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Behold the Sparkle: Michael Agnello Jewelers Unveils New Showroom

New shopping area in the St. Clair Shores showroom of Michael Agnello Jewelers makes buying that engagement ring or wedding band a more serene and personal experience.

Michael Agnello Jewelers has a new jewel in its crown -- a new 1,200 square-foot diamond engagment showroom

Owner Michael Agnello admits he almost didn't go into the jewelry business. On a shopping excursion with one of his sisters, she was looking for a ring, and the shop owner, Albert Ahee, saw potential in Agnello. He admits he initially turned down the job offer, but Ahee told him to try it as a summer job and see.

Now, Agnello has been a shop owner for 37 years. He learned everything on the job - and is an award-winning designer at that - recently winning recognition from the Jewelers of America for a pin he designed.

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The new showroom was opened last November, the goal of which is to make shopping for a ring -- the ring -- all the more special.

"Engagement rings," Agnello says, "are our favorite thing to sell. It's our first real connection with a customer ... and such an important purchase."

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The goal at Agnello, he says, is to make it a personal experience. You can't compare the experience of shopping a private retailer to looking online or at a big box store.

Agnello says they'll offer a soft drink and everyone can "touch, hold and put it on," and sometimes the right ring may be a combination of five rings, he adds.

He advises setting aside at least two hours at a location when looking for a ring. To make it a happier two hours, the new showroom is designed to make it a comfortable and enjoyable task, with its serene lighting, comfy zebra striped chairs, and counters dazzling with diamond rings and wedding bands.

Plus it's just nicer to go to a specialty shop.

"In metro Detroit we have some of the best independent jewelers," Agnello says, and when a woman gets engaged, he adds, the two questions she'll hear are "How did he ask?" and "Where did you get the ring?"

Women like to say the ring was picked at somewhere other than a big box retailer or a website, he adds. And online, what you see is not necessarily what you'd get.

Customers enjoy the showroom experience, he adds. "People love the intimacy of it, the devotion to only them."

He adds shopping for a ring is no small task after all, so why be quick and impulsive about it, or for any piece of quality jewelry, for that matter. 

One thing Agnello admits to enjoying is surprising a potential customer.

"There's nothing better than when you get someone to step out of their pattern," he says.

Agnello added that he can see things that would flatter a woman that she might not realize herself.

"Within minutes, I can tell a woman what she'd like," he said. 

Michael Agnello Jewelers is located at 31500 Harper. Call 586-294-7730 or visit www.MichaelAgnelloJewelers.com for more information. Also visit their Facebook page for updates and deals.

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