by Jon VanZile
If you sell silver and stainless steel jewelry, the Welman Group has got you covered. Founded in 1983 as an importer of silver, the Welman Group moved into wholesale silver in 1988. Back then, silver was about $5 per ounce, and business was good. As anyone who follows the silver market knows, however, the price of silver went on an extended run in the 2000s and hit almost $50 an ounce.
The Welman Group, however, was quick to adapt. The company quickly updated many of its best designs to stainless steel and was able to keep its prices low and quality high, according to Corey Simons, sales manager. “We diversified into stainless steel. We can take our best-selling silver items and make them in stainless steel very inexpensively. Stainless steel is very rugged and looks just like silver, but it does not tarnish.”
Today, the Welman Group continues to offer a full line of sterling silver and stainless steel jewelry. In particular, rings are a specialty, and the company offers dozens of designs, including Celtic, tree of life, marcasite, and Claddagh designs. “We do many of our designs in-house,” Simons says. “When we find a design that sells, we will tweak it. Right now, Claddagh is a very popular design. The tree of life and infinity designs are also selling well, and peace signs are starting to come back in.”
Aside from rings, the Welman Group offers chains, earrings, toe rings, bracelets, pendants, and other jewelry items. The Welman Group has maintained a stable list of retail clients, including flea market vendors and mom ‘n’ pop shops, by following a simple philosophy: figure out what sells and keep prices low. “Some of our customers have been with us for 20 years,” Simons says. “Our price point is great, and our merchandise always sells. Our silver is in the right place in the market, it is not too light or too heavy.”
Wholesale Jewelry Buying
The Welman Group recently unveiled a new website that makes it easy to see designs and get wholesale pricing. To keep its prices low, Simon says the company does not use any sales reps. Instead, “we pass the savings along to our customers.” Wholesale buyers need to have a tax resale license, and there is a $100 minimum purchase. Like many jewelry lines, the minimum suggested mark-up is 300 percent, but Simons says that some customers mark up the stainless steel as much as 500 percent.
The Welman Group
Phone: (888) 333-0870
Website: www.wholesalesterling.com