Kim Kardashian’s thieves take note: peddling high-end bling is not the no-brainer task it might superficially seem. Indeed, it’s in acknowledgement of the challenge associated with selling this very specialized channel of merchandise that the Retail Council of Canada and the Canadian Jewellers Association have jointly announced the first-ever retail certification program for jewellery store managers and personnel.

The Canadian Jewellery Retail Professional (CJRP) program is unprecedented not only in this country, but beyond.

Achieving certification requires participants’ completion of a demanding, self-directed on-line course and successful passing of a culminating exam. Aspirants will also have to satisfy a performance interview with mystery shopping organization We Check.

Across the board, successful candidates will have to demonstrate their familiarity with specific expertise and skills that are unique to the jewellery retail profession in Canada. Among the topics the program covers, find law and legislation, succession planning and leadership, protection and operation. Participants will also be instructed in the particular nuances of sales and marketing that relate to jewellery retail. Finally, certificates will only be awarded to individuals who have a full year of experience working in the jewellery industry.

The CJRP program’s creators believe this unique offering of retail instruction will serve as a precedent-setting standard for other countries’ jewellery retail organizations considering introducing similar programs.