Have you met one of these ladies yet?  They are baubled and bangled on every extremity, jingling as they walk, under layers of metal and stone trinkets.  They are friendly and glamorous, manicured and hair styled.  These are the soldiers on the front lines for an emerging jewelry selling modality.  Like Mary Kay or Avon, these jewelry brands are being sold among friends, at “hostess” parties, and commissions flow down in a pyramid format.

A quick internet search will show you that there are a lot of disappointments in the quality… but of course there are many fans (who usually get recruited).  These business models are beautiful for the way they empower people and create community and joy.  But what happens when gemstones and precious metals are being sold as cosmetics?  There is no emphasis on education about gemstones, there is no literature on what people are actually buying in terms of gemstone treatments, etc.

I just left a show where I got to talk to two lovely Silpada soldiers.  One was bringing me pieces of their jewelry so I could tell her what it was and how it had been treated.  She said customers had asked her questions about the gems, which she could not answer.  They didn’t train her?

Why is it acceptable to give the task of selling gemstones without also the responsibility of disclosing full information to the customer?  Some people are buying dyed howlite, assuming it is turquoise and judging the price accordingly.

Is it that brands want to be able to retain their “prestige” without backing it up with substance, and therefore, letting the end purchaser assume what they want, justify the higher price, and buy something that is less valuable than they think?