Events & AwardsAug 20, 2026
MJSA Education Foundation Names 5 Scholarship WinnersThe five students were awarded a total of $10,000 through the nonprofit’s 2026 “Future of Jewelry Making” scholarship.
OtherMar 22, 2016
Column: Where do we go from here?
In this age of extremely casual dress, what the jewelry industry needs is for the big retailers to step up and create an advertising campaign showing people wearing their diamond jewelry with blue jeans, jeweler and columnist Jim Alperin writes.
The fact that the diamond business is going through a difficult period is no longer a surprise to any of us in the jewelry business. Prices have fallen, businesses are closing and others are just “getting by” instead of thriving.
Then, of course, there is the electronic revolution. A family of four would rather go out and buy a new big-screen TV for the entire family to enjoy or a new computer or “i-device” than buy Mom a ring that only she will wear, and the rest of the family only get to look at on her hand. It’s been said that today, jeweler’s biggest competition isn’t from other jewelers but from electronics.
But the one factor that I feel is taking more money out of our business than any other is not the economy or the electronic revolution, but the fact that our society has become extremely casual.
I can remember when I was young. I’m giving away my age here, but when my mother went downtown she wore white gloves. Today, of course, sweatsuits and athletic shoes can be seen in every office doorway during cigarette breaks.
You don’t need a diamond ring or sapphire pendant to have a cigarette with your work pals. It’s everywhere--you can wear blue jeans to almost any fine restaurant today and, frankly, while I’m writing this I’m wearing them. So where do we go from here to counter the trend?
The old saying goes, “If you can’t beat them, join them.” What we need to do as an industry is make people want to wear fine jewelry with casual clothes.
The days of dressing up are gone, and they took wearing fine jewelry with them. A number of years ago, when De Beers still was mostly in control of the diamond industry, we had N.W. Ayer and the Diamond Promotion
Editors' Picks
Sponsored by
Service to promote diamonds to the public.
Today we don’t have them to spend the millions of dollars that they once did to promote diamonds, but we do have their replacements. Now they need to be convinced to begin an advertising campaign promoting diamonds as casual wear. And who are “they?” They are the people who turned brown diamonds into “chocolate” and made a once undesirable, off-color diamond suddenly something that women across the country wanted--the majors.
The major retailers need to run an advertising campaign with young, attractive people who are casually dressed while drinking coffee, hanging out or doing other activities that the younger crowd enjoys while wearing fine jewelry. Jewelry has to become casual in order to survive and flourish with the next generation.
Wearing jewelry should be an everyday thing, not reserved just for occasions like a wedding or the holidays. The small independents don’t have the budget to push the world in that direction but could ride on the coattails of the majors if they began the campaign.
We need to make jewelry more democratic, something that has been happening in our industry for hundreds of years.
Once, only royalty and nobles could wear precious stones but as the merchant class became wealthier, they too began to want to own jewelry. The electronic age simply has sped up this ongoing process of democratization. If we are to keep up we need to begin a strong, industry-wide advertising campaign for wearing fine jewelry as a casual, daily accessory that matches today’s casual lifestyle.
Retailer Jim Alperin owns James Alperin Jewelers in Pepper Pike, Ohio. He can be reached at alpjewel@aol.com.
More on Other
The Latest
PodcastsAug 19, 2026
Episode 8: Diamond Industry Update With David Bonaparte & Ronnie VanderLindenThe industry veterans join the podcast to discuss diamond marketing, the FTC Jewelry Guides, and lobbying for lower tariffs.
MajorsAug 19, 2026
Mike Alexander To Succeed Scott Murphy as Jewelers Mutual CEO Murphy will retire at the end of the year and Alexander, currently the company’s president, will take over at the start of 2027.
Brought to you by
Your Piece Could Be the One Editors Talk AboutSubmit your pieces for a chance to win in this year's competition.
Policies & IssuesAug 19, 2026
Spinelli Kilcollin Embraces Dupes With Trade-In ProgramThe jeweler is encouraging customers who own lookalike rings to come into the store and trade them for credit towards an authentic piece.
Weekly QuizAug 13, 2026
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
MajorsAug 19, 2026
Zales Wants You to Wear Fine Jewelry Every DayThe new campaign, “You Are The Occasion,” discourages shoppers from saving their fine jewelry for special occasions only.
SourcingAug 19, 2026
Vasant Mehta, a Dedicated Diamond Industry Leader, Dies at 81Mehta led India’s GJEPC through the 2008 financial crisis and was respected worldwide for his wisdom, integrity, and knowledge.
