The 80/20 Rule and Bridal: How to Buy What Your Hearts Telling You, Not Society
The journey to finding the ring that’s so you
The 80/20 rule, as it applies to bridal, is that 80 percent of the public buys 20 percent of whats out there. There’s only 20 percent who buy the other 80 percent. The unique, different, custom piece.
Jeffrey’s Jewelers bridal expert John Profit would rather it be the opposite, that 80 percent of the public buys something they dreamed up on their own.
“I would rather 80 percent of my customers want that other part—wanting something that is specifically designed just for them. And it may be a halo. But it’s not because society told you wanted it, it’s because you went through the process. So you appreciate it.”
He explains the reason for this is that many people put on a ring and they don’t even like it. They realize what society or marketing told them to like, actually doesn’t look good on their hand.
MARKETING & “THE RING”
In fashion—with how they market clothes—when someone decides they’re going to push a style, they push it, until it becomes a trend.
It’s going back to the fact that we’re driven by marketing. Marketing is the reason the halo is so popular.
“I couldn’t sell a halo 20 years ago,” Profit said. “No way, no one wanted to look at them. The market created it.”
You can’t try a ring on on the computer, Profit says. It’s not your hand. You have to try the product on to know how it looks on your hand.
“I’m trying to get people to not buy into what society is telling them, but buy into what their hearts are telling them.”
We make 100 percent of rings, 80 percent of the people buy 20 percent all day long. 20 percent want something different and custom, have a mind of their own. They want to create or are abstract. Bridal is very classic, conservative, for the most part, because it’s got to last 60 years as you change.
When it comes to buying into what your hearts telling you, vs. what’s societies telling you, it’s not about being in the 20 percent just for the sake of getting something different. If you want a halo, or a solitaire, or a classic style, that’s fine. But go through the process of finding that out for yourself. That way, when you land there, you have the appreciation for knowing that’s what you want. You’ve gone through the process to arrive there. Then, you own your decision.
The ring is already in you. The right ring for you isn’t society tells you to like, or what’s on your friends hand, or what your mother wore.
Your ring is yours—a true reflection of you. Don’t shrink when it comes to figuring out what you want or base your decision on someone else’s ideas. Instead, show up for the process of learning what you love. Let your mind get quiet and your eyes do the talking. They’ll always point you in the direction of your heart.
