Happy Stories From our customers

At Joseph Schubach Jewelers, we are concerned about eco-consciousness. That’s why we use diamond alternatives, like moissanite. And we all use recycled materials in our jewelry making.

But there are some actions you can take with your old jewelry to give it a new look. Take a look at these interesting suggestions. And blow the dust off that old jewelry box of yours!

Sell Your Old Jewelry Pieces on EBay or Etsy

You can list old jewelry for sale on eBay as pieces of jewelry, or as jewelry parts that can sell as components to create new pieces. Old jewels are popular sellers among jewelry makers for the parts, so don’t hesitate to add orphan earrings or broken jewelry to the lots.

Etsy is another website where you can sell your jewelry parts or your vintage jewelry. Visit a number of Etsy storefronts to get an idea of what is selling and at what price. To sell your items, you will then need to open up your own “store”.

Donate Your Old Jewelry To CharityUnwanted jewelry can be put to good use by various charities. If a favourite charity of yours is holding an auction, donate your old and unused jewelry so the charity can make a little money. You might even be able to ask for a tax receipt.

Use Jewelry in Unexpected Ways

If your brooches or earrings are missing bits, you can still recycle them as gift toppers and add a bit of bling to perhaps a ho-hum gift. It’s fun and eco-friendly and your recipient is getting two gifts in one.

• Decorate a picture frame, lampshade, plain box–the options are endless. Practice making a pattern before gluing the jewels to their new home.




• Dress up pretty bottles with beribboned brooches or earrings. Fill the jars with bath foam and oil for a jewel-charmed gift.




• If you have old clip-on earrings you will never wear, clip them on as shoe clips to glamorize a pair of plain high heels.




• Wrap unused gold or silver chain necklace around your wrist several times and wear it as a multi-strand bracelet.




• Or combine that plain chain with an unused charm bracelet to create an unusual and original combination. If you have single charms in your jewelry box, you can simply slip one or two onto the chain necklace for a fresh look




• For a stunning new look, slip a few of your unused rings on to a kilt pin (those large safety pins used to hold kilts together) and create a one of a kind brooch instantly.
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  Kilt pins for Rings

Read more at Suite101: Recycling Old Jewelry: New Uses for Your Vintage and Unused Baubles http://www.suite101.com/content/recycling-old-jewelry-a218625#ixzz12vmckQ9j

Who doesn’t like Halloween? It’s the most perfect holiday – no stress, just plain weird fun! Today, we’re showcasing some of the stranger, spookier jewelry we’ve come across. Be prepared!

Jewelry made out of human hair!

Don't hate us, PETA!

Eye Jewelry?

Ground Beef Accessory

I discovered this a few days ago and just had to share. So many of the points this jeweler makes are true. It really is very gratifying being a Scottsdale-based jeweler and a third generation jeweler at that. My family has brought a lot of happiness to other people and for that, I will be eternally proud:

Selling that first piece of jewelry to a 13-year-old boy for $25 or less, for his first girlfriend. There’s nothing like witnessing the innocence and generosity of youth through older eyes.

People thinking all jewelers are rich and successful. They are wrong, but it feels good anyway.

Being the hit of any party. Everybody is curious and wants “the scoop” on their jewelry or they want me to tell their spouse what they want for a gift!

Knowing everyone in town.

On Christmas morning, HUNDREDS of folks squeal with delight opening boxes with my name on it!

Helping young men pick out engagement rings when they are so terrified they can barely speak.

You can tell all the fakes in the room!

That feeling you have when a piece is finished and it SINGS!

You can fix your kids toys at the store!

I am a goldsmith and it’s a lost art…. but its ancient and important and spiritual to represent events in a person’s life in an object of precious material.

Being able to say, “I made that!”

Seeing the look of joy on a customer’s face when they see something very special we have produced for them the very first time.

Meeting artists and designers and traveling to shows

The respect that comes with being a third-generation businessperson.

Working with some of the most awesome materials in God’s creation.

Always having the best jewelry on at any party.

All day long being surrounded by beauty.

Being able to hold thousands of dollars worth of diamonds in the palm of your hand.

The fact that as long as that door is open, you are one sale away from a great day.

Getting to see the new stuff first.

Working with my family.

Pretty women having fun.

You can travel pretty much anywhere in the world on business.

Wholesale jewelry for the wife.

Getting wedding pictures, and then baby announcements in the mail with a thank-you note addressed to the staff.

The True Tales.

