Akron, Ohio—Jared the Galleria of Jewelry wants to welcome more shoppers into the custom design process.
The Signet Jewelers-owned banner announced this week the launch of The Jared Foundry, an in-store experience designed to make customized jewelry more convenient and accessible.
Jared will open the Foundry shop-in-shops in 19 stores in nine states—California, Illinois, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Virginia and Washington—with more openings to follow.
Jared has about 251 stores nationwide.
The retailer said its 1,400 skilled jewelers and apprentices, its technological capabilities, and its access to stones and metal make it the perfect fit to offer this service.
“People love personalizing seemingly everything these days, and we believe now is the time to let them experience the exhilarating world of fine jewelry design,” said Bill Brace, executive vice president and Jared executive general manager, in a press release about the launch.
Jared’s jewelers stand ready to help customers bring their artistic visions to life, said Brace, from “extravagant expressions of love with rare-cut diamonds to deeply personal reimaginations of family heirlooms.”
Jared jewelry consultants will meet with customers, in-store or virtually. If the customer wants to create a design from scratch, they will then be connected with a jeweler.
The jewelers will discuss design ideas while getting a sense of their personality, lifestyle, and style.
They also will ask customers about their budget, preferred materials and timeline for receiving the finished piece, and keep in touch with customers throughout the process, sending sketches, images, and videos to show progress and get their input.
The jewelers have access to CAD software, and some will be using 3D printers. Jared is planning a broader rollout of 3D printers this year.
For more information about the process, visit The Jared Foundry website.
Source: National Jeweler 11-03-2021