How a Kay Jewelers consultant sold a $16,000 engagement ring through phone calls and photos after the coronavirus forced jewelers online

• Signet, which owns Kay Jewelers, Zales, and Jared, has made some shifts to its strategy amid the coronavirus pandemic.
• Virtual consulting services, where salespeople can show customers photos and talk over the phone, are part of the company's new strategy.
• A $16,000 pear-shaped diamond ring was recently bought using virtual services.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The coronavirus pandemic has thrown a wrench in a lot of well-laid plans for the upcoming months.

That includes plans to buy engagement rings and propose.

Signet Jewelers, which operates more than 3,000 stores, including those under the Kay Jewelers, Zales, and Jared banners, temporarily closed its North American locations in late March as the coronavirus continued to spread.

To keep business going, Signet has rolled out and beefed up some of its digital offerings. That includes a virtual jewelry consulting service that allows potential customers to speak to salespeople over the phone or using their computer audio. Rings and other jewelry bought through Signet's virtual consulting services are shipped to customers' homes.

In one notable example, someone used that service on April 18 to buy a $16,000 Neil Lane Premiere engagement ring from Kay, according to Signet. The center diamond was pear-shaped and surrounded by a halo of smaller diamonds, with diamonds down a thin band.

Shenae Comer, the Washington State-based consultant who sold that ring, has worked at Kay for almost 10 years. She said most customers are typically buying in the $2,000 to $5,000 range but that she has sold rings for up to $20,000.

Comer has been working from home since her store closed. She helped the customer complete the purchase through a handful of phone calls totaling about an hour and a half. She and the customer discussed the ring's features in detail while using the system's features to look at photos of it online.

"It does make it a little bit different, but one of the things that working from home has taught me, with our technology and everything, is that love is definitely not canceled. Our customers are still needing jewelry for many different reasons, and being able to have this technology means that we're able to help them still celebrate life and express love in the same way we were before," Comer told Business Insider.

"We want them to know we're still here for them no matter what."

Comer doesn't know how or when the customer intends to propose, but she did ask him to let her know how it goes.

A representative for Signet declined to comment on how the coronavirus pandemic has affected sales of engagement rings.

But, the company continues to roll out efforts to support those who are getting engaged and married amid the pandemic.

Signet is currently testing a pilot program that will involve placing a jewelry consultant inside an empty store. Those consultants could then show customers jewelry options over video chat.

Kay also recently launched a series of branded backgrounds that people can upload to Zoom or other conferencing platforms and use for virtual engagements or weddings. Each of the backgrounds bears the hashtag #LoveIsUnstoppable.

Signet has taken steps to weather the financial difficulties wrought by the coronavirus.

In its March 26 earnings call, it announced it had reduced work hours, furloughed employees, and reduced compensation for store and support center employees. Its leaders also took a 50% cut to their base pay.

"In a time like this, we all know that celebrating those you love is important," the company said in its earnings call. "Given our size and scale, there are things we are doing right now to drive relevance and deliver our company mission to help customers celebrate life and express love."

Signet also said it expected to close more stores as it determined the long-term impact of the pandemic.