|
|
Cover
Retail Rap
By Phyllis Schiller
|
| Daniella Design |
The 4Cs are not the only things that make a piece of diamond jewelry a sales winner. In an ongoing series, Rapaport Magazine explores the “3Ws” — what’s selling, what’s not and why — by going straight to the people who really know — jewelry retailers. Each month, we ask a sampling of retailers to comment on the important issues that are facing the industry today. Here is what they had to say when asked: “Have you seen an increase in customers choosing fancy shape diamonds?”
“We’re a Forevermark dealer and one of the things that’s been very, very successful for us is Forevermark in the fancy shapes. Obviously, the rounds are great, too, but we’ve had kind of an emphasis on using Forevermark for our fancies and it’s been very successful. We’ve done some really great things with the FireMarks. And pear shapes, ovals, cushions. There hasn’t been one shape that’s really a standout other than the FireMark, which is an ideal square.”
DALE GORDON, OWNER
GORDON JEWELERS
BOONVILLE, MISSOURI
“This is a very conservative area. We still sell mainly rounds, a few princesses. I haven’t sold a marquise in quite a while. Most of the guys won’t do anything but rounds because they’re afraid she won’t like it. And some of the women will go for a princess cut but the other shapes don’t seem to be too interesting to either group.”
“We’ve had a spike in ovals here lately. I’ve had a couple of younger bridal customers who’ve actually said the ‘m’ word, but we haven’t sold a marquise yet. We’ve done a few pears. We tend to push away from cushions because we can do a much bigger-looking stone in something else in most cases — it’s just about bang for the buck. Princess cut is still there.
“But ovals are getting some traction. I think customers are looking for something different. I think there’s room there to mine that if someone would do some styles that look good with oval shapes. There’s always a chance to sell anything if you do it right.”
“Among the fancy shapes, we seem to get the most requests for cushions and ovals. After that, it’s occasionally pear shapes and then below that, radiants, princess and marquises. We’ve actually had a few requests for heart shapes in the wake of Lady Gaga’s engagement ring.
“From the jeweler’s perspective, I love fancy shapes because they’re not so easy to comparison shop. I can’t make very much profit on a round, ideal cut, triple EX. But on a fancy shape, I can actually add some value as a jeweler, not just random profit. It’s hard for me to add a great deal of value to a round ideal cut when all the measurements are very tightly defined by industry standards. But with a fancy shape, I can add a lot of value because there are no rules for cutting in certain cases. I can be a jeweler again and not just a broker of diamonds.
“People are looking for something unique these days. They are more educated about fancy shapes. They know that if they walk into a jewelry store that fancy shapes vary tremendously and they can get a stone that matches their personality. We even get customers asking for European cut stones. They like the old style of cutting and there are a few firms out there that are cutting new stones with those faceting patterns.”
“Here, recently, we have seen an increased interest in the fancy shapes. The oval and the pear shape seem to be doing really well for us. We like to introduce our clients to the fancy shapes, so we have more people requesting them, but also clients these days are interested in seeing how they can maximize size and quality and sparkle in different shapes other than the round. Heart shapes have been attracting attention — that’s the power of social media.
“Over the past ten years, cushion shapes have increased in desirability. Next to the round, a cushion will have the most sparkle and it’s a great way to maximize that bright, glittery look. I also think the cushion shape is a flashback to the late 1800s, early1900s, for a vintage look.”
“Both pears and ovals have been a little stronger as far as special requests. Because of the decrease in supply of certain fancy shapes to market, finding attractive and well-priced product from three-quarter carat and up is definitely harder. People are looking for something different, and we carry a variety of mountings with halos designed for different shape center stones. So, I think it allows someone to be different.”
“Round is still king, but we are starting to see people showing some interest in pear shapes, asking to see them, and even marquises, a little bit. What there does seem to be a lot more interest in all of sudden are the cushion cuts. We’re getting a lot of requests for them. Younger customers are aiming for a vintage look.
“Customers seem to have a sense of fancy shapes; they’ve done their homework, either on the internet or visiting other stores. They don’t make the decision because of monetary issues but because they want that particular shape or something that’s different. They’re going to spend what they spend regardless of the shape.”
“Rounds are king here. Then it would be cushion and emerald cuts. People are looking at something different.”Article from the Rapaport Magazine - May 2015. To subscribe click here.
|
|
|
|