Like most years, everyone celebrated Christmas with good cheer and gift-giving amongst your loved ones. Others might settle with the usual gifts underneath the Christmas tree, but some went the extra mile to give their loved ones the gift of jewellery. After all, what better way to spread the holiday cheer than to deck oneself with sparkly new jewellery pieces?
Even as the holidays are now drawing to a close, one question remains: what topped everyone’s jewellery wish list? A study conducted by U.S.-based Karus Chains suggested that Google searches for engagement rings were high, especially during the holiday season.
A season for engagement rings
Karus Chains estimated that nearly 6 million searches for engagement rings were made during the two week period following Cyber Monday, followed closely by searches for gold necklaces and earrings. This is based on a methodology that utilised Google data tools to forecast consumer jewellery trends during the past Christmas.
In conducting their study, Karus Chains processed 23,000 keywords associated with jewellery accessories and brands within four categories. The final results were then based on over 48 million global searches.
When it comes to men’s jewellery, wedding rings were expected to be the most popular type amongst men, followed with gold chains, bracelets, and silver cufflinks.
The ‘megatrend’
For this New Year, Swarovski Gemstones saw the marriage of polarities as the centre of jewellery trends. In their Gem Visions 2017 report, they reported that the “megatrend” for the year will be the fusion of polarities – natural and man-made, art and science, antique and avant-garde, and real and virtual.
The report also identified the influence of the millennials as the driving force of the current jewellery market. Their ability to withstand constant change and work within extremes make these people drawn to designs that can push standard boundaries.
It’s no surprise, then, that the younger generation would be more discerning when it comes to jewellery pieces. The report further explained that the millennial generation revolutionised the consumption of jewellery. Today, millennials prefer a higher class of sustainable production, individuality in design, and personalisation.
With all of these recent shifts in the jewellery market today, jewellery shops in Reading, like Jacobs, are doing everything they can to cater to a discerning consumer’s changing needs.
Sources:
Jewellery trend forecast shows engagement rings and Pandora are top of Christmas wish lists, Professional Jeweller
Find The Megatrend: 2017 Jewellery Forecast, Jeweller Magazine