RAPAPORT… The 4Cs are not the only things that make a piece of diamond jewelry a sales winner. In an ongoing series, Rapaport Diamond Report 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: What was your impression of the Las Vegas shows and what did you buy there?
DANIEL GORDON. PRESIDENT
SAMUEL GORDON JEWELERS
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA
“We went to Couture, Luxury and JCK. Last year, the show was eerily quiet and it seemed almost back to normal this year. The vibe was that things are going to get better.
“Basically, this year was about supporting the brands we’ve being doing business with. We were looking at bridal and price point. We looked at a couple of new lines and we took the information back home with us. We talked to Pandora and two up-and-coming designers, Lori Bonn and Noelle Leone. Lori Bonn has these build-over-time slide charm bracelets she calls Bonn Bons, as well as other fashion pieces. And Noelle Leone has real artsy sterling silver pieces at great price points, as well. These might be fashion price points we get in for the fall.
“In terms of bridal — that’s kind of our forte — everyone was coming out with lesser-weight center-stone mountings. When the economy was rocking, a diamond center stone going upward to 2 or 2.50 carats wasn’t unrealistic. But now, people still want a nice ring, but they might have to go with a 1 or 1.50 carat and that’s what these mountings that all the big names are coming out with are made for.”
RONDA DAILY, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
BREMER JEWELRY
PEORIA, ILLINOIS
“I have two stores and buy for both of them at the shows. We attended all four shows, we have vendors at all of them — Continental Buying Group, Luxury, Couture and JCK — and they all seemed busy.
“We buy by price point, which is something I’ve been doing for the past four or five years. I look at what we’ve sold, what we are trending and then fill into that. Our store is probably 65 percent bridal and so we wanted to look at what was new in bridal. In terms of newer lines, we looked at Belle Étoile. It’s a fashionable and fun price-point line, with leather and sterling and enamel, which we’re definitely going to pick up. Although it’s been a while since I did color shopping, we definitely looked at color — rings, pendants, earrings.”
LISA BIDERMAN, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING
HILLER JEWELRY
METAIRIE, LOUISIANA
“We’re a small, one-store boutique. We didn’t do a large inventory purchase but we did go and walk the Couture, Luxury and JCK shows. The technology side caught my eye — learning about interactive social media in the store, putting iPads in the store. We bought a new microscope camera for repair take-ins to document for the customer.”
CATHY CALHOUN, OWNER
CALHOUN JEWELERS
ROYERSFORD, PENNSYLVANIA
“The shows were fantastic. Everyone was in a good mood. I bought diamonds, from loose to finished goods, bridal and fashion and some colored diamond — the black diamond ring from ‘Sex and the City 2.’
“I took on some new vendors in fashion. I added some more Hearts on Fire to what I already carry and I also took on the Lazare Kaplan product line. I spent a great deal of money there. And I’m taking a line called KC Designs that has some good price points. Royal Asscher had jewelry with floating diamonds in domes that was fabulous. I did that, too.
“I also covered the estate show. I bought a lot of Art Deco, Edwardian, antique cushion-shape engagement rings. I also went outside the box and bought a killer diamond necklace.”
KIT HEFFERN, PRESIDENT
ELLEARD HEFFERN FINE JEWELERS
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI
“I did go to Vegas. I was there for six days and did some buying and looking and they seemed to have a good crowd. The vendors seemed to be happy. I was looking for new things in fashion jewelry, not bridal. I saw a lot of pretty things — I went to the Couture show and Luxury and JCK and the AGTA and the estate show.”
LUCIAN LEE, OWNER
HALE’S JEWELERS
GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA
“I thought it was pretty good; people seemed to have pretty positive attitudes. I had a budget and I spent it. We’re heavy in bridal, which is carrying the load. But we tested the waters in fashion again for the fall. I think there are more alternatives in specific price areas than there might have been a couple of years ago and that’s just a sign of the times. A lot of the areas we might not have looked at a few years ago are now more accessible and nice.
“I did buy diamonds — probably more than we normally do. I felt if I was going to spend x dollars, I’d like a reasonably large portion of that to be in diamonds. Color is still important. And I went more heavily in loose stones than I would normally do.”
COLLEEN RAFFERTY, CO-OWNER
CHRISTENSEN & RAFFERTY FINE JEWELRY
SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA
“We went mostly to buy for the fall and holiday season but also to see what designers were doing and to brainstorm with our colleagues, retailers from across the country. We make a point of that. We also wanted to set up trunk shows with some designers we work with for the coming months.
“We saw some new things that we liked and will consider. Some of the designers used sterling silver and accented it with blackening or rhodium in fashion, which is a fun alternative to 18 karat at a reasonable price point. And that was nice to see. We deal with a wonderful designer who was in the design center, Yves Kamioner. He keeps changing and making wonderful one-of-a-kind pieces. He uses fantastic colors, blackened sterling and mixing it with antique ivory; he’s using ebony. Some of his designs are very fanciful. So it’s always different for our clients and we have customers who collect his work.”
MARK COLEMAN, CO-OWNER
NELSON COLEMAN JEWELERS
TOWSON, MARYLAND
“We were in Las Vegas for eight days. We went with a strong plan and a budget; the days of buying on a hunch are over. We’re part of the BIG Buying Group and we used their Balance to Buy™ software to see what we had sold and where we might be understocked. We’re a strong Hearts on Fire dealer, but we realized we were starving the low end and the industry today is really being driven by the low end, Pandora and things like that.
“We bought both bridal and fashion. We took on a couple of new bridal lines — we were very excited about MaeVona, it’s very modernistic. And we also bought diamond bracelets.
“I thought the mood of the shows was serious and hardworking but no Chicken Littles — less doom and gloom, more serious, focused buying.”
