Southern Jewelry News
  • Featured
    • All
    • Featured
    • Featured Retailers
    • Retailer Roundtable
    • Sponsored Content
    • Supplier Spotlight
    Lambrecht’s Jewelers, 130-years-old and counting
    Celebrate with Gold®
    Tracing Diamond’s Origin
    Pickens, Inc.: Steady pace wins the race
  • Latest News
    • All
    • COVID-19
    • Furry Friends
    • Industry Awards
    • Industry Events
    • NRF
    • On The Move
    • Other News
    • Tradeshow News
    • Video
    • What's New
    Stuller introduces several new offerings at JCK Las Vegas
    JSA reports crimes against U.S. jewelry firms in 2021 exceeded pre-Covid levels
    GCAL partners with VDB to add 8X® Cut Grade search filter
    Registration opens for HardRock Summit 2022
  • Podcast
  • Columnists
    The Retailer’s Perspective: With great power comes great fails
    The Retailer’s Perspective
    The Story Behind the Stone: Yearning for Kazakhstan
    10 Cybersecurity Questions small and medium businesses should ask in 2022
    Motivating your sales staff
    IAS Training’s Keys to Effective Communication – Part III
    Kate’s star-studded style. What will the next trend be?
    Motivating your sales staff
    IAS Training’s Keys to Effective Communication – Part II
    Retailing in a post-PC world
    Motivating your sales staff
    IAS Training’s Keys to Communication
  • Classifieds
  • Subscriptions
    • Newsletter Signup
    • Print Subscription
No Result
View All Result
Southern Jewelry News
  • Featured
    • All
    • Featured
    • Featured Retailers
    • Retailer Roundtable
    • Sponsored Content
    • Supplier Spotlight
    Lambrecht’s Jewelers, 130-years-old and counting
    Celebrate with Gold®
    Tracing Diamond’s Origin
    Pickens, Inc.: Steady pace wins the race
  • Latest News
    • All
    • COVID-19
    • Furry Friends
    • Industry Awards
    • Industry Events
    • NRF
    • On The Move
    • Other News
    • Tradeshow News
    • Video
    • What's New
    Stuller introduces several new offerings at JCK Las Vegas
    JSA reports crimes against U.S. jewelry firms in 2021 exceeded pre-Covid levels
    GCAL partners with VDB to add 8X® Cut Grade search filter
    Registration opens for HardRock Summit 2022
  • Podcast
  • Columnists
    The Retailer’s Perspective: With great power comes great fails
    The Retailer’s Perspective
    The Story Behind the Stone: Yearning for Kazakhstan
    10 Cybersecurity Questions small and medium businesses should ask in 2022
    Motivating your sales staff
    IAS Training’s Keys to Effective Communication – Part III
    Kate’s star-studded style. What will the next trend be?
    Motivating your sales staff
    IAS Training’s Keys to Effective Communication – Part II
    Retailing in a post-PC world
    Motivating your sales staff
    IAS Training’s Keys to Communication
  • Classifieds
  • Subscriptions
    • Newsletter Signup
    • Print Subscription
No Result
View All Result
Southern Jewelry News
No Result
View All Result
Home Columnists

Designer Drama

Mia Katrin by Mia Katrin
May 1, 2015
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Walk into any top jewelry store and you’ll meet designers. Not necessarily in person, but their presence is everywhere. From David Yurman and John Hardy to Pandora and bridal, designers rule. Top stores have multiple individual display areas featuring each designer, promote them on their websites and host Trunk Shows touting personal appearances. What makes designer jewelry hot and how can you cash in on this continuing lucrative draw?

You’ve heard it again and again. Jewelry’s all about romancing the sale. People love a story. You’re not just selling metal and gems. You’re selling dreams, aspirations, drama. You’re projecting an image, a lifestyle, full of rich complexity and variegated back story. The more color you can add, the more tantalizing the “hook.”  Designers add the built-in story. Jewelry morphs from generic to personal. Each designer has his or her own look, collections, philosophy, image.

