Jewelry Trends at Caves and Caverns

By Sara Karnish

Jewelry, especially pieces featuring gemstones and natural materials, is a strong seller at cave and cavern gift shops. “In our shop, a lot of what we do with our jewelry goes along with our theme—rocks and stones,” said Jennifer Brumbaugh , coordinator, Raystown Rocks Gift Shop at Lincoln Caverns and Whisper Rocks in Huntingdon, Pa. “We have people who come in looking for stones for metaphysical reasons—if they can wear it, it’s easier for them to have the stone with them. We also have a lot of people who come in looking for jewelry because it’s unique and special. Gemstones are really unique—when you’re buying stone jewelry, no two pieces are exactly alike. People like to show off their uniqueness with unique jewelry.”

Shawn Painter , retail operations manager at Luray Caverns in Luray, Va., said natural gemstone jewelry is also their best-selling item because “we’re a natural attraction” and because “it’s worn daily by many, available in a wide range of price points, easily gifted, and can be personalized.”

It’s a profitable category at Lost River Caverns and Gilman’s Mineral Lapidary in Hellertown, Pa., according to Beverly Rozewicz , partner/buyer. They assem-

“We have some really nice, big [resin jewelry] trees that we hang our necklaces on. We started with one—things sold so well, we bought a second one. It’s helped tremendously, especially with some of our unique pieces or things we don’t buy in large quantities. We hang them on the tree and they sell well.” the silver and gold market, some of our suppliers have gone out of business,” she explained. Besides the jewelry they assemble on the premises, their best-sellers are “crystal point necklaces, whatever color they are. Rose quartz, amethyst, and quartz are the three major ones I see selling,” she said. ble many of the pieces in-house and are a supplier for jewelry making supplies. “We carry some brand name jewelry like Adagio. We do a lot of necklaces, some bracelets and earrings. Some of the other pieces we get are from non-mainstream-type jewelry. We have businesses who come in and buy the loose stones and tools to make or buy their own jewelry. With the change in

J.D. Harshfield , manager at Ohio Caverns in West Liberty, Ohio, said his most effective selling tip is visibility. “We have an entire wall in our shop that’s dedicated to jewelry,” he said. “We have dozens and dozens of styles on hooks on our peg wall. We hang them by their style. They’re presented very nicely. Customers can easily compare styles, et cetera. We do a lot with AT Stores—they’re a very good supplier for us for pre-packaged and boxed jewelry.” The team at Ohio Caverns assembles many of the pieces they sell in their 1,500-square-foot gift shop in-house: “We bring in pendants from all over the world, put them on chains, and price them individually. It’s popular for us because a lot of it has to do with price point. It’s pretty inexpensive—most ranges from $6.99 to $14.99. We can do that because we buy directly from the source—no wholesalers,” he explained.

Retailers use a few different merchandising methods for greatest impact. “We try to keep like things together,” Brumbaugh said. “All of our gemstone

Continued on page 94