NJN Newsletter January 2012

Silver jewelry category matures for retailers

With the price of gold still high and many consumers still carefully watching their spending, independent jewelers have reported seeing an increased interest in silver jewelry at their stores.

SPS to add SilverMark partners, enhance website

The Silver Promotion Service (SPS) has announced the planned expansion of the number of participants in the Savor Silver program, as well as the number of categories on the SPS website. The organization is currently working to identify silver jewelry manufacturers to join the 2012 SilverMark Partner program.

Silver Interview: DeLatori

What came first, the design or the metal? For sterling silver brand DeLatori, the former took shape first. A Silver Promotion Service (SPS) Designer of Distinction, DeLatori incorporates vibrancy into its silver design with gold and colored stone accents, while keeping affordability, craftsmanship, and most importantly consumers, in mind.

Exhibitors report an interest in silver at JANY

The JA New York show this year welcomed new and seasoned exhibitors, among them a number of companies that exclusively create designs in sterling silver. Across a variety of booths, many silver pieces at the show featured precious and semi-precious gemstone details, bringing an array of color to showcases. Simple pendants, larger rings and gemstone-station necklaces were also staple designs.

Slane revisits Iconic Collection for spring

This spring, Slane will introduce a host of new designs, including fresh sterling silver pieces from the Iconic Collection, which the brand calls “the foundation of the Slane jewelry wardrobe. Jewelry has a cycle, and we were looking to add more statement pieces--larger cuffs and colored stone cocktail rings--to balance out the more delicate palette from recent seasons,” Landon Slane, who co-owns the Slane brand with her sister Heath, said.

DeLatori partners with online retailer Zappos

DeLatori has announced that its Pompeii Collection is available on the Zappos Couture website, arriving in time for Valentine’s Day and the spring shopping season. “DeLatori is thrilled to be on Zappos Couture,” Ori Zemer, of DeLatori, said. “This partnership now makes DeLatori available to anyone in North America.”

Amazon lists top jewelry, watches of 2011

Amazon.com Inc. released on Friday its annual “Best of” list for 2011, naming its best-selling and most-coveted products for the year across all categories, including watches and jewelry. According to the list, the best-selling watch on Amazon.com in 2011, based on total number of units sold, was the Timex T5J151 1440 Sports Digital Watch while the best-selling jewelry item was the “designer-inspired” silver heart charm toggle bracelet.

Jeweler donates 20% of line's sales to fight autism

Bartow’s Jewelers here has announced that it will donate 20 percent of every purchase of select Sarah’s Hope Jewelry designs from the store this holiday season to Families Advocating Autism Now (FAAN), a local group dedicated to helping the families of children diagnosed with autism.

IDEX Online Research: Diamonds are top category

Diamond jewelry represents by far the most important product category for American retail jewelers, according to newly released data from the Census Bureau’s Economic Census. Further, over the past two decades, the sales mix of diamond jewelry has shown a steady increase.

Pace of retail growth to slow in 2012

Retail sales are expected to increase 3 percent to $2.53 trillion this year, held back by the high unemployment rate and lack of new jobs, the National Retail Federation (NRF) predicts. The pace of growth is down from 2011, when retail sales grew 5 percent and comes on the heels of a holiday season in which sales grew 4 percent.