The industry had a few jitters coming into the holiday season, but overall it appears better than expected—particularly for diamonds, engagement rings, wedding bands, custom jewellery and designer lines.
After surveying nearly two dozen jewelers, JCK found that few saw declines, and even those whose sales dropped didn’t have huge falls. But quite a few said sales were flat.
Among the trends we found this year:
– This was a last-minute nail-biting season, but in the end shoppers came through.
– As usual, jewelers griped that the weather hurt sales—but this year the problem was good weather, as unseasonably warm temperatures dampened the holiday mood.
– Gemstones and silver also did well, although JCK heard less about charm brands than in past years.