Independent Jeweler News

Bringing Your Target Market Ever Closer

The U.S. jewelry industry comprises some 22,000 individual independent jewelers, according to industry credit bureau the Jewelers Board of Trade. These companies account annually for roughly half of total U.S. fine jewelry retail sales, or about $30 million of $60 million in all. Most of these companies are privately held, owned and operated by families--often for multiple generations. They have thus earned the nickname "mom and pops." As this suggests, independent jewelers, or "indies" as they are also sometimes called, pose their management teams all of the expected potential challenges. These include a limited number of employees, in many cases, who are responsible, of course, for the full range of the business’ operations. They also face issues such as the necessity of creating an environment suitable for family members to work together on a daily basis without clashing, not always a simple matter.

Facing the numerous challenges that they do, independent jewelers turn to National Jeweler to supply them with industry information on issues from volatility in the supply, or value, chain, to breaking industry news. They also register as members or organizations such as the New York-based Jewelers of America. Together, National Jeweler, as a preferred media outlet, and trade associations like JA, help jewelers to face issues such as rising and falling prices for diamonds, a highly significant product category for the vast majority of jewelers. As small businesses, these companies differ significantly from larger corporate jewelers, which account for the remaining half of annual U.S. jewelry sales. And they have their own distinct set of needs, which National Jeweler seeks to address through an intelligent and informed review of the market in which they operate.