East Providence, R.I. March 9, 2020. Recently, Instore magazine published results from a survey sent to 800-plus retailers across the U.S. in an attempt to predict the next jewelry trends for 2020. My interest was immediately piqued; would pearls make the cut? I opened and began scrolling through: No. 1 was lab-created diamonds, No. 2 was yellow gold, and when I got to No. 8, I cheered because it was pearls.

Clearly, I love pearls (I’m the marketing director for this association and the director of business development for Imperial Pearl), and I want others to love them, too—even if only because of the potential revenue they could generate, which, by the way is a valid reason to appreciate them!

Then one of the salesmen I work with happened to call me. I blurted out what I had just read and why I was so excited. He said, “Kathy, write this down, you need to share it, the team needs to hear this.” I did, and now I want to share this with everyone in the pearl community.

If this pearl point is news to you, know that it can help you make critical changes that can positively affect sales, income, and profit in your store. So, here’s why being No. 8 matters so much and why jewelers should care.

Peer Pressure

First and likely most important, these are your peers telling you pearls are in the top 10 potential trends for 2020. Peer-to-peer recommendations are the most powerful and respected opinions anyone can hear. In fact, there are clubs of likeminded noncompetitive jewelers who regularly meet to discuss this topic—what category they should be adding to inventory, which ones they should expand, and who are the key suppliers. And here is Instore surveying nearly 1,000 of them! That’s reason to pay close attention to results.

Earrings from Imperial Pearl

An Abandoned Category

I cannot deny that I do hear the comment “I don’t sell pearls” in many stores. Sure, there are jewelers whose business model does not make sense with pearls in it; that’s fine, but I’m not referring to that group. I want to speak to the jeweler who has completely abandoned pearls in their showcase. You know who you are. You have maybe two or three strands, a couple of stud earrings, and maybe a few bracelets located in the same stale showcase for years and haven’t ever introduced new styles to freshen up the selection. Would you let this happen in your diamond department? I bet the answer is no.

Listen to your peers: pearls have been and continue to be a growing category. Need help in deciding what to stock? Reach out to any of the amazing CPAA members whose only business is pearls and they can help guide you. Need education? The CPAA can help you there, too, with its proprietary Pearls as One course online. Take it for free at pearlsasone.org with the coupon code TAHITIFREE.

Ring from Imperial Pearl

Understated Allure

With a history rich in tradition, rarity, science, and design, there is so much for people to discover about this quietly alluring gem. Pearls deliver on meaningful jewelry experiences and “What’s next” because they grow and thrive in pristine water conditions; support communities in remote regions of the world; and from spat to harvest serve as the perfect story of mystery, suspense, drama, passion, adversity, and triumph. Pearls are a sustainable product and business with an authentic backstory not created by an agency but in the real world. Pearls lack the bling factor ever-present in diamonds, and there are many consumers who seek out pearls’ subtlety. Let pearls amaze your clients through their illustrious past, intrigue today’s shoppers with their exciting present day, and poise you, the store owner, for a healthy and fashionable future.

Profits & Margins

Pearls are not easily price shopped; no price list or Rap sheet exists for scrutinizing pearls or their prices. Plus, with so many varieties—from Chinese freshwater pearls to conch pearls (some are rarer than others, with price points to match)—there is a pearl for every taste and budget. This is the category that will expand your customer reach and bottom line. Listen to your peers and look at pearls with a new, fresh perspective—a lot has happened! Blue akoyas? Yes! Pearls featuring micro-mosaics? You bet! Set yourself apart from your competition and become a leader in or a destination for pearls. Current research shows that women continue to warm up to the color category, and pearls are a big part of that niche. The gem with the oldest, most storied past is the gem for today.