What type of jewelry are you restocking for the upcoming months?

Two jewelers discuss what they plan to replenish after the latest holiday season.

By Phyllis Schiller

Dianna Rae High
Owner, Dianna Rae Jewelry
Lafayette, Louisiana
We had a great Christmas and sold out of a lot of things. While we stock basics like diamond studs and diamond pendants, which we purchase premade, the vast majority of what we sell is custom pieces that we make. And we sold almost all of them. So I’m heading to the Tucson show in early February to stock up on gems that over the next few months I will be making into pieces we’ll sell in the store.

“We sold out of our high-end rings featuring really fine Sri Lankan sapphires and fine Burmese rubies, ranging in price from $10,000 to $15,000. We will restock those stones. Pendants were also a big seller this Christmas. But while the rings tended to be in the higher price ranges, the pendants were across the board in all price categories. We sold all of our diamond station chains — also called ‘diamonds by the inch’ — which we buy premade and rebrand.

“Gold is really hot right now versus silver. I’m not going to buy any silver. But not everyone can afford the 14-karat gold, so we have a gold vermeil line that sold through very well. I’ll definitely be visiting that booth at the Tucson show.

“One thing that I am going to look for is stackables. I have stackable bands in the $1,000 range, and they sell well for wedding bands, but I get a lot of requests for lower-priced stackables to wear as fun rings. I need to find a supplier for those.

“I also always look to see what jumps out at me when I’m at the show, such as a new line or colored stone to bring back. We have customers who come in asking about what’s new.

Jimmy Green
Owner, J. Green Jewelers
San Antonio, Texas
The mix I stocked this past holiday season was very strong, and it is working right now as well. It ranges from sterling silver items to $200,000 pieces and everything in between. The lower pieces, the $1,500 and under, and the $20,000-and-above jewelry were the strongest categories. The normal bread-and-butter pieces at around $2,000 to $5,000 weren’t as strong this Christmas, but went back to being good sellers this January. My December was a little bit soft, but January was extremely good; I’m up double over January 2018.

“Necklaces and pendants were a little weaker and continue to be — we always sell earrings and rings a little better — but bracelets picked up a lot. My bridal business is strong all year round.

“Gemstones were huge. In December, I traditionally sell a lot of semiprecious stones for Christmas, and we did sell some. But we also sold major emeralds, rubies and sapphires — more than ever.

“I do a tremendous amount of custom items, 40 to 50 original designs a month. We do very little for the cases, and when we do, it sells almost immediately. I probably carry two to three times the inventory most jewelry stores have. So I’m sitting pretty well in terms of stock. I normally wait to buy fall inventory at the JCK Las Vegas show in June and then continue to buy through the fall. When I go to the Vegas shows, I look at trends and things that are unusual. There are six to eight vendors I always buy from because they’ve stood by me through thick and thin, and their things do sell. But I’m always looking.

Article from the Rapaport Magazine - March 2019. To subscribe click here.

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