› Jewelry Trends: What's Hot, What's Not And How To Spot Them?

Being a jewelry retailer, one should always be on the top of fashion trends. Jewelry buyers are one of the most critical types of consumer out there so it is imperative to always and only provide products that are top notch. Having an inventory that is out of fashion, low quality or just plain unattractive can make prospective customers lose interest and out the store in seconds.

There are many ways to know and find the current trends that help you as a retailer create an effective inventory and can attract more customers. Though they are not absolute and not all jewelry customers adhere to them, trends can serve as a guide on how one can follow which types of jewelry are most bought by consumers. The economy affects consumer behavior so trends usually are base on the spending mindset of people. If no one can afford your products because the economy and their wallets prevent it, then inventory will just turn to backlog.

As of the moment, there are people who are willing to spend more compared to when the recession was still starting, but the surging price of precious metals changed consumers’ perspective of luxury. As retailers, the best products to offer customers are affordable but quality accessories like alternative metal jewelry which include titanium, tungsten carbide, cobalt chrome or stainless steel jewelry.

Jewelry and fashion go hand in hand. One always affects the other so looking at what hot in the runways can be very helpful to know the popular and current trends which customers will buy in the near future. Most of the time, people choose their clothes first before they pick the jewelry that will go with it. As of the moment, many designers are using bold colors and prints. Lace is also very popular during the summer. Stocking up on women’s steel jewelry that has bright gemstones or natural textures which mimic these trends can attract many female customers as they watch fashion more attentively compared to their male counterparts. For male customers, clean cut and sophisticated trends are all the rage though many designers are also experimenting with grudge looks. Jewelry that incorporates leather with accents having highly metallic finish can greatly appeal to men.

Pop culture is also another venue where retailers can find trends. People love celebrities whether they are royalty, actors, musicians or fashion models. Fans emulate their idols so the trends that these celebrities show can have drive customer behavior. In addition, award shows are a hot spot for trends and a lot of people look forward to watching them. These events greatly impact trends so knowing the looks that graced the red carpet is vital knowledge.

Knowledge is power and knowing the latest trends can help any jeweler face even the most critical customer. Though research can take a bit of investment in terms of money and time, the rewards of creating a well-planned inventory can exceed expectations.

› Accessorizing with Affordability: Stainless Steel Jewelry

When it comes to affordable accessories, stainless steel jewelry is never out of the list. High quality, durable, and available in a wide range of styles and designs, stainless steel jewelry is becoming one of the top choices when it comes to looking good without spending too much. The trend for low cost fashion is nothing new but unlike the eco trend, being prudent in spending when it comes to one’s accessories is here to stay.

In the past decade, stainless steel jewelry is the go-to accessory for teens, young professionals, and even those with active lifestyles due to its great looks and properties. Being durable, stainless steel jewelry can withstand day to day activities and even those that require the wear to be in environments where jewelry does not usually survive. Athletes love stainless steel jewelry because of its hypoallergenic properties, being able to stay unreactive to sweat, salt water, or even chlorine. It is also more durable than white gold and silver so minor bumps will not damage stainless steel jewelry unlike the precious metals.

The trend of affordable accessorizing is also going beyond the bourgeois markets as stainless steel jewelry is not getting a good following in high end stores. Maybe it is not entirely a new luxury segment but high end retailers are open to the possibility of stainless steel jewelry as an alternative or just a composite to precious metals. Many jewelry designers are also incorporating the metal in their designs, merging the value of gold, silver, and platinum together with stainless steel jewelry. This is mostly dictated by necessity as creating purely precious metal jewelry can be very expensive nowadays and not many people are really excited in spending their money. Combining affordable alternative metals with precious metals creates a gap or a platform that stainless steel jewelry advocates can use to penetrate the exclusive and even elusive world of high fashion.

The rising reputation of stainless steel jewelry benefits not just retailers and jewelers but also customers as more and more products become available to the market. The strength of the metal also provides a longevity for the items that consumers buy and pushes more designers to really incoporate stainless steel jewelry to their collections. It seems that stainless steel jewelry is becoming affordably precious as more people sought it out and not just for casual accessorizing. Many retailers and jewelers are now including stainless steel jewelry in their engagement and wedding collections. Mostly, men are more appreciative of stainless steel jewelry as their wedding bands due to its masculine and highly metallic appearance but there are also women that love stainless steel rings because its durability. Precious stones like diamond, emerald, and ruby are also beginning to get utilized in crafting stainless steel jewelry, increasing its demand and status.

