Jewellery has great sentimental value to some of my clients (beyond the monetary value). Many pieces are important family heirlooms, handed down from generation to generation.
That doesn't explain why jewellery seems to have a higher retail presence today than in the past. Some people are buying loads of jewellery today. Like Sliver, I'm not one of them, nor are my close friends and family. It's a legitimate question to ask why this market seems to be growing, and who's doing all the buying.
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Originally Posted by fotze
If this day gets you riled up, you obviously aren't numb to the disappointment yet to be a real fan.
That doesn't explain why jewellery seems to have a higher retail presence today than in the past. Some people are buying loads of jewellery today. Like Sliver, I'm not one of them, nor are my close friends and family. It's a legitimate question to ask why this market seems to be growing, and who's doing all the buying.
The industry has done a great job in creating peer pressure - jewellery as a symbol of status, love, commitment, fashion, art.
Different people waste their money on different things.
Some like to buy shiny jewelry, some like to spend on jacking up their trucks, some people like to spend on Star Wars figurines....
And why would a lot of people like to spend a whole bunch of money to get into a golf club so that they can run around all day and whack a tiny ball for no good reason?
You don't like it doesn't mean others can't like it.
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I used to work at Sears (rip) and the manager of the jewelry department would wear more rings than I thought possible. Not exaggerating, she would wear 3 rings on each finger of both hands. Not just simple bands, these were bulky rings. It was like she was wearing diamond brass knuckles. She also wasn't wearing all the rings she owned, she would swap them out.
I used to work at Sears (rip) and the manager of the jewelry department would wear more rings than I thought possible. Not exaggerating, she would wear 3 rings on each finger of both hands. Not just simple bands, these were bulky rings. It was like she was wearing diamond brass knuckles. She also wasn't wearing all the rings she owned, she would swap them out.
Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky, Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die
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That doesn't explain why jewellery seems to have a higher retail presence today than in the past. Some people are buying loads of jewellery today. Like Sliver, I'm not one of them, nor are my close friends and family. It's a legitimate question to ask why this market seems to be growing, and who's doing all the buying.
I think a few factors. The average size of engagement ring is bigger therefore you need to sell less rings then you used to.
Token gift giving and the number of gift giving holidays and the value of gifts given I believe is all rising. I dont think I ever bought a real present for my Mom on Mother's Day yet now there is definately advertising pressure to do so that I don't think existed 20 years ago.
To fill this Niche of endless gift giving the charm bracelet was invented so people could continually and endlessly spend small amounts of money on simple thoughtless presents.
The number of dating partners has increased and I suspect that small jewelry spending on first Whatever's is higher before people reduce the tokenism.
In Alberta particularly a youthful population getting married a lot with high disposable incomes would skew toward more jewelry stores. Also people getting married later increases the value of 2 months salary
A reluctance to buy online or used relative to other product categories would increase the relative presence of jewelry stores to other stores.
So I think it is reasonable that we see more jewelry stores today than previously.
Different people waste their money on different things.
Some like to buy shiny jewelry, some like to spend on jacking up their trucks, some people like to spend on Star Wars figurines....
And why would a lot of people like to spend a whole bunch of money to get into a golf club so that they can run around all day and whack a tiny ball for no good reason?
You don't like it doesn't mean others can't like it.
You can still judge it and talk about it. Non-judgmental people are boring without exception. I like talking to people that have strong feelings on things. That leads to fun conversations. Not every activity people do has merit just because. People do stupid things all the time.
Jewellery has great sentimental value to some of my clients (beyond the monetary value). Many pieces are important family heirlooms, handed down from generation to generation.
This is understandable. I have a couple things from previous generations, but my favourite is a WWII landmine inscribed inside with all the battles my Grandpa was in with a picture of a horse stomping on a Nazi flag on the outside. It's so cool and way radder than jewellery IMO. I keep the landmine on display. The jewellery I have is kept in a fire safe and I accidentally look at it when I dig out my passport a coupe of times per year. I'll keep it for my kids and we'll just keep handing it down in my family, but beyond doing it because I pretty much have to, it has very little value to me. The box made from $0.32 of wood is way more valuable.
