Happy Stories From our customers

Ah, what a great way to start the day! These tips from a 1975 magazine still hit home (though some points might be a tad outdated, like the psychedelic look appealing to teenagers.) Regardless, its fun and interesting to review how business was done decades ago to see what holds true. Thanks JCK magazine!

• Paint your store red, white, and blue; flood it with bright light; and you’ll sell lots of $3.50 liberty bells.




• Texture the walls, roll out a matching carpet, lower the lights, and customers will order up diamonds.




• Customers will be turned off by colors that don’t harmonize. One color must be dominant and the other subordinate in order to achieve a happy balance.




• Red, orange, and yellow are warm colors. Red is a good choice because it has so many complementary colors.




• If you are trying to suggest a feeling of coolness, green, blue, or violet should be your dominant color.




• Too much color can be distracting to your customer.




• Make sure your colors call attention to your merchandise.




• Your colors should make your customers comfortable while they shop.




• Men and older people prefer more subdued shades. They are more serious shoppers and are more interested in merchandise rather than surroundings.




• Female shoppers prefer a more vivid combination of colors. The more sophisticated the shopper, the sharper her appreciation for your décor.




• Teenagers prefer a psychedelic mixture of the brightest shades. They live in a hurry and won’t slow down long enough to absorb a tasteful combination of color.




• Generally, the low price end or mass market prefers brighter, simpler colors. The higher end of the market produces a discriminating shopper who enjoys being different and will appreciate a décor that is unique.




• Color is not limited to the floors and walls. Proper color combination is necessary when displaying gems.




• Displaying rubies on a green mat is very effective. A diamond becomes breathtaking surrounded by black, dark red, or blue.




• A color wheel can be picked up at any art or department store and can be an excellent aid in selecting colors for your store.

As famous in death as in life, Christie’s in New York City was packed to the gill last week, as all attendees watched history in the making.

Its no wonder that this auction would be so successful; Elizabeth Taylor and her jewelry were inextricably linked. Her jewelry became her. And the images of her wearing those magnificent pieces are imprinted in our collective unconscious, along with the wonderful stories behind them. To have the opportunity to own that kind of history was bound to break a record or two!

Like disciples gathering at the altar of their high priestess, the jewelry faithful packed the showroom at Christie’s New York Dec. 13 for an evening sale of Elizabeth Taylor’s “Legendary Jewels,” an epic assortment of 80 lots that earned $115,932,000, setting a world record for the most valuable private collection of jewels sold at auction.

“We knew it would do well, but no one dared dream of $115 million,” said François Curiel, Christie’s international head of jewels. “Probably we will not see another sale like this for many years.”

Nearly every lot sold well above its high estimate, “a testament to the affection for Elizabeth Taylor worldwide as well as to her collecting ability,” said Marc Porter, chairman and president of Christie’s Americas.

Read more at JCK.

 

La Peregrina on diamond, ruby, and cultured pearl necklace by Cartier

 

The 33.19 ct. Elizabeth Taylor Diamond

Gold and multigem charm bracelet

 

The Taj Mahal diamond, on a gold and ruby chain by Cartier, fetched $8.8 million—a world auction record for an Indian jewel.

 

Read more about the back story of these and more pieces.

We’ve shown you ugly jewelry in the past.  But what would Christmas be without a brief fashion retrospective of the worst possible kind? You’ve seen them, you’ve tried to look away – yet somehow their over-the-top garishness made you look on, like a wardrobe trainwreck.
BEWARE!

Ho ho noooo!

Even Santa looks scared.

The classy European look is still no competition to this sweater.

Patchworking it only makes it worse!

Not a happy holiday dog.

It seems almost obvious: if people are feeling comfortable enough to buy luxury items such as jewelry, it may indicate that the economy may be slowly creeping up once again.  Though, as this article points out, customers may be willing to splurge a bit more, but “tap out” easily. The momentum, in short, is choppy:

All the quarterly financials for the major chains covered by National Jeweler and included in that particular newsletter were positive. Comps rose 14 percent for Sterling Jewelers, 6 percent for Zale Corp., 15 percent for Tiffany & Co. in the Americas and 8 percent for Neiman Marcus.

The sales figures released by major chains are in harmony with the reports we received from retailersand the post-Black Friday sales figures released by a myriad of different analysts and agencies.

In short, it was a strong weekend for sales.

But, will this momentum continue through the holiday season and into next year? The answer seems to be nobody knows, or, at least, nobody can agree on a prediction.

In analyzing sales on Black Friday, The NPD Group Inc. said that the day came in with a “roar” as consumers packed stores early to take advantage of heavily advertised savings but went out with a “whimper.”

According to NPD, 56 percent of consumers who shopped on Black Friday said they weren’t likely to shop again that weekend, an indication that consumers are “tapped out,” one industry analyst said.

Read more.