CarterCast

Episodes

1. 10

   Building a New Jewelry Store | CarterCast Ep18 – What it Takes to Create the Future

   If you haven’t heard, we’re building a brand new jewelry store. The groundbreaking was back in June, and over the past six months, the new Jack Lewis Jewelers has been taking shape on Bloomington’s east side next to Biaggi’s, Ancho & Agave, and Crafted. Now that the calendar has flipped to 2025,...

   Jan 7, 2025

   38m
2. 9

   Carter Turns 50 | CarterCast Ep17 – Reflections on Running a Jewelry Store

   Hear ye, hear ye, it’s a monumental occasion: on October 22, 2024, Carter turns 50. Yes, he’s officially entering his George Clooney handsome gentleman era, aging with flavor like fine bourbon in a barrel. So we’re using this round milestone as an opportunity to zoom out and reflect back on 50...

   Sep 30, 2024

   1h 11m
3. 8

   How Jewelry Stores Get Diamonds | CarterCast Ep16 – The Journey from Soil to Showcase

   We’ve done lots of shows about diamonds, covering almost every facet (heh) of them from the 4Cs to buying them online to lab growns, but we haven’t talked much about how we get our diamonds. How does your local jeweler acquire the diamonds that you see in the case? What’s that process, start to...

   Jul 22, 2024

   38m
4. 7

   More Talk About Lab Grown Diamonds | CarterCast Ep15 – Revisiting LGD’s in 2024

   Today, we're revisiting a topic from a previous show, because a sequel is always better than the original. Wait, right? It’s been about 2.5 years since we last talked about…*gasp*… lab grown diamonds. Given the ever-changing landscape of that controversial, salacious, contentious, quarrelsome...

   Feb 19, 2024

   51m
5. 6

   Designer Engagement Rings | CarterCast Ep14 – New Trends w/LegitiMissy

   After much cajoling, bribery, and lofty promises, we’ve finally convinced our first guest to join us on the show. And it’s none other than the Queen of Style herself, Jack Lewis Jewelers VP and co-owner, Missy Ranney…aka, LegitiMissy. We wanted to explore the world of designer engagement rings…

   more
   Sep 25, 2023

   31m
6. 5

   How to Buy an Engagement Ring | CarterCast Ep13 - A Step by Step Explainer

   Buying an engagement ring is something you (probably) only do once, and since you’ve never done it before, it’s not really something you’re expected to know how to do. Sure you could Google it. But that’s what we’re here for: to be the resource that helps you navigate this once-in-a-lifetime...

   Jul 17, 2023

   56m
7. 4

   The Most Searched Questions About Diamonds | CarterCast Ep12 – Google AutoFill Q&A

   It's early 2023 at the time of this premiere! So if you're listening to this in the distant future, hello from the past. Hope things are going well. In this episode, we revisit the Google machine for another Search AutoFill show, this time about Diamonds. So when you go to Google and start…

   more
   Jan 2, 2023

   36m
8. 3

   The Most Searched Questions About Engagement Rings | CarterCast Ep11 – Google AutoFill Q&A

   After a long hiatus, the show returns in a new studio with new lights, new mics, new decor, and a google of new topics. That's because we're doing a classic Search AutoFill episode about Engagement Rings. When you go to Google and start typing, "Do Engagement Rings...", what AutoFill options does...

   Oct 10, 2022

   43m
9. 2

   Real Talk About Lab-Grown Diamonds | CarterCast Ep10 – Synthetic Gemstones

   Bravely dive into one of the most controversial topics in the jewelry world: lab-grown, synthetic, man-made, artificial diamonds. What are we supposed to call these stones anyway? And how similar are they really to natural diamonds? And are they really more sustainable? How much should you really...

   Sep 27, 2021

   34m
10. 1

    All That Glitters is Gold | CarterCast Ep9 – Jewelry Metals

    Diamonds and designs often steal the engagement ring show, which means we don’t often hear about the metal. What’s your ring made of, anyway? Gold, platinum, titanium? There are pros and cons to consider, and this episode points you in the right direction. Jewelry metal matters, so put on the...

    Jul 12, 2021

    40m
11. Should You Buy a Diamond Online? | CarterCast Ep8 – The Internet

    Tempted to buy a diamond online? We get it. After all, isn’t it cheaper, with a bigger selection, where you can go at your own pace without being pressured and intimidated by an icky salesperson who wants to exploit your ignorance and swindle you into a bad decision? That’s the narrative. But is...

    Feb 10, 2020

    37m
12. The Key to Buying a Diamond with Confidence | CarterCast Ep7 – Grading Reports

    Do you like documentation? Are you militant about millimeters? Do you prefer paperwork that displays metrics out to the thousandth decimal? Then you’ll love this episode on Grading Reports, because nothing says I love you like math. Truth is though, when it comes to diamonds, you deserve to have...

    Jan 13, 2020

    34m
13. Are Diamonds Just Marketing Hype? | CarterCast Ep6 – A Diamond’s Value

    Float around the Internet for 5 minutes, and you’ll be bashed with snarky posts, sarcastic memes, and cynical threads about diamonds. The most popular attack? That diamonds are worthless. It’s all a scam. They have no real value. It’s all just marketing hype. But…is any of that really true? In…

    more
    Dec 16, 2019

    29m
14. Top 3 Gems to Choose if You Don’t Want a Diamond | CarterCast Ep5 – Engagement Ring Alternative Do’s

    After discussing which gemstones to avoid as the center stone in your engagement ring if you don’t want a diamond, we shift into positive gear and spread the good news about which gemstones you should choose. As with the ones to avoid, most of it centers around hardness and toughness factors, but...

    Dec 9, 2019

    19m
15. Top 3 Gems to Avoid if You Don’t Want a Diamond | CarterCast Ep4 – Engagement Ring Alternative Don’ts

    We love diamonds around here, but…we also realize that, for various reasons, not everyone wants a diamond in their engagement ring. Maybe you are that person. And that’s perfectly fine. But if you’re gonna go with an alternative gemstone, there are some that we strongly suggest you skip. If you...

    Dec 3, 2019

    19m
16. Why Cut is the Most Important C | CarterCast Ep3 – The 4C’s [Part 2]

    Today we conclude our conversation on the 4C’s as Carter goes into thrilling detail about Carat and Cut. When you think Carat, do you think size? If so, you'd be wrong. Find out why. Mostly though, this episode is about Cut because Carter believes Cut is by far the single most important of the...

    Nov 25, 2019

    30m
17. Diamond Color & Clarity: Explained | CarterCast Ep2 - The 4C's [Part 1]

    Today we dive into the 4C’s as Carter tries to sell Josh a diamond. Even if you don’t know a thing about diamonds, you’ve probably heard of the 4C’s, or at least seen them come up when you Googled diamonds for the first time. But what are they? And are they really that important? In part 1 of our...

    Nov 18, 2019

    29m
18. The Diamond Engagement Ring Show Dating Couples Need | CarterCast Ep1 - Introduction

    The pre-proposal show for dating couples designed to make diamond engagement ring shopping easy, understandable, and fun. This is the CarterCast. Live from Jack Lewis Jewelers in beautiful Bloomington, IL, the star of the show is Jack Lewis Jewelers CEO John Carter, and along with host Joshua...

    Nov 9, 2019

    33m