There are certain types of items that are always BIG hits amongst your guests at auction events. Jewelry is certainly one of those items. For this reason, it’s important to properly showcase the jewelry at your next event to make the biggest impact on those guests. Take a look at a few of these tips to ensure that you are getting the most out of one of the most sought-after items at your event.
The 4 Best Practices
for using Jewelry in a Fundraising Auction:
- Take your jewelry for a walk.
During a live auction, jewelry is best displayed on the move in a display box. Rather than having someone model it, the display box allows all of your guests to get a good look at the jewelry as it makes its way around the room.
- Do not model the jewelry.
As mentioned above, keep your jewelry in a display box.
Models tend to walk around and get caught up in conversations with various people in the room – completely forgetting that they are supposed to be displaying the jewelry. Clothing and hair often get in the way as well, making it difficult for your guests to get a good look at the pieces on display. You may also hear guests complain that the jewelry is now “used,” or “tainted” due to the model wearing the items.
- Bracelets, earrings and necklaces are the jewelry types of choice.
Rings need to be sized, and women are unable to wear them right away. Offer jewelry that can be worn right away. This will make the winning donor happy, while also simultaneously working as a “walking billboard” for your auction and organization.
- Stick with colored stones over diamonds.
Colored stones always do better than diamonds. We at AmFund have hosted many fundraising events over the years (complete with a variety of high-end items), and we have seen colored stones outperform diamonds every time.
Here’s why: diamonds tend to be over analyzed by all of the self-proclaimed diamond experts in the audience. Carat, weight, cut, color and clarity get scrutinized to the point that the diamonds get over analyzed and undervalued by guests. Colored stones stand out in a positive way – and guests won’t be nearly as critical as they are with diamonds.
Jewelry is one of the top attractions at fundraising events. Apply some of these tips listed above and you will surely see excellent end results for your organization. For more tips to help make your next fundraising event a success, contact us at AmFund.