The Big Story: Las Vegas Buying Guide 2016

 
LONG & LEAN

Combining piles of lightweight necklaces is the next wave of compulsively collectible jewelry. Delicate strands with scattered stations or lariats perfectly suited for plunging necklines look sophisticated when matched together, and worn singly have a sense of chic simplicity. Their current popularity is owed to the prevalence of ’70s- inspired runway fashion, but their true appeal is timeless.

Will you stock it for the holidays?
 

➜ Already have pieces stocked in rose, yellow and white sterling silver. Our customers like the layered look! — Beth Cevasco, Scott’s Custom Jewelers, Akron, OH

➜ Long layered necklaces
are huge. We have some and more coming in. It is important to display these in layers so our buyers see the trend. — Michael Kano , Michael’s Jewelers, Yardley & Fair- less Hills, PA

➜ We will not push this, but might mention it to a client during a sales presentation and will have a few busts displaying the layered look. — Jennifer Hornik Johnson, Miller’s Jewelry, Bozeman, MT

➜ I love it. I wear it.I sell it! — Cathy Cook, Cathy Cook Jewelry, Vidor, TX

➜ It is hot. We have been doing this for some time now. Gold-filled is very popular
in this category. — Julie Brashier, Julie’s Jewels & Gifts, Greenville, SC

➜ Layering is definitely a way to sell more because we are modeling it for our customers. They sometimes buy it right off of us. — Karen Hollis, K. Hollis Jewelers, Batavia, IL

➜ We’ve been selling layering necklaces for years now. Good to see the trend is catching steam. — Marc Majors, Sam L. Majors, Austin & Midland, TX

 
TWICE AS NICE

There’s a pleasing symmetry to celebrating the union of two people in engagement or marriage with a two-stone diamond ring, so it’s no great surprise that the style has come around once more. Legendary couples across time — Napoleon and Josephine, John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier — marked their nuptials with moi et toi rings, which only enhances their allure.

Will you stock it for the holidays?
 

➜ I have used it in remounts when customers have different size stones. Most of the mountings are for smaller stones, but the pictures are a good starting point. — Julie Brashier, Julie’s Jewels & Gifts, Greenville, SC

➜ One of the major chain retailers has been advertising this design, so it follows that the look is gaining momentum. We do have a few rings in our cases that contain two gemstones — a bypass look — but we’re not going to get into this heavily. — Jennifer Hornik Johnson, Miller’s Jewelry, Bozeman, MT

➜ We notice more popularity in two-stone rings
for anniversaries versus engagements. — Allison Leitzel-Williams, Leitzel’s Jewelers, Myerstown, PA

➜ I do plan on testing a few two-stone rings, but am putting them in our diamond area, not engagement.
— Chris Wattsson, Wattsson & Wattsson Jewelers, Marquette, MI

 
THE RETURN OF WHIMSY

There’s no rule that says fine jewelry can’t have a lighthearted side. Pieces featuring adorable creatures defy anyone to take life too seriously. Whether they represent a zodiac sign, favorite pet or a personal talisman, the jewels are a fun way to inject a note of playful personal style into the day.

Will you stock it for the holidays?
 

➜ We like dogs … specifically Labs and retrievers. — Mark Kasuba, M. Edward Jewel- ers, Pitts eld, MA

➜ Fun pieces in sterling silver have been great add-on purchases for our customers, speci cally, birds on a limb, and butterflies. — Beth Cevasco, Scott’s Custom Jewelers, Akron, OH

➜ I’ve been the Queen of Whimsy. We always have and continue to offer fun and whimsical designs: dinosaurs, cute bunnies and woodland creatures, magical creatures like dragons, fairies, mermaids, unicorns, and castles. — Carol Drake, Touch of Silver Gold & Old, Nashville, IN

➜ Whimsy is always good in charms. — Cindy Fuller, Fuller Designs, Poplar Bluff, IN

➜ We will be creating in-house designs of our own for this category. — Murphy McMahon, Murphy McMahon & Co., Kalispell, MT

➜ If it is a cute elephant we can sell hundreds! — Charlene Little, Genesis Jewelry, Muscle Shoals, AL

 
LA VIE EN ROSE

When rose quartz became half (alongside soothing blue “Serenity”) of the two- color pair named as Pantone Color of the Year, it was perfectly timed to tap into the prevailing mood among jewelry designers. The soft pink is a neutral with a flattering wash of color that anyone can appreciate. And it’s not just quartz that’s in demand, but any gem with a similar blush hue.