The variety of things in my day from crunching numbers to design

That we have so much room to grow and change constantly. That’s what I love. It never gets old.

Giving service for free to clients who don’t expect it just to let them know that you do really value their business.

Looking down ladies tops, as they lean over the counter.

The trust people place in you and how they tell you everything so easily, as if you are their closest friend.

We get to see people at their happiest.

Helping show someone how much they are loved.

I get to make people happy just about every day I open the doors. I am associated with positive life events (births, weddings, birthdays). So usually when people think of me, they smile!

Imagining what the recipient will say/do when they receive the gift.

When you make a quality piece of jewelry you know it is going to be cherished for years, likely beyond my own life.

Being an important player in life’s most significant events for the fine folks who walk through our door everyday! 50 years from now they’ll still remember where and who they got their engagement ring and wedding bands from.

Being one of only three people that know what exciting (engagement) news

When Grams comes in with her grandchildren to show them where to get their jewelry because this is where Gramps shops.

Hearing great gossip.

Helping the people who have come up from nothing and have achieved prosperity. It’s inspiring.

Educating the consumer about diamonds, sapphires, rubies etc….

We get to hear all of the great romance stories when people are considering buying that very special gift to celebrate that very special occasion.

All the love we get to see.

Being invited to a client’s wedding.

The guy with no idea, who only spends a little but I know he is so proud that “he has a gift.”

When I run into a customer and they make a big fuss over me and tells everyone that I am their personal jeweler — even if it is only in the grocery store.

Getting to wear inventory.

Always having something to talk about with the ladies

Selling things that no one needs. If you come into my store — you 100 percent want to be here.

Source: InStoreMag.com

I can only say one thing about my experience with you and Schubach thus far…WOW! I got the ring today at work (thank you for changing the shipping address for me!) and it is amazing. I love it, and I’m sure she will too. It really looks fantastic.

I think your service was the best I’ve ever received, anywhere. Thank you again and I will be in touch for any jewelery needs in the future!

All the best,

M

As we lead up to the only fun holiday (sorry Christmas and Thanksgiving, but you’re a bit more heavy-handed), we’ll be posting some Halloween pieces we found. Remember, we can make a custom made piece for you, using affordable and beautiful material such as moissanite and Gemesis (which looks great in Halloween jewelry). Some of these pieces can be worn all year round. Or it’s nice to know you have a special necklace, bracelet or pair of “fearrings” for this time of year, each year.

Platinum is hot…but was it ever not? Known for its rarity, purity and durability, platinum is the perfect choice to represent ever-lasting love. Here are some recent bridal ring trends that use this classic metal:

Color
From ever-popular sapphire to trendy “champagne” and “cognac” hues and rare pinks and yellows, colored diamonds and precious gemstones continue to be bridal favorites among ladies seeking a little something different.

Above: Fusaro engraved wedding band in platinum with diamonds and sapphires; suggested retail price is $4,600. (800) 258-0385 or FusaroJewelry.com

Above: Yves Frey oval-shaped yellow diamond ring with two kite-shaped side stone diamonds flanked by small brilliant-cut diamonds and six small yellow diamonds.

Vintage-style
Brides continue to show a penchant for new rings that don’t look quite so new. To help them tap into the vintage-style bridal trend, point out platinum designs with milgrain detail, engraving and halo settings.

Above Left: Beaudry “Boutique Colisee” semi-mount ring in platinum for 0.90-carat round brilliant center stone.

Above Right: Kirk Kara platinum and diamond wedding band for her from the “Charlotte Collection” and platinum satin-finish wedding band for him from the “Artin Collection;” suggested retail prices are $4,160 and $5,220, respectively.

Entry-level
Platinum bridal designs at entry levels have been making further entree into the market as designers continue to cater to cost-conscious yet value-seeking consumers via platinum pieces with lighter diamond weights and less metal.

Above Left: True Knots 6-millimeter brushed-finish wedding band for him and 5-millimeter brushed-finish wedding band for her; suggested retail price is $1,500 for the men’s ring and $1,000 for the ladies ring.

Above Right: Ostbye ladies engagement ring in platinum; suggested retail price for semi-mount is $2,186.

Floral
Floral motifs have been blooming in bridal designs, with jewelry artisans finding newfound inspiration in the beauty of nature. Ever romantic and supremely feminine, intricately detailed floral designs fit right in with the trend for antique-style jewelry.

