for many women, there’s no better way to commemorate life’s beautiful moments than with fine jewelry. The client who cherishes her grandmother’s locket and her father’s watch will be motivated to buy jewels that she can pass down to her kids with a good story to tell. Steer Sentimental Suzy toward anything that can be personalized, engraved or collected. She’ll get all teary-eyed with jewels to which she can attach a memory or turn into a keepsake. Make sure you use emotional words and build a story about the jewels you show her. — C I N D Y E D E L S T E I N
This article originally appeared in the May 2015 edition of INDESIGN.
* All prices MSRP unless otherwise indicated.
THE BELT BUCKLE
Monograms and engraved words are the best keepsakes for a Sentimental Suzy. There are so many jewelry lines with personalized options, and you can find top-of-the-line as well as entry price-point options. From jewels that will take a dainty monogram to others that can showcase even more, there’s no limit to how (and where) your client can wear a reminder of that special person in her life.
PRODUCT DETAILS: Belt buckle featuring signatures of three sisters hand stamped into brushed sterling silver and accented with a 14K yellow gold smiley face drawing, by Heather Moore Jewelry
$2,550
heathermoorejewelry.com
THE LOCKET
Lockets are often the very first sentimental jewel we think of; the very nature of wearing a loved one’s photo tugs at the heartstrings. Designers love this concept too, so there are plenty of different styles on the market, from the heavy-metal casual to delicate filigree.
PRODUCT DETAILS: 18K yellow gold locket featuring a dark pink tourmaline cabochon on the front and cut-out detailing highlighted by rhodium plating on the back, by Pamela Froman Fine Jewelry
$10,250
pamelafroman.com
THE RINGS
Thanks to 3-D printing, there are easy ways to gather clients’ fingerprints and turn those prints and patterns into jewelry. This can be a subtle way to wear a keepsake depending on how the prints are used, whether they’re blown up as a more obscure pattern or actual-sized to be totally realistic.
PRODUCT DETAILS: Customized fingerprint rings in 18K white or yellow gold and oxidized cobalt by Sarah Graham Metalsmithing
$1,985
in gold
$938
in cobalt chrome
sarahgraham.com
THE BRACELET
ID bracelets have a long fashion history and are great mementos as well as style statements. You can find big, bulky bracelets in rocker silver as well as delicate gold styles, so steer Sentimental Suzy toward a mix of them all.
PRODUCT DETAILS: 18K rose gold Petite Poesy 7-inch bracelet by Monica Rich Kosann
$995
monicarichkosann.com
Cindy Edelstein owns Jeweler’s Resource Bureau, a niche marketing firm that offers the industry solutions for helping designers and retailers connect and profit together. Visit jewelrydesignerfinder.com to sign up for her trend newsletter and follow her on Twitter at @JewelryBizGuru.