Gem and Mineral Stores: Trends in Jewelry

Jewelry is forever personal and subject to flights of fancy, although there will always be mainstays. For this article, four gem and mineral stores in different states revealed what is trending in their area with a nod to the tried and true.

Metallic-looking hematite and brownish-red carnelian are currently in vogue at Spirit Quest Rock Gem & Mineral Boutique in Spring, Texas. Known as a grounding gemstone, hematite never really falls out of favor, according to Store Manager Cassie Rabroker . “People have always liked hematite for its protective qualities but lately I’ve noticed interest in it has really grown. Anything protective, literally anything that wards off bad energies – it doesn’t necessarily have to be hematite – people are into wearing lots of protective and soothing things these days.”

Meanwhile, Rabroker said carnelian has gotten a big boost from social media. “For us, carnelian is carnelian. It’s always been a great stone with lots of different energy centers but as far as it all of a sudden being a hot, hot item, well, it’s because it blew up on the internet.” As a result, carnelian jewelry is moving pretty quickly at Spirit Quest Rock Gem & Mineral Boutique which is headquartered in a 125-year-old house. Good customer service lies behind robust sales. “It’s key. If you’ve got great customer service you have a good vibe and it resonates with people.”

Spirit Quest’s demographic skews female starting with girls aged 14 or so on up to 60-year-old women. Robroker attributed their shopping habits to an awakening interest in spirituality. “Spirituality is trending right now. I hate to say it like that but it’s true. It’s great for stores like ours though!” she concluded.

Silver necklaces featuring turquoise stones are popular at Palm Springs Rock Shop in Palm Springs, Calif. It might be a West Coast thing but Store Manager Christian Valadares notices a lot of women wearing this kind of jewelry. “It seems to be a common preference because the stone is very attractive.” Although women of all ages enter his approximately 1,500-square-foot shop to browse the jewelry selection, it is the 30-year-olds who are particularly drawn to the turquoise pieces. He said he is not sure why.

Palm Springs Rock Shop relies on various forms of social media to get the word out about its jewelry and other items. “We take advantage of as many social media outlets as we can,” said Valdares. He also stressed

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