Will you stock it for the holidays?
 

➜ Rose quartz, pink sapphire and, of course, rose gold are selling well for us. We’ve made a number of custom pieces in pink this year.
— Beth Cevasco, Scott’s Custom Jewelers, Akron, OH

➜ We have used pink stones for years. Great gifts for push presents for baby girls. It is also a great gift for breast cancer awareness. — Julie Brashier, Julie’s Jewels & Gifts, Greenville, SC

➜ We do it as a year-round feature … pink diamonds seem to be hot. — Mark Kasuba, M. Edward Jewelers, Pittsfield, MA

➜ I can’t keep rose gold
or morganite in stock. — Michael Kano , Michael’s Jewelers, Yardley & Fairless Hills, PA

➜ Morganite is finally hitting our market. We’ve done well with it so far. — Chris Wattsson, Wattsson & Wattsson Jewelers, Marquette, WI

➜ Pink is the new black! — Adam Langdon, Adam Michael Jewelry, Omaha, NE

➜ We’ve always shown pink in sapphires and tourmalines, however now we are dabbling in rose quartz, as well as some pink opals. — Paolo Salamone, Paolo A Modern Jeweler, Cincinnati, OH

 
SHORT CIRCUIT

Spied on a whole crew of tastemakers for months now, super short collars and chokers are in the midst of a resurgence not seen since the ’90s. The abbreviated necklaces aren’t just throwbacks to the decade of Nirvana and grunge-chic, either. They can veer from Edwardian elegance to cool and contemporary with the right styling cues.

Will you stock it for the holidays?
 

➜ A blast from the past: Chokers are something we have never stopped working with and if they emerge again I feel they’ll take off. — Cindi Haddad-Drew, Cindi’s Diamond & Jewelry Gallery, Foxborough, MA

➜ Casual chokers are cool. We are repurposing items in the store on shorter chains and cords. — Elysia Demers, Barnhardt Jewelers, Spen- cer, NC

➜ Best suited to young, tight necks! The vain of a certain age won’t go for the look. — Tory Michel, Tory’s Jewelry, Marblehead, MA

➜ For alot of us it’s never really gone out of style. — Marta Jones-Couch, Elements Ltd., Des Moines, IA

➜ Not our style. We do much better with opera length.
— Marc Majors, Sam L. Majors, Austin & Midland, TX

 
BUY THE BUNCH

There’s strength in numbers when it comes to gemstone jewelry. Clusters of stones have a striking impact in both vividly multicolored palettes and compositions featuring subtle shifts in hue. And a jewel set with a single stone is unlikely to have the dimension and texture found in a design set with an entire collage of stones.

Will you stock it for the holidays?
 

➜ Multi-gemstone fashion jewelry is very attractive, now the trick will be to source and sell it in a good price point for our area. — Julie Terwilliger, Wexford Jewelers, Cadillac, MI

➜ This is actually something I’ve wanted to try for quite a while. — Janne Etz, Contemporary Concepts, Cocoa, FL

➜ We love the multicolor look. Especially fun are frames filled with color, like a stained glass window! — Beth Cevasco, Scott’s Custom Jewelers, Akron, OH

➜ These pieces are always good sellers. — Marc Majors, Sam L. Majors, Austin & Midland, TX

➜ I think seeing more people experimenting with the color of their hair, getting tattoos, etc., we are bound to start seeing more expression in fine jewelry as well. Color always has a draw, but I think we’ll see more demand as millennials start shopping more for themselves. — Jennifer Farnes, Revolution Jewelry Works, Colorado Springs, CO

➜ Gemstone clusters of
small colored melee around major colored stones have had some interest but not the Tutti Fruitti look of the Art Moderne pieces of the ’50s. — Ed Menk, E. L. Menk Jewelers, Brainerd, MN

 
HOT LINKS

They’re a supporting player in lots of precious jewelry, but interlocking metal links (the bigger, the better) are the star attraction in a growing number of collections. Links look especially fresh when they make appearances in unexpected categories, like earrings, are dotted with gemstones or take on off-kilter shapes.

Will you stock it for the holidays?
 

