Do Not Buy that Bling, Unless It’s a Sanitized Ring

Is it safe to buy jewelry from the stores?

By Shayla Mostyn

In today’s world, it’s important to stay 6 feet apart. But when trying on jewelry, it’s next to impossible to do that. This story gives an inside look on how two different jewelry stores are functioning during this COVID-19 pandemic. We spoke to Neale Stone, owner of Stone’s Fine Jewelry in West Bloomfield, Michigan, on The Boardwalk shopping strip, where it has been for 18 years, and Dino Matsamakis, a manager at Zeidman's Jewelry and Loan in Southfield, Michigan, where it has been for 15 years.

Trying on jewelry is a very hands-on and close-up task, so it can be hard to stay 6 feet apart when you’re getting your ring sized or bracelet fixed. However, both Stone’s Jewelry and Zeidman’s Jewelry and Loan take precautions to make sure that their employees and customers are safe.

What precautions jewelry stores are taking to ensure safety for all employees and their customers.

STONE’S FINE JEWELRY

Back in March, Neale Stone had six employees working at the store. But since restrictions were placed on businesses due to the coronavirus, he is the only worker. When he had to close the store, he still came in every day to check up on it, handle online orders and answer phone calls. When he finally reopened in May, he did not hire any of his workers back because it is a small store and wasn’t as busy due to COVID. He hopes his workers will be able to come back soon, but he is unsure when they will. Stone’s sales have been way down. Before the pandemic, Neale had between five and 30 customers depending on the day and the amount of foot traffic in the strip mall. Nowadays, he’s lucky if he gets any customers in the store.

As a precaution to keep himself and the customers safe, Neale makes sure that all the jewelry is disinfected, especially after a customer tries it on. It is unknown how long the virus lasts on jewelry. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that on copper metals it could last up to four hours. Countertops and door handles are all sanitized, and masks are required. However, the social distancing among customers and other restrictions are rarely enforced because the store is not busy enough.

On the days where there are a few extra people, he tries to limit the number of customers in the store. “I’m trying to work by appointment only,” he says. “But if someone’s around and they have to come in and I have another person in the store, I’ll let another one person in, maybe two.”

After a customer tries on jewelry, Neale sanitizes it as soon as possible. Sometimes it can take two to three minutes, sometimes longer if another customer has entered the store and guides his attention elsewhere. By the end of the day, every piece of jewelry that was touched by him or a customer is disinfected and sanitized along with the counters and door handles. Since there are people uncomfortable coming in person, Stone’s also does online orders. When an online order comes in, Neale makes sure that all jewelry gets disinfected and sanitized before it’s sent out. Every piece of jewelry gets cleaned by an Ultrasonic cleaning machine and then steamed by a steamer.

Even though Neale is the only person there, besides a few customers, he feels his store is taking the right precautions. “I’m sure there’s more I can do,” he says. “ I’m not exactly sure what it is, but I do the best I can.”

ZEIDMAN’S JEWELRY AND LOAN

Zeidman’s Jewelry Section. Photo by employee Robert Mostyn

At the time when businesses were closing, Zeidman’s was able to stay open because its loan operation was considered an essential banking function. But the store did have to close its retail jewelry section until it was able to reopen it in May. Currently there is a 14-customer limit in the store, in order to practice social distancing. That number, however, is split between the sales and the loan part of the store.

Even though there is a number restriction, Dino Matsamakis says that it’s still sometimes hard to enforce social distancing, “It can get difficult because some people wanna look at the same showcase that another person is looking at, so we set up markers on the floor to help people social distance,” he says. Along with social distancing markers on the floor, there are dividers set up on the counters which help keep the employees safe. There is also a mask requirement which has been in place since the beginning of the pandemic, and sanitizing stations are located all around the store for the workers and employees to use.

The employees coming into work everyday have a new daily routine because of the pandemic. They have to fill out meticulous questionnaires about their health and have their temperature checked before coming into work. With all these precautions in place, Dino feels comfortable coming to work every day. “I feel very safe because we also do a lot of bleach cleaning,” he says.

Zeidman’s also offers online orders. In order to make it safe, they first sanitize the jewelry then place it in an envelope, so that the next person to touch it is the one who ordered it.

Every day the whole store gets sanitized and cleaned. Along with cleaning the jewelry with a steam sprayer and an Ultrasonic machine, the workers dust and wipe everything with cleansers. Before handling the jewelry the workers have to go through a special routine.

“We have to always be wearing gloves, sanitize our hands, and we always clean the jewelry before handing it from one customer to the next,” Dino says. When the retail section of the store first closed, there were seven employees allowed: four workers in loans, two in the back handling the phones and one guard. Now there are 20 to 30 employees spread throughout the store.

It can sometimes be hard to socially distance with that many people. “We all try to respect our own space,” Dino says. “It can be hard, because working with the same people every day, you become a family.”

About the Writer:

Shayla Mostyn of Wixom, Michigan

Shayla enjoys reading, writing and plays volleyball at her school. In her free time, you can find Shayla out with friends, reading or writing her book. Ever since she was little she has always loved to write and she hopes to become an author one day.