RAPAPORT… JA NY Shows Enhance Look
JA New York Shows announced plans to transform the Javits
Center into an elegant and contemporary environment to coincide with the JA New
York Winter Show that will be held from January 22-24, 2012. The newly
relaunched brand is designed to reestablish New York City and the JA New York
Shows as the heart of the U.S. jewelry industry. Along with the enhanced look,
the JA Shows unveiled a new Jewelry Market Week strategy that will enable
buyers to see everyone in one trip.
The registration area and show entrance will be transformed
into an elegant and sophisticated gateway to a luxurious interior, with a new
floor plan and booth design. A central and expanded Inner Circle™ area and
lounge will present the largest selection of high-end design on the East Coast,
according to a statement from JA New York.
To encourage more buyers to come to New York, Jewelry Market
Week will feature two new services, the Showroom and the District. The Showroom
will allow New York couture designers to participate in Jewelry Market Week by
hosting appointments in their existing showrooms or at local event spaces. All
JA New York attendees will be chauffeured to and from the Javits Center to
their appointments. The District will incorporate the New York Diamond District
into JA Market Week by offering an appointment-based service and shuttle to all
participating diamond district suppliers.
The program will expand and continue through the JA New York
Summer Show.
One in Four Grooms Spend More on Rings
XO Group Inc., which owns wedding sites TheKnot.com and
WeddingChannel.com, released the results of its 2011 engagement and jewelry
study that found that the current economic climate did not affect today’s
groom’s engagement ring selection. Only 14 percent surveyed said they downsized
their choice due to the economy and nearly 25 percent of grooms ended up
spending more than they originally planned. Couples in the U.S. spent on
average $5,200 on an engagement ring, $600 less than those surveyed in 2008. XO
Group analyzed responses from more than 10,000 brides and 1,000 grooms who were
either engaged or married in the past year.
The average engagement ring price was $5,800. The average
size of the center stone was 1 carat, with 1.4-carat total weight in diamonds.
The average price of the bride’s wedding band was $1,126, while the groom’s
band cost an average of $491.
In the luxury ring segment, 12 percent of grooms spent more
than $8,000. The average ring price was $13,500, with an average center stone
of 1.5 carats and total weight of over 2 carats. The average cost for the
wedding ring in this segment was $1,560 for the bride’s ring and $731 for the
groom’s.
For the engagement ring diamond, 53 percent of grooms
preferred the round cut, while 30 percent bought a princess cut. Forty-one
percent added personal elements to the engagement ring, while 59 percent in the
luxury segment incorporated customized designs.
Seventy-three percent of those surveyed chose an engagement
ring set in white gold. Other metals gained popularity, as 27 percent of grooms
chose tungsten, up from 19 percent in 2008 and 16 percent chose titanium, up
from 13 percent in 2008.
Independent jewelry stores were more popular among grooms
than the national jewelry chain stores, with 39 percent of them purchasing from
independents compared with 35 percent buying from chain stores. Around 9
percent of grooms purchased from an online retailer.
The survey also found that 5 percent of grooms surveyed said
they opted to wear a “man-gagement” ring.
JFC Offers Holiday Cards
Jewelers for Children (JFC) is offering winter-themed
holiday greeting cards designed by children who have benefited from JFC’s
fundraising efforts. Cards can be personalized or imprinted with a corporate
logo or company name.
JFC is also offering contribution cards and holiday inserts
that enable individuals to make donations to JFC in someone else’s name.
Through the Holiday Honor Program, individuals can request that their vendors
or business contacts offer donations in their honor. All of the proceeds raised
will go directly to charity.
JFC’s fundraising efforts benefit children affected by
illness, abuse or neglect through charity partners including St. Jude
Children’s Research Hospital, the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of America, the
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and the National CASA Association,
among others. For more information, send an email to
info@jewelersforchildren.org.
Hearts on Fire, Hearst Launch Campaign
Hearst Magazines and the diamond brand Hearts On Fire
announced a partnership that includes a print ad campaign, social media and a
monthly user-generated-content diamond jewelry contest.
The advertising campaign will run from October 2011 to
January 2013 across seven Hearst titles for a total of 82 spreads. The ads
feature two well-known style bloggers: Christine Cameron of “My Style Pill” and
Stephanie Johnson of “SJ’s Style Compass.”
Each insertion in the monthly series is designed to be
unique, incorporating different images, copy and merchandise, as well as
digital and social media components. QR code tags and a call to action will
direct readers to www.HeartsOnFire.com to share their diamond stories for the
chance to win jewelry and appear in future advertisements in the series. On
Facebook, readers who “like” facebook.com/HeartsOnFire will be entered to win a
monthly diamond jewelry giveaway valued from $2,500 to $5,000.
Lazare Diamond 4C’s Contest Begins
Lazare Kaplan International Inc. (LKI) launched a contest
where applicants enter their “ideal proposal” for a chance to win an ideal cut
Lazare Diamond. Entrees can be made on the Lazare Diamond 4C’s App for iPhone,
iPad and Android devices, on Facebook, at www. contest.lazarediamonds.com or in
person at a Lazare Diamond retailer.
On October 21, a panel of judges will announce three
finalists on Lazare’s contest website, Facebook and Twitter pages and the
public will be invited to vote for the ideal proposal winner. The contest is
open through October 14 to legal U.S. residents who are 18 years of age and
older, but it is void in Rhode Island and outside the U.S.
Zale to Carry Jessica Simpson Line
The Zale Corporation entered into a partnership with singer
and actress Jessica Simpson to develop a line of diamond fashion jewelry to be
sold exclusively in Zale stores in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico beginning
in October. The Jessica Simpson Collection will feature a variety of new styles
of rings, earrings, pendants and bracelets in a range of affordable price
points.
Passion Stone Collection Launched
Rogers Jewelers and Samuels Jewelers are introducing the
Passion Stone Collection, which features ideal cut diamonds. Both jewelers are
affiliates of the Gitanjali Group, which developed the Passion Stone brand.
According to the brand’s website, diamonds for the Passion
Stone are cut to triple ex, ideal cut hearts and arrows proportions. Each
diamond is measured for light performance by “Fire Trace” from the
International Gemological Laboratory (IGL) and must certify for “Triple Ideal
Light Performance.” Passion Stone diamonds are sold loose or in bridal and
fashion settings.
