As a jeweler, I have always been fascinated by the different trends in men's wedding bands. You see, selling men wedding bands is much more difficult than selling them to women. This might seem odd at first – after all, for every womans wedding band, there is a man's one to go with it, right? Well, in fact it isn't that simple. It is true that, on average, a jeweler will sell men wedding rings in equal number to those sold to women, but the man always have a harder time picking things out.
You see, selling men jeweler in general can be a little bit difficult. I would say that a majority of the male population is still not really comfortable with most articles of jewelry aside from the wristwatch. Status symbols for men are more subtle than that. A man's status is reflected in the clothing he wears, the way he combs his hair, and the way he carries himself. Women's wedding rings can be extravagant and elaborate, containing expensive diamonds, titanium bands, and other marks of luxury. A jeweler can make a mint off of selling wedding rings, but only if he can sell mens wedding bands every bit as extravagant as the women's.
Most of the time couples want their wedding bands to match, but at the same time they want different things. Although there are plenty of exceptions, in general womens wedding bands are supposed to be elaborate and decorous while mens wedding bands are supposed to be down to earth. The problem is that this often causes fights. Even the most individualistic couple tends to have an intuitive sense that they should match in their wedding decorations. Men want to get their brides-to-be something beautiful and pleasing to the eye, but at the same time they don't want to get something like that themselves. To men, it looks too feminine.
To jewelers, this is more than an academic problem. If they can't sell mens wedding bands that are expensive and luxurious, they will lose sales on womens wedding bands as well. Selling jewelry is as much about psychology as it is about knowing your product. The client, in many ways, is more important than the product. Being able to look at a couple and know what they want at first glance is the key to making the sale. Otherwise, they might just go somewhere else to get their rings.
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