Reading Time: 8 minutes
Key Takeaways:
• Cathy Calhoun leverages her expertise in estate jewelry and her unique living situation in a refurbished bank to gain significant national media exposure.
• Specialized knowledge and certifications from organizations like GIA and AGS are essential for market differentiation and building trust in the estate jewelry niche.
• Effective media relations and a strong social media presence, including video reels and influencer collaborations, are key strategies for turning viewers into jewelry customers.
By nature, jewelry store owners must have a range of skills and knowledge. But it’s always good to be really, really good at a few things for the sake of market differentiation. For Cathy Calhoun, owner of Calhoun Jewelers, that specialty is estate jewelry. Cathy has become so knowledgeable in this field that she has appeared on numerous local, regional, and even national television news shows over the years.
Her jewelry-related television appearances range from CNN Money, HGTV (Home & Garden Television), and Good Morning America to the enormously popular PBS program Antiques Roadshow. But Cathy is quick to admit that the most television news coverage she has received wasn’t about jewelry at all.
Cathy lives in a refurbished bank (where she worked as a teller in the 1980s) in Spring City, Pennsylvania. The “I live in a bank” video has received more than 7 million views.
“My first TV appearances were with Diane Sawyer from ABC’s Morning Show,” says Cathy. “And then for Peter Jennings on the evening news. The TV news stories were about me living in a bank, but I made a deal that they must somehow bring into the story that I am a jeweler or that I have a jewelry business.”
In 1997, Cathy opened Calhoun Jewelers in nearby Royersford, Pennsylvania. Twenty years later, she opened a second store in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Both are heavy into estate jewelry, with the Pennsylvania store’s inventory accounting for 40 percent of estate jewelry while the California-based store is all estate, all the time.
Specializing in estate jewelry is like any long journey: it has to start somewhere. The first step for Cathy in the early days was helping customers do something with their old or unwanted jewelry. Consignment sales were an easy answer, but Cathy wanted more for her customers. She turned to Philadelphia-based jeweler Armand Jacoby, who taught Cathy the essentials of redesign to resell. She was hooked.
“It was a real eye-opener for me,” says Cathy.
To hone her estate jewelry skills, Cathy earned her Graduate Gemologist certificate from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and then attended local guild meetings. Summers were dedicated to attending Antique Jewelry Camps held at the University of Maine. Camps are deep dives into various topics addressed by experts in their specialties. Cathy is the Art Nouveau expert. Her jewelry history classes at New York University helped round out Cathy’s knowledge.
Similar to learning a language, acquiring knowledge and expertise in estate jewelry is a never-ending task. In the past, Cathy earned her Certified Gemologist Appraiser certification. Last year, she went through the recertification process with the American Gem Society (AGS). And, she attends every AGS Conclave.
But the resources she finds most useful are institutions open to all – museums and libraries. “The best way to begin gaining knowledge [on estate jewelry] is from museums and books on art, history, and jewelry,” says Cathy. “I have an extensive library of these at my home and my stores.”
Additionally, Cathy suggests reading articles on antique and estate jewelry. She strongly recommends a book on jewelry hallmarks. “This is a must and will help with provenance,” says Cathy.
Even if gold prices weren’t at historic highs, customers are constantly asking what they can do with their old jewelry. Buying jewelry and applying that amount toward the purchase of a new piece of jewelry is quite common.
It has been Cathy’s experience, and that of many other retail jewelry store owners, that customers are more willing to sell a piece rather than repair it. Additionally, always make sure customers know that your store buys old and unwanted jewelry through in-store visits, advertisements, media outlets, and online platforms.
With the estate jewelry essentials sorted, Cathy encourages jewelry store owners to share that knowledge with a wider audience. Media Relations, by definition, is “building a relationship with journalists.” Today’s journalism, however, is much more than television and print. Bloggers and influencers are also part of the mix (but choose your online alliances carefully).
Retail jewelers are experts on jewelry trends. Work with your local TV stations to appear on news shows to discuss breaking jewelry and fashion trends at key gift-giving occasions during the year.
Let fashion mavens on social media know you’re a jewelry trends expert. Invite them to your store for a live feed. Or have staff create fun video reels highlighting what’s new and what’s hot at your store.
Buying trips to noteworthy destinations is another option. From trade shows in Las Vegas to overseas buying trips for diamonds (Antwerp) and colored stones (Thailand, chief among them). Buying from the source has pull. Leverage that to turn viewers into customers, according to Cathy.
“I cannot say enough of the good things that TV has done for my business,” says Cathy. “And, it all started with a small newspaper article in a local paper. The AP [Associated Press] wire service picked up. Then the calls started coming in.”
Gold is at historic highs. Buying old or unwanted jewelry has become incredibly lucrative for retail jewelers and has become easier as of late. “Boomers are unloading [jewelry], and Millennials and Gen Z’ers are interested in retro, especially Art Deco,” says Cathy. “Younger buyers like the intricacies of this period, but only originals. Be careful of reproductions.”
Plus, there’s always the possibility of bringing in a unique, noteworthy piece of jewelry. Cathy has a large selection of “Hollywood” jewelry, ranging from Billie Holiday and Elvis Presley to Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson.
When a retailer has amassed some noteworthy pieces with historical or celebrity provenance, Cathy suggests using tent cards that identify the time period for each (i.e., Georgian, 1714 to 1837). Perhaps a retail jeweler can even have a “Hollywood” section. That’s worth talking about.
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