Confessions of a jewellery store worker: Employee recalls what it was REALLY like to sell expensive rings and necklaces - and the worst customer she ever encountered
- A young woman has revealed exactly what it's like to work in a jewellery store
- Nicola* revealed her top bridezilla moments and worst encounters
- She also said moissanite is the best cheap alternative to diamonds
- Nicola revealed she once met a sugar daddy with a $100,000 budget for a ring
A young woman has revealed what it was really like to work in a jewellery store - selling expensive diamonds to rich clients as well as the worst customer she ever encountered.
Nicola* wrote on Facebook that while she worked in a jewellery store for several years, she no longer does because 'the industry is dying and sales will rob you of your soul'.
Nicola didn't leave without a range of experiences, however - from bridezilla moments to a memory of the most expensive piece she ever sold.
A woman has revealed what it was really like to work in a jewellery store - selling expensive diamonds to rich clients as well as the worst customer she ever encountered (stock image)
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'I left because the industry was dying. Most millennials have a budget of exactly $3,' Nicola said.
'They would rather spend money on experiences than possessions - they grew up with Gen X parents who ushered in the era of divorce.
'So I noticed that with them, they seemed to find it pointless to spend so much money on an engagement ring.'
That doesn't mean there haven't been clients on occasion who are willing to fork out huge sums.
Nicola said once she met 'an actual sugar daddy' who was between 40 and 50 and had a 24-year-old girlfriend - he had a budget of $100,000 for a ring (stock image)
'I remember one time I met an actual sugar daddy,' she said.
'The dude was 40 or 50 and had apparently won $100,000 in a workman's comp settlement. He had a 24-year-old girlfriend who was allowed to choose whatever she wanted.
'Mail order brides are relatively common in my area and somehow they also manage to be the RUDEST people,' she added.
'They aren't always rude to us as staff, but are always rude to their fiances.'
Speaking about the worst types of customers she has seen, Nicola said typically it's the people who either 'don't speak English, or who do, but will constantly be talking to their friend in another language'.
'I can't help you if you won't tell me what you like or don't like about something,' she said.
The next worst type of customer is the person who thinks they are getting engaged soon, and so tries on 'literally everything and wastes your time'.
'It's also annoying when older people constantly b**ch about how things were less expensive in their day,' she said.
It wasn't only experiences that Nicola shared online, but also tips for those looking to buy jewellery.
When asked by one commenter what she would suggest for a diamond-style look that will stand the test of time and everyday wear and won't tarnish 'but without a diamond price', she recommended moissanite.
Moissanite is naturally occurring silicon carbide and its various crystalline polymorphs.
Natural moissanite is incredibly rare, so moissanite available today is laboratory-created.
Moissanite is engineered to give the illusion of similarity to diamonds, but is compositionally and visually quite different from a real diamond.
The durability, brilliance, and colour of the two gems are quite distinct.
'Moissanite is, chemically, the closest thing we have to diamond. So it's plenty durable,' Nicola said.'
'The look is going to be a bit off because nothing shines quite like a diamond, but honestly, if you don't have a trained eye, the average person won't notice.'
Lastly, Nicola excused the fact that customers often find that as soon as they enter a store, they have 'salespeople on their toes asking if they need help'.
'We have management, both in the store and regional, breathing down our necks about it,' she said.
'If we don't try everything on a customer, often we are yelled at.'
* Names have been changed
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