Gentlemen, Start Your Engines

With no intention of slighting the fairer sex, this article is geared to assist gentlemen in performing a very simple task that can be quite daunting to many guys. I was watching TV a few weeks ago and saw a large chain store jewelry commercial about an “early” Black Friday Holiday shopping weekend sale in the first week of November! For Pete’s sake, it wasn’t even Halloween. I swear every year the Christmas card envelopes get pushed earlier and earlier. I remember one year in August I was in Wal-Mart looking for pool supplies in the usual aisle only to find Christmas decorations? The pool supplies (or should I say lack of them!) were buried in a corner aisle by the garden section next to the porch swings and lawn fertilizer. My looming holiday season plan was not even on my radar.

I get it, the early Black Friday Sale promotion may just be a way to light a fire under some guys who may need a slight nudge or early wake-up call to inform them the gift-giving holiday season is approaching and will be here before we know it! So, get in gear, it’s time to plan ahead! The fact is…most guys don’t until it’s too late! In my 55 years in the jewelry biz, I have yet to meet any woman who does not like getting a gift of fine jewelry on Christmas morning. (Okay, maybe one woman, she was into nature, smelled of Patchouli, and wore leather bracelets and pendants with hanging rocks and carved wooden charms. That’s nearly none percentage wise?)

Another serious thing, gentlemen. Don’t fall for the “Honey, you don’t have to get me anything nice for Christmas!” spiel. Getting comfortable and falling for that nonsense speech is comparable to plunging into a deep hole of shame you may never climb out of, and you’ll be reminded of that faux pas move in front of friends and family until you leave this earth. Even when approaching the Pearly Gates, Old Saint Peter himself will ask you how in the heck did you fall for that one?

Thanksgiving has passed and my jewelry shop has had a good amount of Christmas shoppers already. It’s mostly the savvy ladies who shop early and get the pick of the litter, so to say. My daughter Lindsay and several of my staff picked out and ordered wonderful pieces of jewelry sourced from U.S. designer companies and also many from my European mom and pop shops I have been doing business with since the early 2000s.

The fact is the hottest new jewelry trends and styles originate from Milan, Rome, and Florence. Besides the Italians' cutting-edge, designs originate in Germany and grande Paris. We have been doing business with small European jewelry manufacturers for decades; my seasoned regular customers know to get in the shop early autumn to see what amazing pieces I handpicked from Europe that summer. The latest new popular pieces are usually gone by late November and early December and a replacement order can take at least two months to arrive due to customs, etc. So, guys shop here early to enjoy the newest and latest trends.

So, what do women want? First of all, gold and diamonds never go out of style. Yes, I know gold is expensive but don’t freak out just yet, because tiny is big right now. What I mean is small, dainty pendants and bracelets that don’t weigh a lot are the in thing! Lightweight earrings with or without diamonds are your best bet if you are clueless as to what to get her. If you really want to hit it outta the park, diamond stud earrings, natural or Lab-grown, are the way to go.

Both my staff and I know some guys feel like a golf ball in the tall weeds standing in a jewelry store (Personally, I’m more comfortable in a Bass Pro shop or a Tractor Supply Outlet!) To take the curse off, my non-commissioned sales ladies will make your gift giving choice an easy-peasy stressless experience that includes free gift wrapping. Meaning not only did you outdo yourself, you did it in less time than you could even imagine, and now you’re sitting with your buds feeling all “Mission Accomplished,” enjoying the game at Paddy Murphy’s.

So, get here early, be it by bike, motorcycle, car, airplane, canoe, or power boat and make this special gift of fine jewelry one she won’t forget. Don’t be that guy who assumed his better half would be fine with nothing on Christmas morning.

Happy Holidays to all!