I think jewellery was more valuable to prior generations because they didn't have much and it was portable, easy to hide, easy to pass down, etc. People 75 and over were taught to value jewellery and that stuck with them. Younger people don't value it as much now just like they don't value "fine" China. Our lives are materially way richer than in previous generations and jewellery is less important as a result.
I also think there are a lot of people doing well but opt to exercise humility, which is pretty much the antithesis to flaunting wealth via jewellery. This makes the people that wear a lot of jewellery look out of touch and tacky.
Finally, have I been spelling jewellery wrong this entire thread?
My wife would have freaked out - and not in a good way - if I spent that much on a wedding ring. As it is, I gave her my grandmother's ring. I think she appreciated the gesture. And when it broke a year ago, we got a new one. It's nice. But it sure wasn't anything close to 2 months salary.
And I still wear the wedding ring she got me - it's silver and I think it cost $75. It reminds us that we had no money when we got married. No desire at all to upgrade.
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Originally Posted by fotze
If this day gets you riled up, you obviously aren't numb to the disappointment yet to be a real fan.
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And I still wear the wedding ring she got me - it's silver and I think it cost $75. It reminds us that we had no money when we got married. No desire at all to upgrade.
See, THAT is cool.
I understand why people like jewelry, I just can't believe how much they spend on it. Like athletes with diamond earrings so big that they hang downward. Just why?
And I still wear the wedding ring she got me - it's silver and I think it cost $75. It reminds us that we had no money when we got married. No desire at all to upgrade.
Thats how my wife and I think as well. All jewelry should have more sentimental value than monetary value.
It should remind you of something or make you feel something, not just be something expensive that you wear.
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How reliable are the online jewelers? I'm always a little sketched out buying stuff online that can be faked relatively easily. Is this common for people to do?
I'd love to find somewhere I can buy Tiffany jewelry for cheap. My wife loves that stuff, and I can't bring myself to spend $1000 on a basic bracelet. It's a total rip off IMO.
I bought my wife's engagement ring online on bluenile.ca. This was several years ago so not sure if things have changed but one could get a bigger diamond of higher quality for the same price as the brick and mortar stores back then. Great customer service as well -- worked with us when we needed to resize the ring and gave us several options.
Another option is to go to Asia to buy a diamond ring. Prices are better over there and they are more receptive to haggling.
Jewellery is a ripoff but in Asian cultures, an expensive ring is a sign you have the highest respect for your fiancee, which is related to the concept of giving "face". Not sure if this thinking is prevalent with the younger generation anymore but it does still exist with the older generation. When my wife showed off her engagement ring to her family, her parents and aunts/uncles congratulated her and said that she must command her fiancee's highest respects. It made her happy, which, in the end, made me happy.
A very close friend of mine is in the business and has a few family owned stores in Calgary and I have learned a lot as I have always been a curious consumer as well.
A lot of the "chain" style stores you find in a lot of the malls are owned by larger companies operating under a different umbrella for various tiers of jewelry. Think entry level, mid tier and higher end stores. It's no difference in business model than other stores where different brands are all owned by larger companies.
A lot of different stores and the family owned ones are competing against each other as not every store has access to every line of jewelry or brands. Some stores have exclusive access for example to Gucci, Rolex, Omega etc and others are more aligned with Breitling, Movado and specific wedding and bridal bands. Hypothetically if someone was looking for a specific brand of engagement ring they may need to shop at a one store and if they wanted to purchase some designer jewelry for things such as watches, bands, special engraved pens, cufflinks etc they may need to shop elsewhere.
The business is rapidly changing and the brick and mortar stores aren't doing great in some ways. A lot of younger people in my age group (33) don't value jewelry as much as our parents and grandparents did and we surely don't spend as much money on it as they may have. For better or worse a person my age may spend $1500 a year on having coffee out but would think it's absurd to spend $1500 on a watch for themselves or for a girlfriend or wife on their anniversary with earrings or a pendant etc
A lot of times people will proudly wear, gift or propose to someone with pieces that were handed down from family. Thing of grandma's diamond ring or your grandfather's or fathers now "vintage" watch but it's not an item they would purchase themselves but in a lot of ways, isn't that the point of jewelry? Buying something nice that may mean something and may last generations is what it should be all about. A vintage Omega or Rolex from the 60's is really cool in a lot of ways and can be handed down. How does one hand down a 2017 Apple Watch in 2040?
