go to benefit someone I know. If I can buy a pretty piece of jewelry and it helps my friend make some money so she can take a vacation or stay home with her kids, then by gosh, I'm gonna do it.
4. At least with Chloe and Isabel, they literally have a line for every style type and every budget. I sent an email to my friends and family asking if they would choose 3 pieces they liked the best, so that I could figure out what pieces to add to my collection (I literally couldn't choose for myself), and they all came back with something completely different.
 |
| Classic and Refined: Retro Glam Square Cut 3 Layer Necklace |
 |
| Trendsetting: Jardin Majorelle Statement Necklace |
 |
| Minimalist: Three Row Paillette Graduated Pendant |
These companies are built on empowering women to become entrepreneurs while selling great products. I honestly can't tell you why I haven't been buying my jewelry from them all along.
So if you're following me on Twitter or Instagram, be prepared to see a lot more posts about Chloe and Isabel's jewelry. I am super passionate about this company and their products. Hopefully you'll find a few pieces you LOVE, or at least you can enter some of the drawings I'll be doing!
Hope you are all having a lovely Southern Saturday! XoXo
No comments:
Post a Comment