When a legal matter needs someone who has actually run a jewelry business
A legal matter touching the jewelry industry often comes down to whether the numbers hold up: whether a pattern of losses makes sense, whether financial records match what was actually in inventory, whether a business followed practices that are standard for this industry, or something else entirely.
Insurance companies, attorneys, and businesses retain Megan Crabtree of Crabtree Consulting as a jewelry industry expert witness when those questions require someone who has actually run the business, not studied it from the outside or appraised the merchandise sitting in it.
WHAT THIS COVERS
Crabtree Consulting has been retained by counsel representing a national jewelry insurance provider, and separately by parties in a jewelry retail business sale dispute, to review records and provide expert analysis grounded in day-to-day operating experience.
Megan's background includes running large-scale jewelry operations, managing buying and inventory at scale, and working inside the financial mechanics of jewelry retailers and manufacturers around the world.
MEGAN'S EXPERTISE COVERS
TESTIMONIAL
Suspected staged loss or insurance fraud
Assessing whether a reported pattern of loss, theft, or damage is consistent with how legitimate jewelry retail operations are run.
POS, inventory, and sales data review
Identifying discrepancies between reported figures and what the data supports.
Business sale and post-sale disputes
Evaluating whether conduct after a sale, including customer solicitation, disclosure of financials, and non-compete terms, is consistent with industry agreements and practices.
Vendor, consignment, and memo disputes
Assessing whether vendor relationships, consignment terms, and inventory handling followed standard jewelry industry practices.
Standard-of-care and operational disputes
Determining whether a jewelry retailer’s or manufacturer’s practices met the standards reasonably expected within the jewelry industry.
The work includes review of business records, POS reports, and financial documents; assessment of what is and isn't consistent with standard jewelry industry practice; identification of discrepancies in record-keeping; collaboration with forensic accountants on loss assessment; written reports that meet legal standards; and court testimony when it's required.
TESTIMONIAL
"Megan understands the jewelry business from both the people and performance side, and offers thoughtful, practical guidance without overcomplicating things. Her ability to ask the right questions, bring focus to what matters most, and identify opportunities that make a meaningful impact is a resource everyone should benefit from."
— Ryan Long, Director of Sales, Bay Area Diamond Company
WHAT ATTORNEYS ARE ACTUALLY MISSING
Most legal teams working a jewelry industry matter have never run a jewelry business. They don't know what a legitimate shrink rate looks like, what standard vendor terms are, or whether a pattern in the numbers is normal or a red flag. That gap shows up in depositions, in cross-examination, and in reports that don't hold up when the other side's expert actually knows the industry.
Megan Crabtree has run buying, inventory, and financials inside jewelry operations for almost two decades. That's the difference between analysis built on the business and analysis built on assumptions about it.