Whether the trend for affordable accessorizing will continue on even after the financial crises end is still uncertain. Yet, many are sure that the place stainless steel jewelry has been able to earn in the fashion world is here to stay and customers will benefit on its properties for more years to come.

› Appeal of Titanium Jewelry

To many people taking interest to alternative metal jewelry, the top three contenders to consumers’ choice are stainless steel, tungsten, and titanium jewelry. Though very different from each other, these three metals have something in common that is very important to many customers: affordability. The shadow of recession and the threat of a new financial crisis are still glimmering by the horizon making many consumers and retailers wary in investing on precious metals like gold and platinum. But does titanium jewelry even get close to the appeal of white metals with great market value or is just solely at the realm of fashion and style?

To those who have already tried out titanium jewelry, one of the most interesting properties of this metal is its weight. It is lighter than steel by forty-five percent but just as strong. Also, it has biocompatibility that makes it hypoallergenic and will not cost allergic reactions unlike other types of alloys which contain nickel. Titanium jewelry is also very stable and impervious to environments rich in salt water (ocean or even sweat) and chlorine (swimming pool). It is highly resistant to corrosion and can withstand volatile materials like aqua regia, also known as nitro-hydrochloric acid which has been known to dissolve both precious metals gold and platinum.

Though affordable, titanium has not always been cheap. In the past, only highly specified applications use this metal and its alloys due to its complicated and costly processing and refining. These special industries in which titanium were solely used in the past are aeronautics, military, and medical applications. It has been used as parts for airplanes, spaceships, weapons, electronics, and implants. But when a new technique to process titanium ores had been developed, the metal became an instant celebrity in terms of materials in various industries and applications. Steadily, titanium began to appear in consumer goods, furniture, gadgets, tools, utensils, and most of all, titanium jewelry rose in popularity and demand.

When it comes to titanium jewelry, the metal does provide great benefits for designers, retailers, and consumers. For designers, crafting titanium jewelry needs a certain degree of know-how but nothing beyond what the industry requires. Unlike gold and silver that can be handcrafted though, titanium jewelry needs to be machined due to its durability but design wise, it is very flexible and can be formed in various types of accessories from rings, bracelets, pendant, and among others.

Retailers benefit in offering titanium jewelry due to its appeal and breaking the monotony of precious metals or “old” alternative alloys like stainless steel or tungsten carbide. Because it is relatively cheaper to stock, the gamble for return of investment is not too high as titanium is quite popular nowadays. Available products in the wedding and engagement market also provide a good way for retailers to start offering titanium jewelry to their customers and then further expand to casual accessories for other consumer markets.

Buyers will most certainly enjoy what titanium jewelry can offer. Athletes and those with active lifestyle can take advantage of titanium’s durability and stability. With regard to style and design availability, further improvements in the processing and manufacturing delivers more products to the market that people can enjoy. Titanium jewelry can be crafted to have almost permanent hues or colors by anodizing surface crystals of the metal instead of ordinary plating utilized in other jewelry metals.

› Grade 23 Titanium Body Jewelry: The Right Direction of Innovation

From the various grains of hardwood to the different shades of grey steel, the direction of body jewelry trends always point toward innovation. There are a lot of materials available for body jewelry today but for retailers and professional piercers so it is always best to provide the highest quality products to customers.

Metals have always been the preferred material when it comes to body jewelry, more so for primary or fresh piercings because of their great properties. Precious metals like fine gold and silver are great due to their biocompatibility and resistance to corrosion while those on a budget can opt for alternative metals like stainless steel. But at this category of body piercing materials, titanium ranks very high and can even be considered as the metal to beat.

What makes titanium so special? Well, not all titanium alloys are made equal and grade 23 titanium particularly stands out. Certain metal alloys used in crafting jewelry contains nickel which is usually added together with other metals to increase strength and durability. Also, nickel has been used as an agent to alter the base color of gold to produce white gold in the past. But due to allergic reactions that some people get when wearing jewelry containing nickel, most alloys today have limited nickel content but rarely nickel-free.

