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.