Above Left: Saturn Jewels platinum semi-mount engagement ring with 0.50 carats of diamonds and wedding band with 0.52 carats of diamonds.

Above Right: Ritani floral design engagement ring in platinum with round center stone supported above micropave diamond-encrusted petals and micropave diamonds on the mounting. The ring features a graduated diamond shank with two rows of micropave diamonds.

Source: NationalJewelry.com

And remember, we specialize in designing rings just like ones above for a fraction of the price (but the quality and craftsmanship remain firmly in place!)

Right now, our Design it Yourself contest is officially ON – you tell us about the piece of jewelry you’ve dreamed of and we create it, with your budget in mind. If your piece is chosen by our online audience, you save even bigger!

I stumbled across this article by columnist James Alperinover coffee this morning. Good points about the changing mindset of today’s customers:

When you consider the traditional products that older generations considered to be within the realm of luxury, it seems that the younger generation has set its sights in a whole new direction. The status symbols for Gen Y are not fine china, crystal and sterling silver flatware as much as they are the latest big-screen TV, computer or i-whatever.

Ask a young person, “What time is it?” and they will answer you by pulling out their cell phone, not by looking at their watch, an object that most of their peers consider an artifact. After all, a watch only tells time; today’s “cell phones” connect their owners to the world via the Internet.

Our industry is not just facing a crisis because of the global economic downturn. We are faced with a crisis of changing tastes and realities. We tend to think that the Internet has affected our industry only through changes in customers’ buying habits and their heightened abilities to become educated consumers. It is true that the days when a customer knew nothing about products they wished to purchase disappeared when “Google” became a household word. But it goes beyond that. Besides changing the way the world educates itself and shops, the digital age has actually changed what consumers want and turned what generations of Americans have perceived as luxury upside down.

Remember, we are engaged in a “want” business, not a “need” business. The younger generation has broken ties with the past, for better or worse. Nearly gone are the days when people visited their trusted family jeweler just as they visited their trusted family doctor. Even in medicine today, you no longer meet with a family physician who made house calls (remember those?) carrying a black medical bag. Now, you go to a large multi-doctor practice and proceed to sit in a waiting room.

There is, today, a lack of commitment in society, a fickleness that is all around us in our “throwaway” culture, and one that is reflected in what is happening within the jewelry industry. Today’s young people do not want the commitment of one expensive piece of jewelry. They prefer fashionable costume jewelry to accessorize the styles of the moment. When costume jewelry breaks or goes out of style, it is discarded, its ultimate destiny the same as the sweater that it was purchased to go with.

There is no insurance premium to pay, nothing to cover a potential loss. There is no sense of, “I have to wear this piece because it was so expensive to buy.” There is no sense of obligation, because, to the younger generation, it is frankly easier and often more fun to own and wear many pieces of costume jewelry than it is to cherish one expensive piece of fine jewelry. Fashion jewelry is an accessory, not an item of luxury, but it fills a niche in today’s world.

One area of the jewelry industry that has bucked this trend toward fashion jewelry and ever-shifting tastes has been bridal. An important diamond ring now possesses even greater significance than it did in our grandmothers’ time. The diamond engagement ring has become more a symbol of success and status than an item of pure luxury. So although young people today want to feel free to change their minds without guilt about what items of jewelry to wear, they very much wish to show their friends that they have been successful in their selection of mates, who are, as their rings make evident, also good providers.

Back in the 1970s, the Swiss watch industry found itself in deep trouble as the Japanese quartz movement watches swept through the watch world. The Swiss government had to come to the aid of an industry left behind as the upstarts from overseas took over the market.

The industry was in turmoil and it took a lot of work, but the Swiss began to catch up and today are viable quartz watch manufacturers. Even more interesting is the fact that self-winding, automatic watches are again becoming popular. This supports the idea that the pendulum of fashion does, in fact, swing back.

So when it seems that today’s youth have less interest in fine jewelry than their predecessors, consider this: Before too long, once again, consumers will look to jewelry as a desired luxury item, maybe to wear while talking on their new iPhone and watching their new big-screen TV.

To add to his points about engagement rings, we also see a trend toward engagement rings and wedding rings made of eco-friendly (and affordable) moissanite, like this beauty below:

Style 9438M

Classic Tiffany Style Marquise Shape Moissanite Solitaire

Classic tiffany style solitaire with a Charles and Colvard created marquise shape moissanite.

Available Center Stone Size: 1/2ct-1 3/4ct

Call for Platinum Pricing