Harry C. Glinberg Jewelers

Answers provided by Harry Glinberg

PERSONAL
Q: How long have you been in the jewelry business?
A: I graduated from the Gemologists Institute of America (GIA) in March of 1991. I then went onto earn the graduate jeweler's degree. I've always liked jewelry, so after high school, I decided to work toward becoming a gemologist.

Q: What led you to a specialty in working with professional athletes?
A: I would call it a niche more than a specialty, but my first client from the professional athlete ranks was Armen Gilliam who played for the Milwaukee Bucks. He was referred to me by Pastor Darrell Hines of the Christian Faith Church in Milwaukee. Gilliam was followed by Ray Allen, Sam Cassell and Glen Robinson in 1998 when they were referred in the city as the "Big Three." Thanks to their positive word-of-mouth referrals, my reputation for being an easy-going, knowledgeable professional in the jewelry industry led to my generating a bigger clientele of professional athletes from around the country.

Q: Why do you think Harry C. Glinberg Jewelers has caught on with professional athletes?
A: I consider myself creative, accessible (these guys have crazy schedules so I'll get texts and calls at all hours), trustworthy and I give them good prices. Other jewelers will take advantage of having a high-salaried professional athlete in their store, but I hear what these guys say: they want good deals just like the rest of us, and I do my best on price based on what they want.

Q: Athletes have busy schedules, as you said, especially when their sport is in-season. How do you further simplify their business with you?
A: I will travel to meet with guys when they want to discuss a design for a custom-made piece of jewelry so that we can get the logistics completed in a couple of hours instead of texting or emailing for a couple of weeks. It saves us time because I don't have to guess the looks that they’re really looking for. I can also offer them creative options with sketches and the like while we’re sitting there. In a lot of cases, those trips are great networking opportunities because the guys bring friends and teammates along to our meetings.

Q: How can you offer your clients better prices than your competitors?
A: I'm willing to work on smaller profit margins and do whatever it takes to make a customer happy.

Q: What inspires your creativity?
A: The ability to help people design their jewelry - take their ideas and make them into reality.

Q: As a married man, do you share similar tastes in jewelry with your wife?
A: Sometimes we like similar pieces of jewelry. She tends to like more simple things, however, I'm more apt to go with more flashy jewelry.

Q: So, you don't think a diamond chain like Green Bay Packers' linebacker, Nick Barnett, wears would appeal to Leticia?
A: I don't think so! She’s more likely to choose a simple chain with a stone.

JEWELRY TRENDS FOR 2008
Q: What do you consider to be a continuing or emerging trend in jewelry? A: Women are adding more color to their jewelry wardrobes. Colored and various size stones are popular. Designer lines of jewelry are also on the increase. Some people like the consistent look or tone of a particular designer. Knowing a designer's style that your loved one enjoys makes gift purchases that much easier, too.

Q: What about men? It seems as if men are wearing jewelry, often sparkling jewelry, more than ever.
A: You're right; Sales in men's jewelry nearly doubled between 2004 and 2006. It's now a multi-billion dollar audience ($6 billion in the U.S., in 2006). Men are increasingly buying designer watches, a single pearl on a leather bracelet or chain-length piece and of course, cufflinks. Silver and white gold are also popular among men. Among athletes and non-athletes, diamond earring studs are big. Now I can appease a man or woman with radiant studs!

Q: What do you think launched men into the jewelry domain?
A: Personally, I think [former professional football player] Deion Sanders made jewelry a cool thing for men to wear. While someone like "Mr. T." wore dozens of chains, Sanders always had funky looking, originally designed bling and people took notice. Soon there were lots of athletes wearing diamond stud earrings and other pieces such as crosses, dog tags and rings. The latter was also influenced by the hip-hop generation, but while that culture seems to be ebbing, men are still buying and wearing jewelry that stands out.

Jewelry is also popular among entertainers in general; along with popular athletes, they are my greatest ambassadors for certain styles of jewelry.

Q: Since women have found their places in the business world and in general, are in better positions to buy luxury items than they were maybe 30-years-ago, do they buy more jewelry for men for gifts?
A: I see men who buy for themselves more often than women buying for them, but there are always exceptions. Men, however, seem to be more attuned to what women like than they did in the past. I should also say that more women are buying for themselves. They're not waiting for their significant others to shower them with gems. Lots of women work hard and like to treat themselves.

BUSINESS
Q: The price of gold is above $900 ounce and platinum prices are escalating as well ($1,591.50/ounce as of January 23, 2008). What does this mean to a jeweler's business?
A: The rise in gold prices mean that product cost eventually goes up; with that, sales are likely to go down. The high-end watch companies are getting ready to increase prices because of their expenses going up; this will happen within the next few months. The price differences may be anywhere from 10 percent to as high as 30 percent more than what they are, today.

The other problem is that everything that is made with gold costs more, whether it's a pen or a piece of jewelry. For years gold was priced at $350.00 and $450.00 per ounce. It's double that, now. It makes consumers think twice before investing in new jewelry. As a businessperson, I have to continue to create pieces that are different than everyone else's to establish exclusivity and add value to what people buy.