Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Part of the Fink's Family. . .

by Joey White, Fink's Jewelers, Assistant Manager at the Streets at Southpoint, Durham, NC

Many customers believe that a salesperson is interested in only making a sale-doing whatever it takes to get their money, and that afterwards, never hears from them again. At Fink’s Jewelers, we are here to not only be sales professionals, but also to build relationships with our customers.


Recently I was invited to attend the wedding of my very good customers Heather and Sean. I met Sean in December 2005, when we began picking out gifts from our extensive David Yurman collection for Heather, his then girlfriend.

When other gift giving occasions arose, Sean would come back into Fink’s and together we would choose new and exciting pieces. Eventually the time came for Sean to propose to Heather. She had definite ideas of what she wanted her engagement ring to be, but we searched our wide selection of diamonds to pick out just the perfect ring for her, and in October 2007, Sean found “the ring” and proposed.

When they came in a few months later to select their wedding bands, I was very delighted to hear that they wanted to invite me to attend their wedding ceremony. I was honored that as their jewelry salesperson, they also thought of me as their friend. What a great thing to be included in the company of their cherished friends and family members! Their wedding took place on October 4, 2008 at Brier Creek Country Club in Raleigh. It was a beautiful setting for an outdoor autumn wedding.
It’s been very rewarding to learn that customers think of me as more than just the person that sells them jewelry. They think of me as a friend and that’s just another perk of working at Fink’s Jewelers.

Joey White has a B.A. in Business Management from North Carolina State University. He is a 14 year veteran of the jewelry industry and has been with Fink's Jewelers for the past 8 years.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Fabulous Fall Finds

This fall the look is all about statement pieces and making a splash. We’ve seen it with politicians’ wives, Hollywood starlets and on the runway during fashion week. Unlike some others, the statement piece trend is simple to make your own. Simply choose your favorite type of jewelry i.e. necklace, earrings, bracelets, rings . . . then find a look you’ll love to wear! Below are my choices for fall statement pieces that suit almost every style and preference.


First up are necklaces . . . With the weather cooling down and turtlenecks being spotted, the necklace has a chance to shine! Beaded necklaces are a hit with David Yurman this year as well as bib necklaces by John Hardy. They’re perfect over and under the high necklines of fall tops and dresses.

However, I think my favorite this year is the layered pearl look. Often when walking through our stores, I instantly fall in love with what our sales associates have put together. Sometimes there’s a quality that’s shown when a piece is worn that you just can't see in the case. Honora has some perfect pieces in their colored pearl collections for a chunky look without too much bulk. The dark multi color pearls come in lengths up to 80 inches and can be worn wrapped a time or two or long. At our holiday catalog shoot this year we paired the 80” rope necklace with a 36” necklace of the same size pearls and an 18” necklace with a slightly bigger pearl. It is gorgeous! We tried it with a cream top, navy top and aubergine top (which was the final look you'll see when your catalog arrives!) and all complemented the pearls perfectly. This look could be worn with shades of green, brown, grays and metallics too.

My last pick in the layering family are rings from our Italian gold designers. I’ve always wavered between liking rings that stand up and catch light boldly and a ring that looks good but stays out of my way. Roberto Coin combines the two in yellow,
white and rose gold three stone diamond rings that are meant to be layered. The choice is yours whether to go with one, two or three shades at a time. They are also available with one diamond for more of an understated look.

A bold color choice, Marco Bicego has stackable rings with color gemstones all in 18k yellow, white and rose gold these rings pair up with the sun and sand of summer and the falling leaves and autumnal hues of the current season.

And finally, an old look worn in a new way. I always thought of pendants as a little outdated. But this year we’ve seen them worn in new ways. When wearing a v-neck dress or top placing a bold pendant and the tip of the “v” ends up making the pendant look more like an enhancer minus the chain. The same can be done with multiple pendants centered on strapless gowns much like an enhancer would hang but without the necklace. This look would work under blazers on camisoles or on all your holiday party dresses.

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Hollie Wingate has been the Marketing Coordinator at Fink’s for the past two years. She and her husband Mike live in Roanoke with their new son, West and their furry child, Lizzie.