Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Canning.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Around 2002 I happened to be shopping for a pearl necklace as a gift. The jewelry stores in my area carried a few pieces of pearl jewelry, but clerks in the stores couldn’t even tell me what type of pearls they were.
Online wasn’t any better…
…There was no standard grading and the information that was available was contradictory.
I ended up buying a sweater instead.
A year later I finished a degree in New Media Design and began actively looking at various industries to launch an E-commerce business.
I eventually landed on pearls and founded PearlsOfJoy.com. I started flying to China and Japan buying loose pearls, turning them into jewelry in my studio, and selling them online.
Has it been a smooth road?
Like any business there has been many ups and downs. For many years I tried to compete with the giant companies selling online (amazon, bluenile, etc.). But eventually I realized I’m a small boutique that does one thing very well – pearls.
The level of personal attention, education and quality I provide is my competitive advantage.
Pearls unlike diamonds have no standard grading scale or governing body. With no standard grading system in place, the pearl grades are only as good as the company using them. Trust becomes our greatest point of leverage.
It’s no longer good enough to tell your audience they should trust you.
You need to earn it.
The way I do it is by providing honest education and by blogging about how I source pearls. I take my customers behind the scenes and show them how, where and from whom I source our pearls from.
Our pearl jewelry becomes more than a product, it’s part story that ends with the customer.
The only hurdle has been push back from traditional jewelers. I’ve had jewelers tell me they don’t like what I do.
Everything from I’ve taken the “romance” out of buying jewelry (removed the B.S. factor) to the obvious complaint about our prices being too low.
But educating my customers over the last 15 years… that’s been easy.
Daily I hear their questions, concerns, and pain points – And the philosophy has always been teach, don’t sell.
This is the analogy I like to give:
The average husband is searching the internet, drowning in an ocean full of misinformation and sharks looking to take advantage. He knows he’ll overpay if visits a traditional store but he doesn’t know where to start or who to trust online.
I try to be the life ring he can grab on to. Even if he doesn’t purchase from me, I want him to walk away from our interaction with the information needed to make an educated purchase.
My advice to brands – be the life ring, not the shark.
So, let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Pearls Of Joy story. Tell us more about the business.
Pearls Of Joy is a direct to consumer brand selling high grade pearl jewelry. As the owner, I personally fly around the world sourcing loose pearls. I brand them back to our studio in LA and we create fine pearl jewelry for our customers.
By forgoing the typical retail showroom and sourcing pearls the way I do, I can remove around 300% of the typical jewelry store markup.
So not only do we have a larger selection of higher grade pearls, we’re also about 1/5 the price of your local jewelry store.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Pearls are a gemstone that is constantly changing. In the last 10 years we’ve seen huge advances in quality, shapes, colors and varieties of pearls.
When most people think of pearls they think of perfectly round white pearls – but the truth is there’s a whole world of colors, types and shapes.
So, for the next 5-10 years I see quality continuing to increase, along with new varieties hitting the market. It’s going to change a lot, and only those at the center of the industry will be able to keep up.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2355 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064
- Website: www.pearlsofjoy.com
- Phone: 1-800-451-1411
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/PearlsOfJoycom/128681617198279
- Other: http://www.pearlsofjoy.com/blog.asp
Image Credit:
Alana Midlane – Pearls Of Joy
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