John Hardy jewelry is made in Bali from indigenous techniques, while supporting and training local artisans. “We will plant 80 bamboo seedlings with the purchase of this item” their website proclaims along with a gold bangle description, a policy designed to offset their carbon footprint. This green strategy reels in Millennials and other eco-conscious consumers, a growing trend. Nina Nguyen’s co-op factories in her native Vietnam support women workers with higher than average wages and education for their children. She personally designs each earth-conscious design inspired by nature. Sarah Graham and her California team promote the “maker movement” – jewelry as experience: “No one wants to be just a customer. They want to be a client, collector and ultimately friend of the designer with all the story-rich experiences that come with it.”

Just short decades ago jewelry stores filled with individual designers were not the norm. The early 20th century was dominated by large designer houses such as Tiffany, Cartier and Chanel. Partly in response to mass produced generic jewelry in offshore factories, the rise of artisan, hand produced, designer jewelry appeals especially to Millennials who crave a personal touch and pieces individualized for them.

Designers make it personal. Call it custom, bespoke or one-offs, personalization pays. Even large companies such as Pandora sell a story – create your own bracelet that reflects your life journey. Stories add value. Fingerprint pendants, featuring your own (or your child’s) actual fingerprint impression, are trending. Bridal is becoming increasingly dominated by the personal touch, offering customers the chance to tweak their ring, to make it their own, thru mobile apps. The more personal, the more powerful.

How can you get designers to work for you? First find your unique designer profile. Each area is different. You have a distinctive clientele, a niche market. Find which designers resonate. Shop shows, visit websites, scour trade journals, make the rounds. Contact key designers who might boost your profile and see what they can offer – sample collections, Trunk shows, personal appearances, interviews with local media, co-op advertising. Leverage your designer to be your PR arm. They’re natural marketers. Clients love meeting designers and revel in the personal attention. Cultivate collectors loyal to specific designers and repeat sales are virtually a given. Once you’ve found your designer niche, help promote them through in-store displays, website links and photos, e-mail blasts and Facebook mentions. Designers are continually updating their collections with fresh, exciting up-to-the minute offerings, making PR content a breeze.

Tap designer drama to boost your profile, burnish your image and add power to your presentation. Leverage this hot trend to make it work for you. It’s a win-win situation.


Mia Katrin is an award-winning jewelry designer featured in over 80 top stores nationally. She is available for lectures and seminars. To add her Collections or book a lecture: www.jeweljewel.com, 877 539-3569, facebook.com/MiaKatrinforJEWELCOUTURELLC.

Mia Katrin

Mia Katrin

Mia Katrin’s new agency TheJewelersMarketer.com, helps propel your sales to the top through social media marketing and ecommerce. Free initial analysis and recommendations. mia@jeweljewel.com. Mia is an award-winning designer featured in over 100 top retail stores nationally. www.jeweljewel.com. She’s an industry spokesperson, a byline columnist, and a regular speaker at major trade events.

Related Posts

The Retailer’s Perspective: With great power comes great fails

The Retailer’s Perspective

June 30, 2022

The Story Behind the Stone: Yearning for Kazakhstan

June 30, 2022

10 Cybersecurity Questions small and medium businesses should ask in 2022

June 27, 2022
Motivating your sales staff

IAS Training’s Keys to Effective Communication – Part III

June 22, 2022

Latest News

Industry Events

Stuller introduces several new offerings at JCK Las Vegas

July 4, 2022
Other News

JSA reports crimes against U.S. jewelry firms in 2021 exceeded pre-Covid levels

July 4, 2022
On The Move

GCAL partners with VDB to add 8X® Cut Grade search filter

July 4, 2022

Other News

Registration opens for HardRock Summit 2022

NRF says economy is slowing but recession is unlikely in near term

American Gem Society targets negotiation skills for Confluence 2022

Lambrecht’s Jewelers, 130-years-old and counting

Celebrate with Gold®

Tracing Diamond’s Origin

Southern Jewelry News

© 2022 Southern Jewelry News.

Additional Information

  • About
  • 2022 Trade Shows
  • Media Kit
  • Contact

Get Social with Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured Articles
    • Featured
    • Featured Retailers
    • Retailer Roundtable
    • Supplier Spotlight
    • Sponsored Content
  • Latest News
    • What’s New
    • Industry Events
    • Tradeshow News
    • On The Move
    • Other News
    • Furry Friends
  • Columnists
  • Classifieds
  • Subscriptions
    • Newsletter Signup
    • Print Subscription

© 2022 Southern Jewelry News.