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Posts Tagged ‘silver’
Friday, July 30th, 2010
 Innovative designs, attractive prices elevate silver Silver pieces such as Daniel Gibbings’ “African Warrior Shield Ring” in pure silver with 18-karat yellow gold shank, hand-carved detail and brown zircon center stone, were go-to pieces in Las Vegas. Suggested retail price is $1,452. (877) 565-1284 or DanielGibbingsJewelry.com
As a perusal of the showcases at Las Vegas Market Week made evident, precious metals prices hold an unrelenting influence over design trends, with silver providing an affordable ying to gold’s pricier yang.
While gold is the go-to metal for small, stacking rings and delicate pendant necklaces, designers use silver to go bold, both in terms of size and metalworking techniques.
Even jewelers once skittish about silver are now striding into the category with confidence, as consumers demand friendlier price-point pieces that are high in both quality and value. Heeding the call, designers have been keen to create silver designs that their brand names can proudly stand behind-and, that can help offer margin-making opportunities to retail customers.
To view our full spread of silver jewelry, click here.
Design trends
Silver’s entry-level price points are not just an attraction for consumers. At press time, the metal was trading at $18.25 per ounce as compared to gold at $1,162 per ounce, providing designers with the chance to experiment-an opportunity they are grabbing with aplomb. The silver designs of the moment are big and bold, and come in all shapes and forms, from smooth, sculptural designs to highly textured styles, hammered, etched and oxidized. For luxe, higher-end offerings, look for pieces studded with diamonds, especially versions featuring colorless stones set against oxidized silver, a major trend at the moment. For wallet-friendly options with character, look to designs accented with colored gemstones. The market is currently brimming with new, colorful looks.
Margin matters
The Silver Promotion Service (SPS) has been putting the emphasis on silver as the “metal with margin,” a tag line that is proving true, at least according to two National Jeweler surveys. More jewelry retailers (46 percent) said that their margins increased on sterling silver jewelry as compared to any other jewelry category, according to the results of National Jeweler’s exclusive Post-Holiday 2009 survey. Meanwhile, according to National Jeweler’s exclusive Profit Margins Survey, sterling silver jewelry topped more than 30 categories as the leading margin-maker for retail jewelers.
Marketing moves
The SPS, the marketing arm of the Silver Institute, has been busy over the last year bringing attention to silver jewelry. The service has expanded its Web site, SavorSilver.com, to include new designers, silver products and services, and has also amped up its presence at trade shows, including the recent Couture and JCK shows in Las Vegas. In addition, SPS has partnered with National Jeweler to launch a monthly e-newsletter, “Silver Jewelry News.” SPS also continues to remind jewelers that, just like gold and platinum, silver is one of the noble metals, SPS Director Michael Barlerin said during an informational seminar at JCK Las Vegas.
Source: National Jewelry Network
Tags: african warrior shield ring, diamond, gold, JCK, jewelry, las vegas market, ring, silver
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Friday, July 2nd, 2010
 Lika Behar Collection earrings in 24-karat gold and oxidized silver with moonstone; suggested retail price is $3,300. Editors attending Jewelry Information Center (JIC)’s fine jewelry preview and luncheon last week got an early glance at the industry’s top trends for 2011, from the latest in colored gemstones to designer offerings in that “metal of the moment,” sterling silver.
An annual event, the luncheon was attended this year by leading fashion and accessories editors and stylists from magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar and W, who look to the JIC for direction on the latest in fine jewelry and watch trends, according to the organization, the consumer education arm of Jewelers of America.
When it comes to the latest jewelry, silver designs play an integral role in the trends dialogue, and it isn’t just that the price is right for consumers looking to update their jewelry boxes at self-purchasing price points.
Versatile and fashionable, silver is used in simple yet striking sculptural designs, such as Emanuela Duca’s “Magma” neckpiece, an organic, collar-style design shown at the preview, to more ornate, vintage-style designs, like earrings from Lika Behar featuring moonstones set in oxidized silver and accented with 24-karat gold. See more silver designs from the event on our 10X blog by clicking here.
As with Lika Behar’s design, Emanuela Duca’s neckpiece also featured oxidized silver accented with gold, a metal combination that retailers can expect to be a major trend at the counter in 2011. For retailers who haven’t dipped into the silver marketplace just yet, designer silver-gold pieces, especially those set with diamonds and gemstones and created by names such as Todd Reed and Kimberly Collins, offer higher-end options.
As evidenced via the above pieces, oxidized silver finishes are expected to go strong into 2010, not just when used in combination with gold, but also in silver-only designs, making for edgier looks, as seen in Simmons Jewelry Co.’s three-dimensional charm featuring a menacing skull.
Also appearing at the luncheon were a variety of geometric-inspired silver designs celebrating simplicity of form, from Dogeared’s smooth, circular “Together Forever” bangles to Neda Nassiri’s “Oval Dot” earrings featuring fine silver ovals formed into a diamond-shaped silhouette.
Source: National Jeweler Network
Tags: 2011, gemstone, Jewelers of America, Jewelry Information Center, JIC, lika behar, silver, simmons jewelry co., sterling silver, trends
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Monday, May 24th, 2010
Chinese products continue to provide western consumers with proof that you get what you pay for.
Even more disturbing, giant retailer Walmart seems to be putting sales above human health.
Last week Walmart corporate officials announced they were pulling from shelves a whole line of Chinese-made necklaces and bracelets because they contained high levels of toxic cadmium. The giant retailer made the move after the Associated Press, for the second time, shared results of scientific tests of the jewelry, designed in the name of 17-year-old “Hannah Montana” star Miley Cyrus.
The Associated Press first published reports in January of an investigation showing that cadmium made up as much as 91 percent of the weight in jewelry items in Walmart and other large chain stores. Walmart pulled the items and a recall was issued for those that had been sold.
Follow-up tests in February of samples AP reporters bought across the country from the Miley Cyrus line and from a line of bracelet charms showed that 59 of the pieces contained at least 5 percent cadmium by weight, with 53 of those measuring 10 percent or higher. But Walmarts have continued selling these items.
This is no minor matter. Over time, cadmium exposure can lead to bone softening and kidney failure. Cadmium also is cancer-causing. And some research suggests that, like lead, cadmium can hinder brain development in very young children.
Just wearing the jewelry isn’t a problem. But lots of young people bite the ornaments or even suck on them.
Walmart claimed that the jewelry is not intended for children. True, the jewelry items carried a label stating “not intended for children under 14 years.” But come on! Who watches “Hannah Montana”? And the retailer’s acknowledgement that “it is possible that a few younger consumers may seek it out in stores”? Again, sure, it may be mostly adults who buy the jewelry. But it’s for their kids, who handle and wear it.
When it comes to jewelry for children, prudent parents will skip the cheap stuff. Help your kids make bead jewelry out of inexpensive, non-toxic beads. Or buy fewer, but higher quality, items. Don’t count on China, mecca of cheap but sometimes dangerous products, to provide quality or safety. And shop with care at Walmart and other low-end retailers. In some cases, a low price comes at too high a cost.
Source: Poconorecord
Tags: bracelets, china, hannah montana, jewelry, miley cyrus, silver, toxic, walmart
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
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I bought your steamer and it is fantastic. My diamonds look like they should be back in the showcase. Thanks for selling me a great product. Sincerely, Penny Carter. read more ... |
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