Trade Secrets from the Queen of Clean: FAQ

Posted on December 16, 2011 by Kristie Nicolosi

I have one of those jobs where people don’t always “get” what I do. I get asked pretty funny questions about my job sometimes, so in case any of you are curious, here are some answers.

Q:  Do you work from home?

No, I do not make jewelry cleaner at home….in my bathtub! 

Q:  One time, I got this great jewelry cleaner at the fair! Do you sell it at the fair?

I do not sell The Kingswood Company jewelry care formularies at state fairs countrywide. We are not Sham Wow.  The person who sells it at the fair probably did make it at home in the bathtub!

Q: Can you drink it?

We drink it all the time!  Fountain of youth, baby, fountain of youth.*

*For insurance purposes, we do not actually drink it.

Q: Does your jewelry cleaner come in purple?

We’re workin’ on it!

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Trade Secrets from the Queen of Clean: How Does She Do It?

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Kristie Nicolosi

I saw the trailer for the movie “I Don’t Know How She Does It” and realized that I have heard versions of that statement said about myself on a number of occasions. I am sure that every mom, whether she works outside of the home or not, has heard it.

How do I do it? The easiest answer is that I love what I do. We all want to involve our kids in what we love. So I have figured out ways to incorporate my daughter into my life at work. Eva has her own desk here, with a computer and some software, like Pixie, on which she loves to “work.” Not to out myself for violating child labor laws, but Eva also has some little jobs at The Kingswood Company for which she gets paid. She enjoys these, really!

I do travel quite a bit on business, which is one of the joys of my job. At this point Eva does not travel with me; she has her own schedule at home. But I do look forward to traveling with her as she gets older, and when it doesn’t interfere with school and other commitments. She has a phenomenal rock collection, so when I travel, I like to bring back treasures for her collection. She has a rock from the Great Wall of China, one from Mt. Olympus and several beauties from the Tucson Gem Show. As soon as she is old enough, I will bring her with me to Tucson. She will love it!

Jewelry Cleaner in Sidewalk Chalk, by Eva Nicolosi

I don’t know what she will choose to do with her life, but for now, Eva loves to be a part of The Kingswood Company. We wouldn’t be the same without her. And for all of you wondering about when we will offer purple jewelry cleaner, Eva’s been mixing some up!

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Make It Easy!

Posted on October 31, 2011 by The Kingswood Company

Dentists really have it figured out. When you go in for your twice yearly check up, they clean the heck out of your teeth and send you on your way with instructions on how to keep them clean and healthy until your next visit. Out you walk, baggie in hand, with a toothbrush, toothpaste and dental floss, plus instructions to brush and floss twice a day.  Easy peasy.

We know from a survey we conducted that as many as 82 percent of women are not wearing a piece of jewelry because it needs to be cleaned. If their jeweler could make jewelry care as easy as tooth care, that statistic would be much lower. But when customers buy a new piece of jewelry or take a piece in for an annual inspection, they may not be getting such easy instructions.  Many customers walk out admiring a beautiful, sparkling piece, lamenting that it won’t look that good again until it gets another professional cleaning.

Jewelers might take a cue from dentists to make it easy on the customer. What’s not easy?

  • Don’t offer vague instructions like “put a few drops of ammonia in water.” The customer is thinking, “What? I don’t have ammonia. I could get ammonia, but how much water do I need? Do I use hot or cold water? How many is a few drops?” Easy doesn’t require a degree in science.
  • Don’t recommend a product that is made with harsh chemicals. Easy doesn’t require wearing gloves.
  • Don’t require customers to come back in as the only recommendation for routine cleaning. That’s not easy, because they have to make time, get in their car and come in. Easy doesn’t require a car trip.
  • Don’t suggest they clean their jewelry in boiling water. Easy doesn’t require pots, pans and time waiting for that watched pot to boil.

What is easy?

  • Do have information on your website to educate your customers on how to clean their jewelry. It’s easy when she doesn’t have to leave her desk.
  • Do offer a variety of cleaning formularies. You can help your customer find the safest way to clean every piece of jewelry from single stones to mixed metals. It’s easy when she can get the right information and product right from her jeweler.
  • Do offer a professionally printed cleaning instructions that can be given to your customer at time of purchase. It’s easy when she has the information right at her fingertips.
  • Do offer your customers an annual inspection and periodic cleaning in your store. It’s easy when she knows that her jewelry has been inspected and cleaned by a professional each year – no loose stones to worry about!

