Like many jewelers, I was born into the trade. My grandfather opened his diamond store in a northern Chicago suburb in 1958. I joined the family business after graduating from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and shortly received my Graduate Gemologist degree from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).
I’ve spent the last 13 years selling jewelry and watches, working weekends and evenings, and dealing with every aspect of the business, including filing and resolving jewelry claims for large primary insurance companies like State Farm, Allstate, Chubb, and Farmers.
Due to my in-store expertise, I have a thorough understanding of appraisal systems, diamond and gemstone markets, retail pricing models, insurance replacement models, and jewelry quotation pricing systems.
One of the main reasons I put in the hours and work required to run a successful brick-and-mortar jewelry store was to thrill my clients and assist them in creating moments of celebration and joy in their life and for their loved ones. And, like many of my colleagues in the jewelry retail profession, I was irritated with finding time to complete appraisals and getting the “runaround” from insurance companies. I despised dealing with preferred networks, and worst of all, I despised explaining to my customer that her insurance or homeowner’s policy did not cover the entire replacement cost of her lost diamond ring.
I knew deep down that there has to be a better way to manage my time, customers, and business. Why, I wondered, are jewelers still trapped in the dark ages when it comes to managing evaluations and insurance in the age of smartphones and talking computers?
So I quit the family business more than a year ago to launch BriteCo. I envisioned BriteCo as a unique jewelry and watch insurance firm that would use digital technology to transform the entire evaluation and insurance process. I simply wanted to make the jeweler’s work easier, our consumers happier, and the retail physical and mortar business more successful and enjoyable for everyone.
What BriteCo Provides To Jewelers
BriteCo needed to first determine how we might best use technology to automate and streamline the appraisal process.
What does our cloud-based BriteCo Appraisal Management System do for jewelers?
The BriteCo Appraisal Management System is extremely simple to use. On your office computer, tablet, or smartphone, you and your staff may complete an appraisal (including attaching images) in about 5 minutes. To ensure the accuracy of your appraisal, you are directed through a step-by-step process that captures all relevant information. You can save an evaluation at any stage in the process, and when you’re ready to finish it, you can print it. When you finish it, the system immediately delivers a PDF to the customer.
When a claim is made under a BriteCo insurance policy, your customer appraisals give a fast reference for replacements. We also send you the difference between home cleaning and janitorial services. BriteCo does not employ a preferred network, and we direct customers to the store where they purchased the goods. Replace with your inventory, vendors, and suppliers. That’s only a taste of everything BriteCo has to offer. Click here to learn more about the appraisal system.
What BriteCo has to offer your jewelry clients
Immediate insurance protection
BriteCo provides a text or email message to the customer with a price range for insurance coverage based on their appraisal. The customer just clicks on the offered link, answers a few questions, receives an exact estimate, and is covered in less than 5 minutes.
Annual upgrades keep coverage up to date.
BriteCo insurance includes annual insurance appraisal value updates, ensuring that your customers’ coverage is always up to current.
Replacement up to 125% of the original value
BriteCo compensates for loss, theft, inexplicable disappearance, or damage up to 125% of the evaluated value.
Deductibles are not required
BriteCo jewelry and watch insurance standard policies feature no deductibles, so clients do not have to pay for replacement claims out of pocket.
Completely safe
BriteCo insurance coverage are backed by a worldwide insurance provider with an AM Best A rating.
In addition, your customers will have the convenience of an online BriteCo account to view their vital insurance documents at any time and from any location.
While everyone is raving about how fantastic technology can be in improving our lives, BriteCo is doing it. We provide the jeweler with a simple, time-saving approach to making, maintaining, and managing jewelry and watch appraisals online in minutes, without gimmicks or tech jargon. In addition, we provide our customers with a faster, easier, and safer option to obtain insurance coverage, ensuring that their valuable jewelry and watches are covered from loss, theft, or damage. BriteCo’s objective is to constantly improve the retail jewelry experience, making it more enjoyable for everyone.
The BriteCo Appraisal Management System is free to qualified jewelers in order to benefit as many establishments as possible. By visiting this link, you may sign up to become a BriteCo jewelry partner. We can make this a game-changer for our entire industry if we work together. Hello and welcome to BriteCo.