John and Joan Lanigan

Dear Rose and Lornie,

What a pleasure I experienced meeting the two of you yesterday. Armed with Allen’s words [Pt. Brittany Clubhouse manager, singing your praises as] “the Jewelers who design/create engagement/wedding rings that will knock my fiance off her feet”; I stood tall and marched into your establishment, thinking “sticker shock”.

Immediately after meeting Rose, we struck up a conversation about the business, skills, academic gemological knowledge, certified appraising quality and the elite rating of Lithos Jewelry. From there, we discussed your roots in Montana, my background and career quest for rigorous public policy research, and only then did we pursue ring options. I enjoyed that Lithos sense on engagement with the customer. I met you [Lornie] a few quick moments as you came out of the lab for a breather, found out you are a Vietnam veteran Marine [I too am a Vietnam veteran; USAF], and I felt so at home that “sticker shock” didn’t enter my mind…well, maybe only briefly.

After moving from one engagement/wedding ring option to the next, we came to a choice that made me feel comfortable. I found you Rose, to be delightful and I was totally impressed with the expertise, skills and focus on quality products that both of you demonstrated.

I explained that I had one more recommended jeweler in Tampa to visit and I said that I’d be back in a few hours. After finding my last jeweler on my ‘list of 10’ to be lacking in quality goods and missing the Lithos’ communication skills, I had no doubt that I was headed straight back to Lithos Jewelry. Two hours after I had left Lithos after my first visit, I was back, excited about the purchase that I knew would quickly follow. After more quality knowledge acquisition, and learning about the 4-Cs [carat, color, cut and clarity] I got to meet Lornie again. I found you to be equally knowledgeable and also a great communicator. To my surprise and enjoyment, you both took me back to the lab and showed me jewelry-making equipment from Laser-welder and microscopes to a bounty of hand tools.

I had been through a long day, so we moved into the paperwork of purchasing my fiance’s engagement/wedding rings and a simple band for myself. I left the establishment feeling great about my choice of rings, my newfound gemological knowledge and feeling like I had met two new friends.
Letter to Lithos Jewelers
April 29, 2008
Page 2

Today, I took time to review all the Lithos’ materials from the high-gloss catalogue, the one-page handouts and the well-developed, classy, yet personal website, including reviewing the testimonials and the newsletters. All of the various marketing pieces communicated the same theme of elite and certified expertise, gemological academic training, certified appraising skills, quality workmanship in both the design and craftsmanship and the unique Lithos’ personal touch. Lithos Jewelry has an effective multifaceted marketing strategy, with each of the various documents being stand-alone quality pieces, and each reinforcing the total image of what is conveyed on the Lithos-website.

I’m looking forward to viewing the finished products and to formally asking Joan if she will spend the rest of her life with me. Thank you so much for a wonderful and personal gemological experience – much more than simply purchasing jewelry. It was a true pleasure meeting both of you and experiencing your Lithos jewelry establishment.

Sincerely,

John J. Lanigan Jr., Ph.D.