Part of the category’s appeal, she said, was rooted in a growing preference for bold pieces. As she explained it, “Lab-grown diamonds sit in that trend, because you can get so much more diamond, and you can get bigger pieces, for the same amount of money that you would with the natural.”
For 2023, Saks plans to add more lab-grown brands and pieces to its jewelry selection. “We see in this category of the business a huge opportunity.”
Liberty
Britain
Silver has been especially popular at Liberty this year, according to Ruby Beales, a buyer who oversees the jewelry that’s carried at the retailer’s Regent Street flagship in London, as well as on Liberty’s online site. And going into 2023, she said, it was likely to be combined in unconventional ways with pearls.
“Pearls used to have a connotation of being stuffy,” she said, “but all the cool brands are using pearls. You can wear them in so many different ways; they are ageless in terms of appeal.” Those brands, she said, include the London-based designers Shaun Leane, who has offered silver pieces nestled with small black or white pearls, and Dinny Hall, whose collection includes a silver lariat necklace punctuated with a large freshwater pearl.
This month, Liberty intends to add two new London-based designers to its mix, Aymer Maria and Balint Samad; the store also recently introduced pieces in earthy semiprecious stones like moss agate and labradorite by the British designer Jacqueline Cullen.
For next year, Ms. Beales said, she anticipates that large bracelets will be popular.
“A few years ago, bracelets was a category that was downtrading for us,” she said, using a term that means shoppers were buying less expensive items than they had been previously. “But next season I’ve seen — and certainly in terms of my buying — a lot of big gold, silver and Lucite statement bangles.”
Ms. Beales added that it was not just women’s habits that were changing. “I do feel like men are shopping a bit differently.” she said. “I don’t think they’re so strict as just going down to our men’s department, or looking at men’s jewelry online. I think probably they’re looking at the women’s department as much as men’s.”
