CHICAGO — Texas-based James Avery Artisan Jewelry had strong sales. The company was paying attention to digital signals from its customer base by monitoring social media, reading comments and aggregating information. But something was noticeably missing: positive feedback from its legacy customers.
While the average James Avery customer comes to stores about twice a year, legacy customers shop at least 12 times a year, Chief Product and Revenue Officer Karina Dolgin told an audience at Shoptalk Fall 2025.
“We learned about the legacy customer getting a little uncomfortable with how fast we were moving towards fashion by visiting stores and talking to our store associates,” Dolgin said. The loyal cohort, though, was less likely to go on digital channels and leave comments regarding their opinions, the company found.
In order to entice legacy shoppers, the jewelry retailer decided to launch a monthly “Designs From Our Archives,” collection, which reintroduced some of the company’s most beloved designs from its 70-year history. The program, which launched in January, features the reproduction of one retired design with the catch that it will be available only for one month.
But getting the program off the ground internally meant obtaining buy-in and working collaboratively. Dolgin’s team first approached the head of supply chain and pitched the monthly concept, which was squarely focused on bringing the spotlight back on artisans and crafting.
“Once we convinced that team, we went arm in arm to the board, to the executives, because everybody was going to ask first, ‘How is supply chain going to feel about this?’” Dolgin said. “And they were already with us in the room. I think that was a major, major strategic unlock.”
In-store associates were also key to the program’s success, partially because they were dealing with lines on the first of every month. “Now we have lines outside of our stores, and [associates] were dealing with a product and explaining a product that was actually going to be short-lived,” Dolgin said.
The executive credits associates’ enthusiasm for the “Designs from Our Archives” program to the company’s internal culture. “We pay our retail force well. We set schedules far in advance and we do not change it outside of some very strict rules. We have wonderful benefits. And that is all to say that that is how a workforce in general is ready to accept a pivot because they are incredibly loyal,” she said.
The program’s emphasis on artisans also influenced the company’s marketing. James Avery rebranded its website and has weaved artisan aspects into all parts of its storytelling. Stores now contain videos that showcase products, 95% of which are manufactured in Texas, being made in its facilities.
All of the effort worked. The company has sold out of about half of its offerings and “the artisan voice is back in the brand,” Dolgin said.
