The Jewelry Picture

Trends in Jewelry Sales at Boutiques

What’s the sparkling new trend in jewelry? For this article, boutique managers and owners took a look to discuss what is selling.

At The Ranchers Wife

Boutique in picturesque Terrell, Texas, General Manager Alexia Rowten isn’t seeing any specific big jewelry trends in the 2,500-square-foot shop. “Everything is primarily plain silver or gold. We do see an interest in clay earrings however, and cow-print, hair on hide earrings.” She said the reason behind these small trends is due to local nature of the styles. “People just see them as different and unique for the area. They’re a western look.” Glancing ahead toward 2022, Rowten said her predictions are for more classic looks. “That’s already happening going from last year to this year. I’m not really seeing unusual items coming in, I see minimalistic items, gold, silver, sleek looks. Personally, I’m looking for items that support this style, clean and light and not too much going on. I think people want something that’s classier overall and that they can wear from morning to night.”

In San Leandro, Calif., Angela Ajetomobi , manager of the 1,200-square-foot boutique shop On the Runway, is also not seeing any particular new style this year. “What we sell the most of is a wide variety of costume jewelry, not any one trend. We do sell a lot of earrings, but it depends on someone’s age and what they are looking for as to what they will buy. Some people are looking for things that are dainty or simple, while others are after a big, splashy look, the most over-the-top and longest shiniest things you can find.”

As shoppers enter the holiday season, she noted. “We are seeing more of the big diamond, chunkier style of accessories that people are seeking out as they are getting ready for holiday parties and that kind of event from now through New Year’s.”

Some shoppers are interested in alternative types of jewelry beyond the usual metallic basics, she reported. “We do see an interest in that, especially among people who have had allergic reactions to metals such as nickel. People like plastic or beaded items to avoid potential allergens.”

Ajetomobi has some predictions for 2022. “I feel like we are moving toward more classic items, but there is also a real interest in flower items. Not necessarily floral patterns but like earrings that make the wearers appear to have flowers in their ears, leaves dropping, petals dropping down from your ears. I don’t think those will stay around long-term though. People do still tend to stick to gold or silver, more simple things. But the floral idea, which I am seeing when I’m searching for new items to carry, that may stick around for the spring and summer season in 2022.” She noted that this style is often plastic with metal backing or a “foamy type of material, almost like paper mache.”

At the Heart & Hand Boutique in Ashland, Ore., Owner and Designer Elise Peters said at her 600-square-foot boutique shop, “Jewelry is our thing.