LOVE ENDURES IN 2020 Written by Lou Ann Wilcox
Jonathan Katz and Al Schmidt, Graduate Gemologists at Simons Jewelers in Clayton, can attest to that. Over the past six months, Simons has not seen a downturn in business. “In fact, we have seen an uptick in couples ready to pull the trigger and in jewelry sales overall,” says Katz. “Many relationships intensified during quarantine. Couples are still falling in love and expressing that love through jewelry.” With the holidays approaching, typically a time for marriage proposals, Sophisticated Living contacted these pros to talk about evolving trends in engagement ring styles, settings and stones. “Five years ago, halos were popular,” says Schmidt. “Now, we are seeing more simple, classic shapes – thin, delicate bands with a focus on the center stone. If there are side stones, they are small and not in the style of an anniversary band. While we are seeing more ovals, the round, brilliant-cut diamond remains king.” “We see a good amount of colored gemstones,” he adds. “Color is fun because we don’t see it all the time and many brides like color because they want their ring to be unique. White gold and platinum are always popular choices and we are now seeing a bit more yellow gold.” 66 slmag.net
According to Schmidt, due to social media, customers are more educated and knowledgeable about what they want. “They are more savvy and very informed. Social media has hugely influenced the types of stones and settings couples want.” Katz notes, “Social media has made the world a small place. As a result, information on trends in every aspect of fashion and luxury goods are widely disseminated and are not confined to one area of the country. People are able to access a variety of resources to help them decide which style or setting they like best. I would say that there are no styles per se that are indigenous to one area of the country versus another. In addition to all of this, we source our jewelry from all over the world, so the manufacturers that we deal with are not regional, but rather international.” “We love transforming heirloom pieces into something new,” says Katz. Oftentimes, people have old jewelry that has sentimental value but is not current in terms of style. We have helped many people transform “dated” jewelry into new beloved pieces. Even though the finished piece of jewelry looks different, it still retains the sentimental value of the heirloom. And who
