Editor: Jewelry with a backstory sells
National Jeweler
MARCH 13, 2006 – New York — Evolving from a status symbol to a celebration of individual style, jewelry’s role has changed over the past decade, according to Time Style and Design Editor-in-Chief Kate Betts.
Speaking Friday at the Women’s Jewelry Association’s annual Women in the Know Conference, Betts told attendees that understanding the shift can help them market and sell jewelry
“I find a lot of the stories behind some of the top jewelers are not told enough,” said Betts. “Today, people are really looking for meaning in their investments, and a more individual means of expression.”
The newest jewelry stores convey stories of their own, with intimate, customer-focused boutiques that emphasize the shopping experience as well as the sale, she said. The boon in the luxury market has benefited jewelry, according to Betts, as fashion houses and other luxury companies have begun to try their hand at jewelry collections. Fine jewelry has also become like fashion, Betts said, in that many designers offer a new collection each season instead of just one per year.
