Jewelry Industry and Retail News
We permanently get informed by our friends and partners from around the Web - about news, trends and/or best practice advice, loosely related to the jewelry retail business. Therefore, we present you here the most interesting or most useful of this information every month - from the following 3 top categories:
Trends | Sales | Tech |
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Hot new/continued jewelry trends as presented to your customers from around the Web. See what they see when they scour the Web and think about your inventory. | Marketing news and related info that you could use in your daily operations. How to get your name out there, wherever you can and get people to know about your business. |
Tools and Trends (mostly tech related) that can make your business life easier. These are tools or trends that can help your business grow, get more organized, save more money, and/or streamline operations. |
Hopefully, you will get some tips/suggestions for your own business activities from this!
September 2016
Jewellery Trends
Talking to Gary Ingram, the CEO of TheDiamondStore.co.uk, about jewellery trends, he made an interesting point. “Fine jewellery transcends age and fashion.”
When we asked him to elaborate, he explained, “I say that because our jewellery has so much meaning to our customers. We only sell jewellery items that are real – real diamonds, real gold, real gems – so they’re most often given as gifts of love. Apart from looking luxurious and reflecting personal style, they make you feel loved and treasured. That’s the real beauty of timeless jewellery.”
TheDiamondStore.co.uk has certainly captured the essence of how jewellery represents personal history. They specialize in handcrafted diamond and gemstone pieces that mark big occasions – engagement and wedding rings, bridal jewellery, diamond bracelets, eternity rings and fine gemstones all the way to Ruby Anniversaries.
“But if we’re going to talk pure fashion,” says Ingram, “The biggest thing in jewellery now is about making it your own by combining pieces. It’s not so much about specific design, because we offer a huge variety in terms of that, but more about wearability, collectability, and above all, being able to mix and match various items at once.”
Echoing this, many items in the e-tailer’s newest collections are stackable. Multiple band rings with mixed tones of yellow, white and rose gold, or contrasting black and white diamonds. Delicate bangles and big-carat-look bracelets that can be layered, and innovative textures and colors, like pink sapphires on rose gold.
“On the one hand, there’s a big desire for beautiful, delicate jewellery that you can wear just as easily with a little black dress or with jeans. And then we have the heirloom pieces, the engagement rings, wedding bands and anniversary jewellery that you’ll wear for a lifetime and later pass on to your children,” says Ingram.
“That’s why vintage is also very popular now. Rose gold, which first had its big moment more than 100 years ago, is back in a big way, following the trend in watches. Beautiful Victorian and Edwardian details like hearts, crosses, lock and key charms, ribbons, infinity knots, nature motifs, those really stand out because they’re timeless. In fact, they’ve never really gone out of fashion.”
What about engagement rings? “The halo will still be HUGE,” Ingram confirms. “And again - vintage styles, Diamond halos, side stones and Art Deco influences in engagement rings have been big for a couple of years now, and they’ll continue to soar.”
Ingram also says they are seeing people spending more as we move out of recession. “We’ve seen a 140% lift in 0.50 carat diamond stud earrings, compared to much smaller studs last year.” And talking about earrings, if you want a fashion tip, invest in a pair of hoops. “Hoops are definitely ‘in’ right now. To prove it, we’re selling 60% more hoops and have several new designs with diamonds, and also rose gold.”
“The most exciting thing about fine jewellery is how people will be wearing it in a much more relaxed and informal way,” Ingram concludes. “The key is to continue investing in those substantial pieces, like tennis bracelets for 40th birthdays and eternity rings for anniversaries. But don’t be afraid to build on that. One diamond ring can look quite traditional now. So wear a different ring on each finger, layer multiple bangles and necklaces. Let your jewellery express your individual style.” BY JEWELLERY MONTHLY