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RECESSION-PROOF
TRICIE MOJICA'S GOLDEN SURVIVAL RULE
By JACQUELINE AGATEP and JOSEPHINE MAULEON
EVERY woman must have had a Holly Golightly moment: stopping by a jewelry store to adore the window display. Women and jewelry have a long-standing relationship, and Tricie Mojica, Just Jewels’ general manager, knows exactly how to unleash that jewelry lover in her.
Just Jewels is the latest jewelry chain of the P.J. Lhuillier Group of Companies, the company who introduced in the country the ‘by the gram’concept in jewelry selling, made famous by the stall in New York’s 47th Street selling gold by the gram. Jewelry is priced using a weighing scale to determine its retail price.
After many years in retail, including being a boutique manager of The Natori Company in New York, and doing consultancy work for Tan-Gan de Manille, Tricie now sets her sights on the jewelry trade. A lover of travel and the arts, she shares why Just Jewels is at the top of the jewelry trade.
How did you begin your business? How long have you been in the industry?
Just Jewels has been in the market since January 2006. It is the first and only jewelry retailer in the country to sell jewelry by the gram. Our jewelry is pre-owned, hence the affordable prices. They come from all over the Philippines.
Are you affected by the global recession?
We were not affected by the global and local economic crisis in 2008. For 2009, however, we anticipate that Filipinos will begin to feel the pinch. The retail outlook for 2009 is not good. And although we do anticipate a percentage growth this year, it will be conservative as opposed to previous years.
How do you cope?
In difficult retail times, it is important to continue with marketing strategies to keep reminding our customers that we are around. Otherwise, we will lose out to our competitors.
It is also important to focus on our front liners, our sales personnel. We are focusing on more intensive training programs for them. And although they may also be discouraged to sell during tough times, we offer attractive incentive schemes to keep them motivated.
What advice can you give to an aspiring and struggling businesswoman in these hard times?
One must always persevere and never give up. There is no such thing as easy work, regardless of the industry. If you love what you do, however, it makes everything worthwhile.
GOLD-DIGGING
JEWELRY is an all-time profitable investment. Here are Just Jewels’ tips when buying jewelry:
• Check for the appropriate marking on metal jewelry. The higher the karat number, the higher the percentage of gold in your gold jewelry. (24K is pure gold.) European gold jewelry is marked with number that indicates the percentage of gold. (18K is marked 750 and is 75% gold.)
• Define your lifestyle. Know the metal composition of the jewelry to help you decide which item is best suited for you. Pure gold is soft and is not practical for daily wear, and is usually mixed with other metals to increase its hardness and durability. Solid gold (item that’s at least 10K), on the other hand, is durable for everyday use.
• Know your terms. All gold is mixed with other metals. You may grade the thickness of the gold layer in the following succession:
• Gold filled. It is usually the thickest. Jewelry that has a layer of up to at least 10K gold is mechanically bonded to a base metal.
• Gold plating. Normally thinner than gold filled.
• Gold Washed. The thinnest and one that isn’t durable.
• Check for allergies. If you are allergic to nickel or other metals, choose jewelry that has high gold content such as 18K or 22K.
• Think investment. Gold will never lose its value. Invest in the highest gold quality that your budget allows.
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