Stella & Dot or Morgan Dane?

[danielle521]

Which do you prefer and why? I love that S&D jewels are unlike any pieces I've seen in any other ds company. Very unique. Very colorful. The websites are super chic. The drawback? I'm afraid people would think the jewelry is overpriced. I do like a lot of the MD pieces, but I'm really impressed with the comp and hostess benefit plans. But the fact that there are less than 200 consultants nationwide concerns me. Why is this company not more popular? I'd love to get your thoughts.

P.S. Please keep your responses to these two companies. I'm not interested in any others at this point. Thanks!!

[indygirl]

I was just thinking of asking a very similar question/opinion!
I like Stella And Dot's pieces, very unique, but I also think that people in my area would balk at the prices too. I do like their ability to order online though.
I like Silpada's line and have for a long time, but their prices are also very high for my area, however, they are all genuine sterling silver and gemstone pieces and I think that pricewise, maybe going with the real deal, Silpada would be my first pick.
Downside is that SIlpada does not offer online ordering for customers.
I am probably really confused too....LOL

[ralphie]

Hey Indy,

Almost half of SD's catalog is under $50. They also discussed the issue of online ordering at conference. SD is in their 12th year and they are very sucessful. They said we were built on the party plan and they decided to keep it that way. Personally, I like the contact I have with my customers - online ordering might make it easy for some but I think most of our orders would come from the party.

[christy007]

I've been a Stylist with Stella & Dot for over a year now so obviously I am slightly biased ; ) I feel that Stella & Dot offers a great mix of jewelry in various materials, trends, and price range. It has also been featured in many magazines as well as on celebrities (most recently on The Bachelorette). I love the company and find that they have been excellent to work with and offer fabulous support. You get online orders which is great! The back office is top-notch and like nothing I have ever seen in any DS company I have been with! There are quite a lot of styles under $50 and the jewelry is very high-quality. One thing that you have to keep in mind is that Stella & Dot is a luxe line of jewelry (between costume and fine) and is made in the same factories that create jewelry for Nordstrom, Bergdorf's etc. It is exceptional quality for the price!

I would love to go over the opportunity more in depth with you! Feel free to contact me through my website or on here. I am happy to answer any questions you have!!

Best of luck with your search =)

[Crissy]

As a lia sophia advisor, I tend to go towards the more trendy pieces. I love the line that Stella and Dot has. I do not love their hostess program but their jewelry is fabulous.

I am not a sterling person but if I were, Morgan Dane would not be on the top of my list. It does concern me that they only have 200 consultants. But i do not know much about their business.

I would feel very uneasy signing with a company that is not as established. I would make sure that you do some major research before signing.

Good luck

[DivineSpa]

Hi!
In response to whether to choose Stella & Dot or Morgan Dane...I think they are both great companies for many different reasons, not necessarily the same reasons though!

I just signed up for Morgan Dane about 10 days ago. I'm waiting for my sample pieces to arrive and then I have an open house planned for next week. I'm very excited and have had great feedback from people so far. People seem genuinely impressed with it.

I searched several different companies before deciding on MD. I looked into Stella & Dot, too. I love the name, love their website, and they do have beautiful jewelry. I feel like it's kind-of the "it" company right now, given how much publicity they have. Despite that, it just wasn't for me because the style just wasn't me. I know myself well enough to know what style of jewelry I typically wear. I know for some, S&D is PERFECT. It has that funky, trendy flair with the vintage twist. But I am just personally attracted to the style of Morgan Dane (I also looked into Silpada, Aurastella, and Inspiranza, among others). Each company has their perks and very nice jewelry. The great thing is that no matter which one you choose, you will find people that love it. There are people that will love S&D, and those that will love the sterling silver...Morgan Dane had such an earthy and natural look, yet fun & edgy, too. It just appealed to me and I think that you have to find the style that best fits YOU! And once you narrow that down (as I did between MD, Silpada, Aurastella, etc.), you decide which one has the best compensation and hostess plan, etc. which I felt MD did. For whatever reason, I just kept coming back to MD and decided enough was enough! I just needed to join! Plus, I truly love the fact that the pieces are hand-crafted in the USA, and you can customize your pieces with the choice of a frosted, shiny, or patina finish. It just really makes for a unique piece of jewelry with that "artisan" feel.

