Mother's Day Jewelry: Lia Sophia Consultant Interview

Although she has a brilliant smile and a polished (and perfectly accessorized) appearance, what shines most brightly in Jeri McMinn is her love of people. Jeri is a Lia Sophia Jewelry consultant and also partners with her husband in selling antiques, jewelry, and other items on eBay – but always puts people before business. This busy pastor’s wife, mother of three, and business woman enthusiastically shares tips on choosing jewelry, mother’s day jewelry gifts, and more in this special LoveToKnow interview.

Getting Started as a Lia Sophia Jewelry Consultant

LoveToKnow (LTK): You’ve been a consultant for various skin care and other companies. What made you decide to go into business as a Lia Sophia Jewelry consultant?

Jeri McMinn (JM): A couple of things: number one, it’s not a 'super' new company, but there are not a lot [of consultants]. So it’s not like you’re coming in quite on the ground level - but compared to some skin care companies where there's six or seven thousand consultants -- it's good. Another thing for me is that I enjoy the work. I like the parties -- it’s a lot of fun.

About Lia Sophia Jewelry

LTK: You’ve also sold antiques and jewelry on eBay for a number of years, so you have a keen eye for quality and beauty. How would you describe the quality of Lia Sophia Jewelry?

JM: The base of the jewelry is jeweler’s brass. So it’s a heavier quality base than a lot of costume jewelry. Everything if either gold-electroplated or plated with rhodium, a type of platinum. [ Sterling silver styles are also available]. Jewelry is measured in mils of thickness. Lia Sophia has more mils of plating than any other costume jewelry in the United States – and they offer a lifetime guarantee. You can return it for any reason, as long as you maintain the warranty you received initially.

They call it transition jewelry. There’s costume jewelry, and there’s fine jewelry. It’s not 'cheap' costume jewelry, but it is plated. It’s very high quality. Some things are genuine sapphire, and there is a lot of genuine crystal, jasper, turquoise – many semi-precious stones. They also have other lines of jewelry that the stars of Hollywood [including Reese Witherspoon and Andy MacDowell] wear called the Kiam family collection. Anyone here could buy it – it is just expensive. But even with the more expensive items, they still offer their special. [Buy two items and get the third – even if it’s the most expensive item – half price].

Jewelry Accessorizing Tips

LTK: Do people ask you for advice about jewelry at Lia Sophia parties? What tips would you give women on choosing and accessorizing with jewelry?

Jewelry to Wear for Mother of the Bride

Since you can actually try the jewelry on at a Lia Sophia party, it’s the perfect way to choose jewelry for a special event.

JM: One gal – her daughter was getting married -- brought her mother-of the bride dress, and said ‘what will go with this?’ We went through all the stuff, and she tried a few things and we matched something together that worked for her.

Wearing Bold Jewelry Designs

Jeri shares her personal experience 'going bold' with jewelry and tips on finding fresh, new styles.

JM: One thing I would say to gals is to step out of your comfort zone. Because some gals are just so used to wearing just a gold chain, with say a locket or a pendant – something simple. A lot of the jewelry right now is chunky, it’s bigger, it’s trendy looking. I think some people are afraid because they feel like it’s not them.

Probably three years ago, I always just wore simple things. I saw a necklace at a store one day, and I’m like ‘that’s pretty cool looking’ – it was bold. And I got it. Then I started feeling myself getting bolder things. I almost feel like it was working me up to selling jewelry. Like God knew I was going to be selling jewelry one day and already had me out of that comfort zone and used to wearing different things. Now it’s fun – that’s another piece of advice. You just want to have fun with it!

Wear Jewelry that Flatters

Many women have favorite colors and certain tastes in clothing. You can spice up your wardrobe by augmenting your look with unique and different items of jewelry in the same color families of clothing you currently own -- for a fresh, flattering look that doesn’t break the bank.

JM: Get some quality pieces that go with a number of things you normally wear. People tend to like similar colors. Like I wear a lot of black, a lot of green, a lot of blue. So I tend to order black, green, and blue things.

Tips on Choosing Mother’s Day Jewelry

LTK: Do you any tips for when giving jewelry for mothers day? Men often like to give jewelry for this holiday, but have a difficult time knowing what to choose.

JM: A lot of guys just come and ask me. What I think they (the wife or mother) would like. I had a number of guys at Christmas time that said, ‘what does my wife like?’ – and I told them exactly – she likes this, she would look good in this, she mentioned this particular piece. Then I get everything together, wrap it up, and deliver it.

I would sort of take a look -- what colors they tend to wear, what kind of jewelry they tend to wear. What kinds of things would be similar in taste for them – but maybe a little bit different. But safe. You want to get something safe. If they never wear bold, don’t buy it for Mother’s Day!

Good Jewelry Gifts from Lia Sophia

LTK: Are there any specific pieces you would recommend for Mother’s Day jewelry gifts?

JM: There are some necklaces that are great – for example the Alex. There are some new pieces that just came out that are nice, and there’s a lot of pink for summer.

Jeri shares that popular colors for Mother’s Day and spring include :

• Pink
• Teal
• Pastels

JM: They have some really neat stuff – a lot that is really different. The quality of the jewelry is rich looking, and they have some unique jewelry designs. In fact, they have some things that I hate – and I have customers say 'I love it!' But that’s because there’s different tastes.

Buying Jewelry from Lia Sophia for Mother’s Day

JM: It’s almost guaranteed the jewelry will look better in person (than the website). It's hard to capture all the reflections of light on a cut stone in a photograph.

To buy for mother’s day, people can purchase direct sales from Lia Sophia consultant. Shipping is always a flat, low rate.

You can visit Jeri McMinn’s Lia Sophia consultant website at liasophia.com/sites/jerimcminn to order jewelry or to view more about Lia Sophia.

by Amy Finley