DAVID ROTENBERG
OWNER
DAVID CRAIG JEWELERS
LANGHORNE, PENNSYLVANIA
“What’s selling in bridal is across the board. We’re
selling some solitaires, if it’s a large enough stone. Not too long ago, I had
a couple of sales with baguettes on the side. We’ve done settings with
decorative melees, six-prongs and four prongs, in platinum and white gold,
although more in the white category than yellow. Just recently, I delivered a
bridal set of three pieces — including for the man — that were in pink gold.
There is no particular area that I would say, ‘stay away from’ or ‘get into.’
There’s more interest in a carat than I’ve seen before, although clients don’t
all necessarily buy that size. Some come in wanting the carat, but walk away
with a half-carat. Halo is probably as popular as it ever was, although there
are now variations on that setting as different manufacturers want to throw
their hats into that ring. Occasionally, I sell a sapphire engagement ring, but
it’s just occasionally.”
JAY MITCHELL
CEO
CLARKES JEWELERS
SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA
“For the bridal styles that are selling well, we really
emphasize plain, classic looks and also larger diamond bands stacked together
for our older clients. Working within customers’ budgets, showing quality over
size is always appealing.
“We’re doing a
lot of 2-carat-plus in fancy shapes, such as oval, cushion and radiant. I think
the halo setting is still very relevant, but we try to incorporate maybe a
bezel around the diamond before the halo, or maybe a fancier gallery to set our
rings apart. We try to stick to diamonds for bridal, rather than alternate
stones.”
CHRISTOPHER DUQUET
PRESIDENT
CHRISTOPHER DUQUET FINE JEWELRY
EVANSTON, ILLINOIS
“Our two strongest bridal style categories are vintage
and classic — vintage being early 20th century, such as Art Deco, Art Nouveau,
Edwardian, things with more of a retro feel to them. And then classic is more
mid-century — Tiffany-style, simpler, cleaner, more diamond-centric.
Alternative engagement rings are definitely trending up, using both colored
gemstones and diamonds. Alternative diamond cuts include rose cuts and European
cuts.
“In terms of
colored stones, we recommend sapphire as a good alternative gemstone because of
its hardness and durability and the variety of sizes and shapes and colors that
are available. Some clients have seen online or heard of stones such as
morganite and moonstone, but we discourage those choices because of the obvious
durability issues.
“Although halo
settings are still popular, halo has peaked, I think, in terms of the classic
round-stone-with-round-halo, square-stone-with-square-halo. We’re seeing and
making much more complex halos, with shapes that are different from the center
stone....
“We are seeing an uptick in the
number of larger-stone purchases. It has definitely recovered to pre-2008
levels. While there is always a range of sizes that sell, between 1 and 2
carats is still generally the majority. Once you get over 2 carats, you hit a
much higher level of price. And there’s still flexibility in the 1-carat range,
with a greater range of available goods at different price points.”
JOEL SIEGEL
CO-OWNER
SIEGEL JEWELERS
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN
“Halo is still the dominant bridal style, although we are
seeing a slight return to classic solitaires. In terms of whether customers are
choosing size over quality, or vice-versa, I see less interest in quality and
more in the size of the stone. The 0.75-carat to 1-carat size is by far the
most popular. Occasionally, clients ask about fancy shapes. The popularity of
princess cuts is dropping quickly, and there is more interest in ovals and a
little in pear shapes.”
Article from the Rapaport Magazine - May 2018. To subscribe click here.