Last week, I looked at jewelry commercials, and truth be told, I found them a mixed bag. So I thought I would end the year by saluting some of 2012’s notable out-of-the-box industry promotions.

The free diamond giveaway

Jewelers, as a rule, don’t do Black Friday promotions. But you wonder: Who came up with that rule? Obviously small mom and pops can never compete with the Best Buys of the world, but even the most jaded shoppers had to be tempted by Criterion Diamonds’ Thanksgiving-night offer: a free diamond for every person who walks in—no purchase necessary. Granted they weren’t particularly big rocks. But it’s hard to beat a banner that says “free free free diamonds!”

The singing jeweler

This ad (?) is low-budget, slightly off-putting, and at the same time, utterly charming. (Via the Louped In blog)

The proposing puppet

If you’re going to go the jewelry-face route, you might as well be like Sheftall Diamonds and add some creativity to it:

Tiffany’s street art

Tiffany & Co. doesn’t exactly say “street” to most people. And yet, for the opening of its store in New York City’s SoHo district, the company drafted four local artists to decorate the outside of the scaffolding. You really have to hand it to a company that can make even construction beautiful.

The rock hunt

This promotion from Clodius & Co. Jewelers in Rockford, Ill., puts a clever twist on the standard scavenger hunt using rocks, QR codes, and, of course, Facebook. Check it out.

The “smashing success” promotion

As the saying goes, if life gives you lemons, make lemonade. And if life gives you an SUV crashing through the front of your store—as happened at The Jewelers in Lebanon, Tenn.—you might as well put up a sign that says “We’ll help make your Christmas a ‘smashing’ success.” Having to cope with pretty horrific event, this store deserves credit for pluck and ingenuity.

Opening up the store to refugees from Superstorm Sandy

This isn’t a promotion, but it demonstrates the role small businesses can still play in their communities. In the face of a devastating hurricane, with hardly anyone out shopping, several jewelers in the New York and New Jersey area opened their stores—not to sell product, but to offer storm-besieged locals a place to get warm, grab a bite to eat, charge their phones, or catch up on the news. Let’s see an e-tailer do that.

BONUS: Even though it’s not a jewelry promotion per se, you have to tip your hat to the diamond-in-the-Cracker-Jack-box promotion. (The Holiday Inn diamonds-under the-pillow contest was pretty cool too.)

Feel free to add your favorites in the comments…

Follow JCK on Instagram: @jckmagazine
Follow JCK on Twitter: @jckmagazine
Follow JCK on Facebook: @jckmagazine