I can't say why there is still a relatively low number consultants at this point. But if there were only about 200, I am now 201. And the fact that I'm one of about 5 in my state excites me. I see only room for growth. I don't know where this will lead me, but I hope to have fun and not stress out (as I did when I started my BeautiControl business). I've learned to keep it simple and just enjoy the ride!!

If you have any specific questions, please e-mail me. I might not know the answer but my sponsor has been a great support and can get me answers, as can the other MD consulants on this board. Also, the home office has been incredible with a few questions I had, too. Very personal service.

Good luck to you in whichever avenue you choose! And sorry so wordy!!
Bonnie
[email protected]

[dzineluvr]

I completely echo what DivineSpa says! I went through every company with a fine toothed comb and spoke to so many people including the owners of 3 companies. I chose Morgan Dane because the hostess and comp plans just couldn't be beat and the options we have are a HUGE plus. I didn't really think that being made in the US was that big of a deal to people but when I started mentioning it at parties, it immediately got people's attention and they were thrilled. My biggest concern with Morgan Dane was the same - why not more consultants? I asked around before joining and was told that Sharon, the owner is a very conservative business woman and is not wanting to get ahead of herself. Morgan Dane is debt free, which is very important! I attended conference and heard these things for myself in July. She said that she hasn't done her big advertising launch yet, and when she does, "watch out!" If you type in jewelry direct sales in Google, you might not even find Morgan Dane on every list yet so many people who are searching don't even know about it. New production people are being hired at MD as word gets out and the company grows. I am signing two people this week in my area who are currently selling with another silver company and are tired of the competition and LOVE the fact that MD has the size and finish options. Not to mention the incredible hostess rewards. Right now is a great time to join and be a part of the first few hundred consultants. The company isn't going anywhere but up. What I love is that the company is that it's small enough now that the owner is really wanting the feedback from consultants and always looking for opinions on policies and even new jewelry designs! It's so cool to tell her, "Sharon, this would look great with onyx beads next year", etc. and she really listens and implements the ideas of her consultants.

I personally love the artsy, organic feel of Morgan Dane. I'm not a fashion jewelry person but there are others who would much rather wear Stella & Dot, Cookie Lee, etc. I just am amazed at the prices that I see on some of the fashion jewelry and that's why I never considered those companies. I can't find jewelry in stores similar to what Morgan Dane and Silpada have so I feel that I have something special and unique to offer people. You just have to weigh the reasons and figure out what's important to you!

[LorettaA]

It appears that Stella & Dot does a bit of marketing and PR work to get the word out. Maybe that is one of the reasons they are more popular. I'm not saying that one is better than the other. I have no personal experience with either. Perhaps MD prefers to grow at a slower pace.

The good thing is the jewelry styles are very different so maybe that will help you with your decision making.

Good luck.

[gkoinski]

Another thought, too, is that both are such different lines. When you are starting out, which would you think your circle of friends/family would be more apt to buy and/or have parties for? One is fashion jewelry with different finishes, styles, variety. The other, though having different styles, is basically all silver.

Decide which says it's 'you', and that will be the one you'll wear, and feel excited to talk about. Most jewelry of good value and guarantees will have higher price points. Only you can determine which would be too expensive to you and your clientele.

[christy007]

I just looked through the Morgan Dane catalog and I have to say as far as SS goes the jewelry is very very pretty! I agree with what the other ladies are saying in terms of go with what is more your style. I forgot to touch on that in my previous response and I feel that it is a VERY important part of searching for a business, especially a jewelry business! It is going to be almost impossible to sell something that "isn't you". Before I joined Stella & Dot I was with a very popular SS company and while the jewelry was very pretty there were a lot of things I overlooked because I wanted to go with the well known company. I didn't even come across Stella & Dot in my search otherwise it would have been no question which I would have chosen from the very beginning! I ended up moving over to S&D after a few months due to a bad experience with my sponsor, saturation and the fact that the jewelry just wasn't my style like I thought it was

As soon as I saw Stella & Dot I completely fell in love and was smitten at first sight. The jewels are absolutely me and I love everything I sell which makes it a lot easier! You want to love what you sell, you want to be excited about it!! And the fact that our "luxe" pieces are featured in top fashion magazines articles (not advertisements) doesn't hurt either I have had a really good experience with it. But if MD is more your style then that's great - and I don't think the smaller amount of reps is necessarily a bad thing! Go with your gut and I'm sure that whichever decision you make it will work out great. I wish you the best of luck! I personally know how daunting it can be as there are great companies out there that all have something wonderful to offer!