Sometimes when you are an expert, you forget what it is like to be a novice.  Dentists get this concept. They recognize that their patients didn’t attend dental school and they don’t expect them to be dentists. Your customers aren’t educated in gemology, and they don’t want to be. They just want to keep their jewelry looking beautiful.

Just like the dentist with her clever bag of cleaning tools, jewelry store customers can also leave with the correct tools and information to keep their purchases sparkling.

If you just…make it easy!

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A Sparkling Not Spooky Halloween

Posted on October 28, 2011 by The Kingswood Company

We at The Kingswood Company have always known that we have the best customers! Want some proof? An employee of The Gem Gallery went all out for Halloween, dressing up as… a jar of jewelry cleaner (private label, of course)! Thanks to The Gem Gallery for sharing the photo evidence. We are sure she must have won a “most creative costume” award somewhere. Happy Halloween to one and all; make it sparkle!

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MORPC Award Winners!

Posted on October 18, 2011 by The Kingswood Company

Last week, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission held their annual Summit on Sustainability and the Environment, an event that explores and celebrates efforts to “go green.” We at The Kingswood Company were proud to be nominated for a MORPC Sustainability Award in the Materials Management Category. Our efforts to improve environmental sustainability are an important part of who we are, and we will continue to do all that we can to minimize our impact on the environment.

Congratulations to The Kroger Company, Columbus Division, for receiving The Materials Management Award. They are to be commended for their outstanding efforts to reduce waste with their Kroger Compost/Recycling Program. We also extend congratulations to the winners in the other categories, including: Local Matters; Anheuser-Busch; the City of Westerville, Central Ohio Rain Garden Initiative, The Ohio State University; and the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, Smart Growth Overlay.

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Southern Jewelry News

Posted on October 17, 2011 by The Kingswood Company

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Instore Magazine Fall 2011

Posted on October 4, 2011 by The Kingswood Company

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Trade Secrets from the Queen of Clean

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Kristie Nicolosi

Just like doctors are often asked medical questions by friends seeking to take advantage of their medical expertise, I am frequently asked questions about jewelry cleaning. As The Queen of Clean, I am here to give you the answers!

Should I use an ultrasonic cleaner to clean my jewelry?

Ultrasonic jewelry cleaners use high frequency sound waves to agitate a liquid cleaner, which creates bubbles that adhere to the surface of your jewelry and penetrate any cracks or recesses. This does thoroughly remove most dust, dirt, oil, pigments, grease and more from your jewelry. That’s the upside. The downside is that the vibrations caused by the ultrasonic waves can loosen or remove a stone from its setting. If you are lucky, the stone falls out in the machine where you can find it. If you’re not, then it falls out later out in the wide world to be lost forever.

It’s not that ultrasonic cleaners should never be used. But they are not recommended for in-home use for pieces that have set stones. When you take your jewelry to your jeweler for cleaning, they inspect the piece with a jeweler’s loupe before they clean it, to make sure that the setting is not loose. Unless you have a loupe and know what you’re looking for, you probably can’t take this necessary precaution.

The solutions we produce at The Kingswood Company are formulated to clean jewelry without agitation; you just need to soak it. Then when your piece needs a more thorough cleaning, I recommend taking it to your jeweler (you should be getting an annual inspection anyway). An ultrasonic cleaning should be done by a professional.

I liken it to the difference between brushing your teeth at home with toothpaste and going to your dentist for a cleaning. You get the deeper cleaning you need, but you get it done safely. If you have an ultrasonic machine, don’t worry.  They are still great to use on pieces without set stones. And you can feel free to use our solutions in your machine.

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Answer the Question!

Posted on September 15, 2011 by The Kingswood Company

We conducted a survey among consumers which yielded some interesting nuggets of information. But two statistics really jumped out and got us thinking.

