What’s your take on Fashion jewelry?

Recently I was looking at what is available online for Fashion jewelry vs what is in the stores and I was really surprised at the quality and sheer volume of what is out there. You can basically buy anything you want or even thought you needed in jewelry from Ritzy/Glam to rocker or girly and Girl-next-door-vibe to a glittery penis with cz’s – no joke. You also have the option for Silver or Gold metal, natural stones, man made stones, minerals, plastic, crystals and the list goes on. 

It can be a bit overwhelming if you’re not sure what you want or at least what you’re looking for. So, what should you do? The first thing would be to decide what you need it for or even why you want it! That could be anything from, just because, to I have a new dress that I’m wearing to an event and I need to set that dress off!  Make it shine with accessories or bling, dress it up or dress it down. Either way, your accessories are the way to do that.

Now, most people have a preference when it comes to the metals that their jewelry is made of – the basics or foundation of ‘Silver’ or ‘Gold’. And there again you have degrees of both. But for the purpose of this article which is Fashion Jewelry, we will keep it simple – plated silver/gold or sterling silver and/or gold vermeil. For reference let me explain gold vermeil – *”Gold vermeil is a type of gold-plated jewelry where a layer of gold is applied over a sterling silver base. The gold layer is thicker than regular gold plating, typically at least 10k gold and 2.5 microns thick, according to The Larimar Shop. This creates a piece that looks like gold but has the durability and weight of sterling silver”.  This is the gold version of sterling silver. 

So once you have chosen the metal, what is your next choice: design, color, price, name brand or quality. How do you decide with all of the choices available? What is more important to you or do you just get what you want?  Most of the time we don’t think about these things, but we all have a system, whether we know it or not. It’s automatic for most of us because we have done it so long. I did an independent 3 question survey of ladies in different age groups – 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and 60’s to get their options on purchasing Fashion Jewelry and this is what some of them said:

Question #1   How do you view Fashion Jewelry compared to how you used to see it? Have your views  changed?

• I view jewelry as a completeness to any and all attire
• I feel like fashion jewelry can make or break a look
• I believe I have always loved to wear jewelry as colorful and as close a match to my outfit as possible
• It has to catch my eye
• It’s less about trends and more about personal style, longevity
• I love “good quality” fashion jewelry its less expensive and looks just as nice

Question #2   When you shop for Fashion Jewelry, how would you rank these attributes? Please put them in order…   Quality    price    color    style    name brand. #5 would be the least of your concern and #1 would be the most important concern.

• In our survey #5 is Brand name, #4 Price, #3 Color, #2 Style, #1 Quality.  
• And one of the ladies surveyed said, “ she doesn’t care about any of that stuff, if it’s something that she wants!”

I would love to have her as a client. This tells me that most shoppers are looking for quality pieces of jewelry over anything else. 

And the last question  #3  Companies like Shien and Temu have really low prices on everything including Fashion Jewelry. Are you willing to spend money on American Made jewelry @ a higher price?  90% of the ladies surveyed said yes, they are willing to pay higher prices for American made as long as the quality is there. However, there were a few that said NO, they are not willing to pay a higher price –

• *“I like very simple pieces that I don’t have to take off and won’t tarnish. If they are going to do the same thing as the fast fashion jewelry I’d rather get it cheap”, 
• *Absolutely as long as it’s worth the price in quality, I never take my jewelry off., 
• * I never bought fashion jewelry from Shein or temu. I would definitely consider buying American @ higher price, if it is good quality jewelry.
• And one lady said flat out *“NO” 

So in essence, it depends on what you need or what you’re looking for in your jewelry. The right piece of jewelry can make a big difference in how you present yourself to the world. Some ladies care about that deeply, others do not. The saying “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” is most commonly attributed to Margaret Wolfe Hungerford, an Irish novelist who wrote under the pseudonym “The Duchess”.  The phrase suggests that the perception of beauty is subjective, meaning that what one person finds beautiful, another may not. It highlights the idea that beauty doesn’t exist independently but is created by the observer’s individual perspective. 

In other words jewelry preferences is just that, what the buyer prefers.  What I like may not be your cup of tea, but that’s ok. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

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Jocelyn Bryant

CEO    

8 Dogan Drive™