➜ Now this is hot! We love big heavy links and actually create some by hand. We also take a lot of trade-in of big, heavy pieces. — Paolo Salamone, Paolo A Modern Jeweler, Cincinnati, OH

➜ Everything is always bigger in Texas! — Morgan Bartel, Susann’s Custom Jewelers, Corpus Christi, TX

➜ We’re doing bold gold bracelets and they are selling. I’m cautiously optimistic about the necklaces. But the bracelets have a stronghold. — Andrea Riso, Talisman Collection, El Dorado Hills, CA

➜ I think chunky is a great trend and items like these should be a staple of every woman’s jewelry box. — Matt Doumato, Ephraim Doumato Jewelers, Smithfield, RI

➜ We are already seeing a growing trend in this area. Love the look. — LaTisha Holland, Arlene’s Fine Jewelry, Vidalia, GA

 
HOT LINKS

If there’s one piece of jewelry that instantly signals glamour it’s a long, dramatic earring. They’re making inroads again after being displaced by the teensy studs that have dominated recently. To keep the look contemporary, stick to designs with a clean, linear silhouette — from chandeliers to stiletto styles.

Will you stock it for the holidays?
 

➜ I personally love chandeliers, and the design possibilities are literally endless! — Janne Etz, Contemporary Concepts, Cocoa, FL

➜ It is always good to have earrings switch up in style. Women seem to change their earrings much more than other pieces. Change keeps them buying! — Tory Michel, Tory’s Jewelry, Marblehead, MA

➜ Chandeliers have been popular for us as a stand-alone statement style. Mini studs cannot match the impact of a chandelier earring! — Annette Kinzie, Leonard Jewelry, Stillwater, OK

➜ We sell them in small quantities and they’re delicate, not bold. I’m so happy the mini-stud wave is over. — Andrea Riso, Talisman Collection, El Dorado Hills, CA

➜ I am located in an ethnic area where chandeliers have always done well. — Shahraz Kassam, Shamin Jewellers, Surrey, BC

 
TICK TECH

For some shoppers watching the hours isn’t enough reason to wear a traditional watch. But with their diverse range of functions — from tracking sleep to keeping tabs on the weather — smartwatches are attracting buyers who might otherwise ignore the category entirely. Some styles display their tech prowess proudly — others disguise futuristic features behind a traditional exterior.

Will you stock it for the holidays?
 

➜ I’m all over it. Also want solar-powered watches and get requests for them every single day. — Andrea Riso, Talisman Collection, El Dorado Hills, CA

➜ A little, but not much. We carry Frederique Constant and have done well with the Horological Smart Watch.
— Steven B. Goldfarb, Alvin Goldfarb Jeweler, Bel- levue, WA

➜ These will change too quickly. I don’t carry watches anyway. — Dale Robertson, Dale Robertson Jewelry, Loveland, OH

➜ Possibly. The Northwest is a high tech area and these are popular. — Meg Rankin, J. Rankin Jewellers, Ed- monds, WA

➜ Anyone can buy just about any watch online now. Why bother carrying something that Amazon can sell with a lower tax rate? — Jennifer Farnes, Revolution Jewelry Works, Colorado Springs, CO

 
UNNATURAL WONDERS

Man-made diamonds aren’t new, but as the technology that permits their manufacture grows more sophisticated and additional players enter the market, the gems are getting tons of buzz. The growing number of designers working with the material makes it an accessible alternative for consumers who have qualms about buying a natural diamond or are simply in search of a more a ordable diamond option.

Will you stock it for the holidays?
 

➜ Absolutely! We’ve already sold two and the requests seem to be growing. I think the millennials are going to turn the diamond industry on its head! — Mark Kasuba, M. Edward Jewelers, Pittsfield, MA

➜ We won’t stock these items, but will order them if our customers ask. The real dilemma is appraisals now. The lab-grown diamonds are making it impossible to do an appraisal if we didn’t source it ourselves. — Beth Cevasco, Scott’s Custom Jewelers, Akron, OH

➜ I will only sell lab-grown to a customer that specifically asks for it. I try to talk them out of it. Our store does not stock synthetic stones of any kind. — Chris Wattsson, Wattsson & Wattsson Jewelers, Marquette, WI

➜ This is something that will be very big. We have made
a large purchase of loose
lab diamonds and we are creating a website for this and plan on radio ads. — Tom Schowalter, Miner’s Den Jewelers, Royal Oak, MI

➜ We offer man-made diamonds as well as Moissanite for alternatives to diamonds. We find that many younger shoppers are more globally conscious and they really don’t like the environmental impacts of diamond mining. — Jennifer Farnes, Revolution Jewelry Works, Colorado Springs, CO

➜ Actually … maybe! — Pamela Hecht, Pamations, Calumet, MI

 
PEER REVIEW

We asked our Brain Squad: What do you think will be the breakout category this holiday season?