Editor's note: I am delighted to present another in our weekly PowerBlog Reviews of business weblogs. This is the fifty-ninth in the series.
If you like jewelry -- even a little -- then you are going to love Genuine Gems for Pearl Girls.
I'm always amazed at the creative uses that entrepreneurs and small businesses put blogs to. And this blog is no exception.
This blog is written by Judy Isaacson. She writes it as a companion to her family's business, Maurice Goldman Fine Jewelry.
How many blogs "bedazzle" the reader? Not many, I'll bet, but this one does.
Judy says she started the blog to "...transmit the credibility and reliability of Maurice Goldman Fine & Estate Jewelry, and to bedazzle the reader with our unique, and often rare, precious jewelry." She goes on to say:
"As a newcomer to the family fine jewelry and estate jewelry business, I am constantly learning about precious gems, rare estate pieces, the difference between treated and untreated gems, pearl quality and how pearl luster affects complexions, to name a few areas. I thought that the blog format would be an excellent communication tool to pass on these new insights to people looking for quality jewelry. There is so much jewelry "out there" that making a jewelry purchase based on knowledge can only benefit the consumer."
The blog features pictures and descriptions of some of the jewelry for sale in the company's eBay Store or in eBay auctions. But it makes for much more interesting reading than a typical eCommerce catalog. For one thing, the blog adopts a more conversational voice. It also has more background information about gems. It even gives commentary on current jewelry styles, quoting news articles and style columns.
The end result is quite readable and enjoyable. It reads a little like a magazine article, and draws the reader in.
Of course the jewelry is fabulous. All of the pieces look one-of-a-kind, and much of it is vintage. From the $100,000 natural Burma sapphire ring to earrings under $100, the jewelry covers a wide price range.
I asked Judy if using a blog was an unusual step for the family business. Apparently not. Judy says the business was started by her grandfather in 1910 in Europe (how's that for a long-lasting family business?):
"His cutting edge approach, followed by success, was to travel the fjords in Scandinavia in search of discerning customers. My father and uncle traveled to Japan and the Far East soon after the second World War and developed a clientele in the U.S. that was hungry for the exotic and rare gems that they brought back. Some of their advertisements from that time were quite avant garde (see picture).
In the age of the internet, e-mail, blogs, RSS feeds, e-stores, my "cutting edge" approach is to combine our established bricks and mortar business with an online enterprise as its extension."
The blog's home is in New York, but Judy tells me she writes from Israel.
The Power: The Power of Genuine Gems for Pearl Girls is the innovative use of a blog to educate buyers and the public about gems and jewelry, and increase sales of the company's fine estate jewelry.
Carnival of the Capitalists, that online roundup of business blog posts, is being hosted this week at Law and Entrepreneurship News. Gordon did a nice job -- check it out. 