  • Eighty-two percent of respondents told us that they are not wearing some of their jewelry because it needs to be cleaned.
  • Sixteen percent of respondents stated that they were not given instructions on how to clean their jewelry by their jeweler.

Hmmm…

We’re sure that many times customers aren’t asking their jeweler how to clean their purchase. It looks so beautiful and shiny in the store, cleaning may be the last thing they are thinking about. But sometimes they do ask, “How do I clean this?” What answer are they getting?

If the answer they receive involves bringing the piece back to the jeweler for cleaning, then they aren’t getting the answer they need. Of course, jewelers must educate their customer on the importance of annual inspections, at which time the piece will, indeed, be cleaned. And most jewelers are sure to share that they are happy to clean a piece if the customer drops in.

But that is not the question the customer is asking.

The customer is asking how she, herself, can clean her jewelry. When a jeweler gives her an answer to that question, his/her customer will be wearing the piece much more frequently. She will enjoy watching it sparkle on her finger, neck or earlobe, and she will be a happier client. She might even tell her friends who her jeweler is, when she’s asked where she found such a beautiful ring, necklace or pair of earrings.

When jewelers work on increasing the 16 percent statistic, the 82 percent statistic will fall, fall, fall. And their customers will fall, fall, fall in love with their jewelry all over again.

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Meet Your Account Executive: Lillian Schmid

Posted on September 2, 2011 by The Kingswood Company

We are so proud of our staff at The Kingswood Company and would like to give you the opportunity to get to know them like we do. So periodically, we will share a brief interview with a staff member so you can get to know him/her better. Lillian Schmid, Account Executive, has been with The Kingswood Company for about three years. 

Could you give us a little background about yourself? 

I grew up in Holmes County, Ohio and have lived in Columbus and Chicago since.  Just this week I am moving to Santa Fe, which is an exciting new adventure out west! It has been wonderful that I have been able to continue to work with The Kingswood Company due to the wonders of telecommuting. 

What do you like to do in your free time? 

I spend the majority of my free time cleaning jewelry. Just kidding! I love to spend time reading and writing fiction, non-fiction and Haiku poetry.  I actually write a Haiku everyday; they are so quick and fun. I also walk my dogs, visit museums, go to concerts, and I love to travel. 

Where in the world would you most like to travel?  Why? 

I would be pretty much happy to travel anywhere! But if someone were to hand me tickets for a trip right now, I would choose London.  There is so much history there – of art and literature; plus I have become a little obsessed with The Tudors. 

What is the last great book you read? 

The last great book I read was Anna Karenina by Tolstoy.  He is an amazing writer, with so many different characters, places and themes working concurrently.  I was surprised by the humor in the book.  Who knew old Russians were so funny? 

Describe your favorite customer experience.  

I love all of our customers, of course!  Recently, I had a chance to land a prominent new account in Chicago. Over the course of developing a relationship with them, I had the opportunity to learn about their business, visit their store and really get to know the team. Bringing them on board and setting them up with our program was such a satisfying experience. They have told us that the cleaner looks wonderful (which it does!) and that the program has been doing very well. I am always happy when I have the chance help satisfy a customer. 

What is favorite thing about jewelry cleaner? 

My favorite thing about jewelry cleaner is how much better you feel wearing your jewelry after you clean it. It is easy to ignore dirty jewelry, but impossible to ignore freshly cleaned jewelry. It sparkles! 

What do you like about going to trade shows? 

I really enjoy going to trade shows and meeting my customers and prospective customers face-to-face. Many times, I have been talking to these people for nearly three years before we were able to meet in person. It helps to establish our relationship – to make it feel more “real” – when I can shake hands with someone and thank them for their business, in person. I also love the opportunity to travel and visit new cities. 

What product would you most like to see The Kingswood Company offer? 

Purple Fine Jewelry Cleaner. That may not be a new product, but purple is my favorite color and a lot of our customers ask if we sell the cleaner in purple. It’s such a regal color! 

Do you have a fun ritual at work?  Like something you have to do before you can work?

I don’t have any really fun rituals, but I do like to put jewelry on because it helps me get “in the zone!” I also always have a Kingswood polishing cloth next to my computer, and I like to start my morning with energetic music, maybe folk or Irish pub songs.

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