Brought to you by
Why More Jewelry Retailers Are Hosting Turnkey Estate Buying EventsRetailers are seeking new ways to attract customers, increase traffic, and create revenue – Estate buying events are a popular solution.
CrimeAug 18, 2026
2 California Men Arrested in Fatal Vehicle Smash RobberyOne is the driver who allegedly crashed a car into a Sacramento jewelry store in April, striking a 71-year-old employee who later died.
ColumnistsAug 18, 2026
Peter Smith: The IKEA Effect and Bridal Branding In a new column, Peter Smith posits that people actually enjoy putting together IKEA furniture, and the same is true for engagement rings.
CrimeAug 18, 2026
Thieves Snatch $1M in Jewelry From New Jersey Jeweler9lakha Jewelers in Iselin, New Jersey, was the target of a smash-and-grab robbery on Aug. 8.
Lab-GrownAug 18, 2026
Ring Concierge, Kendall Jenner’s Tequila Brand Collab on GiveawayThe jeweler has partnered with 818 Tequila to gift lab-grown diamond studs to a bride-to-be and their bridal party.
Events & AwardsAug 17, 2026
Exhibition on Louis Comfort Tiffany’s Studios to Open at The MetThe exhibition will feature more than 100 drawings of stained-glass lampshades, windows, and more, many created by women and émigrés.
CollectionsAug 17, 2026
Marquise Diamonds Dance in Spinelli Kilcollin’s ‘Wren’ CollectionMarquise-cut diamonds in drop charms are the center of the new collection, reflecting the movement of a dancer in modular styles.
Events & AwardsAug 17, 2026
There’s a New Jewelry Show Coming to FloridaThe inaugural Fort Lauderdale Jewelry, Antique, & Object Show will be held from Jan. 28 through Feb. 1, 2027.
IndependentsAug 14, 2026
Smyth Jewelers to Open Fourth LocationThe family-owned jeweler will open a new showroom in Bel Air, Maryland, this fall.
CrimeAug 14, 2026
Wife of Man Convicted in Jeweler’s Murder Sentenced for Conspiracy Amanda Ileana Hernandez is married to Carlos Hernandez, one of two men in prison for the 2024 murder of Michigan jeweler Hussein Murray.
TrendsAug 14, 2026
Paul Morelli’s Latest ‘Wavey Vine’ Earrings Embrace ColorThe reimagined jewel, our Piece of the Week, trades the diamonds in the original 1998 design for blue, pink, yellow, and green sapphires.
Supplier BulletinAug 13, 2026
Your Piece Could Be the One Editors Talk AboutSponsored by American Gem Trade Association
FinancialsAug 13, 2026
Pandora’s ‘Talisman’ Collection Shines, Lab-Grown Diamond Sales FallIn the United States, second-quarter sales were flat amid soft consumer sentiment and lower in-store traffic.
AuctionsAug 13, 2026
This Gold Cadbury ‘Conundrum’ Egg Set a World Auction RecordThe 22-karat gold egg, sold at Batemans Auctioneers in the U.K., was part of a 1980s treasure hunt ad campaign for Cadbury Creme Eggs.
SourcingAug 13, 2026
2,488-Carat Diamond, Largest Found in Botswana, Has a New Owner Lucara Diamond Corp., which recovered the “Motswedi” diamond from the Karowe mine, sold the stone for an undisclosed amount.
CollectionsAug 13, 2026
John Hardy Infuses ‘Icon,’ ‘Heishi’ Collections with ColorThe expanded collections now feature hand-cut gemstones like topaz, tanzanite, chrysoprase, chalcedony, smoky quartz, and fire opal.
Lab-GrownAug 13, 2026
Jean Dousset Opens Third StoreThe lab-grown diamond jewelry brand’s newest boutique is in Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara, California.
SourcingAug 12, 2026
Eshed-Gemstar on the Painstaking Process of Cutting ‘The Legacy Emerald’The gemstone supplier and manufacturer acquired the remarkable 104-gram Zambian emerald at Gemfields’ auction in May.
CrimeAug 12, 2026
Elderly NYC Woman Targeted in Jewelry Swap SchemeTwo suspects offered to trade the woman a “winning” lottery ticket for her jewelry.
SourcingAug 12, 2026
Another Diamond Mine Poised to CloseFinsch has been in business rescue since May, and owner Petra Diamonds said it sees no viable path forward for the mine.