Grade 23 Titanium, also known as TiGAL4V ELI, is a great metal for body jewelry even for fresh piercings because it is virtually nickel-free and is suitable for people who suffer due to nickel contact dermatitis. Compared to other metals and alloys, grade 23 titanium has a high biocompatibility and less likely to react with body fluids that it is considered as the ultimate titanium grade for dental and medical applications.

Titanium has been used in crafting body jewelry in the past and many might think that all types are the same. Right now, grade 5 (TiGAL4V) and grade 23 (TiGAL4V ELI) are the two used titanium alloys in creating jewelry because they can be made without adding nickel. Other types of titanium used in body jewelry are grades 1 to 4 which are unalloyed and much more expensive.

The difference between the two alloys is that grade 23 has the ELI or Extra Low Interstitials designation which means the maximum oxygen content is reduced to 0.13%. This gives the alloy improved ductility to make it easier and cheaper to shape into desired jewelry designs. Though the reduction of oxygen content leads to minimal reduction in strength, this provides grade 23 titanium improved fracture toughness. Fracture toughness is the ability of a material to resist fracture (breaking) even when a crack is present.

Compared to other types of metal alloys, grade 23 titanium is lighter than stainless steel by 45% making even more comfortable to wear. And even though it is very unlikely to get nickel contact dermatitis using 316L stainless steel, people who want truly nickel-free body jewelry have grade 23 titanium as an option. Titanium can also be anodized which uniformly changes the surface color of the alloy to a desired hue which is better and last longer than normal metal deposition or plating.

Some may think that design and style are enough when it comes to buying or selling body jewelry. But consumers and piercers alike deserve the highest quality products available and that is where the importance of materials lie. When it comes to satisfying both worlds, grade 23 titanium body jewelry is truly an innovation pointed to the right direction.

› Stainless Steel Hoop Earrings: Gives Flexible Style to Every Woman

When it comes to timeless jewelry, the hoop earrings are one of the most popular among women today. Whether used for everyday casual affair or for full-blown formal glamour, this is the type of earrings that are flexible when it comes to style and design. Very popular during the 70′s and the 80′s, hoop earrings are making a come back today to give women everywhere the opportunity to be stylish and edgy everyday.

Every woman needs at least a pair of hoop earrings in their jewelry box because it is a type of accessory that makes an outfit chic without making it look as though she tried too hard. Available in full circle or half crescent, hoop earrings will still look elegant and beautiful whether they have simple brushed metal texture or micro-paved with hundreds of crystals.

Its design form is so flexible that you will be able to find a pair that will surely match and complete a look whether you will be at the office all day or go out clubbing all night. What’s more, hoop earrings are great and look stylish for many hair styles.

Currently, the rising prices of precious metals put restrains to everybody’s budget. But this situation gives way for costume jewelry made of alternative metals to get center stage once again on the fashion trends and accessories women without shredding their plastics. And when it comes to alternative metal jewelry, stainless steel hoop earrings are great contenders for that special spot on every jewelry box.

Hoops are very flexible when it comes to styling but when they are made of stainless steel, hoop earrings provide a whole new level because consumers have literally thousands of varieties to choose from. Stainless steel is one of the most used metals in the jewelry industry and when combined with other great accents like crystals, semiprecious stones, wood and other materials, put together with superior craftsmanship, the selections are almost limitless. Popular designs and hot styles of hoop earrings this season include charmed pieces, tribal and organic details, matte with lustrous accents, plain and textured, just to name a few.

Having the ability to be created to mimic the appearance of precious metals and be durable enough to stay lustrous for a long period of time without requiring high maintenance, stainless steel hoops are gaining in popularity. This popularity affects retailers as well as the demand for high quality accessories rise. It has been seen in recent retail and buying trends that financial crisis do not really stop customers from shopping and some do not even change their budget. But what really change when recession happens is the type of accessories and jewelry that consumers buy and the direction of purchase lean towards products that fulfill the necessity but gives more value for money.

As stylists say, “A dress is just a dress until it has the jewels.” Selecting the right pieces plus investing on accessories that can be worn again and again is vital for any fashionable woman. With its flexible style and wide range of available designs, stainless steel hoop earrings are must-haves, every season.