No one has a business crystal ball but even so, it’s clear what’s top of mind for most in the industry—gold, diamond prices, and tariffs. These are influencing mindsets, planning, and product directions and inspiring makers to get creative and enhance non-product-specific efforts (think customer service).

Despite industrywide concerns and market realities, some are still expecting a strong holiday season. Parag Desai, president of the independent division of S.D.C. Designs, is among them.

“This holiday season will tell a lot, but we anticipate being slightly up,” he says.

Driving the growth is continued interest in yellow gold, which is spurring the creation of lightweight gold jewels (and some silver). An ongoing interest among consumers for lab-grown diamonds also will not wane.

ODI / Original Designs

“I think business will be up in 2026, duty and custom imports will come to conclusion, and gold will stabilize and go down,” predicts Adam Bassalali, cofounder and vice president of Lali Jewels. “Earth-mined diamonds might have a good year, too, because labs have bottomed out.”

Russell Schachter, executive vice president of sales and new business development for Indigo Jewelry, is trying to respond to market conditions in a timely manner but concedes that it’s hard when you “don’t know what landmines could be thrown at you the next day,” he says. “We are still in the midst of figuring out if gold will go to $5,000 an ounce.”

Valerie Fletcher, vice president of design and product development at ODI / Original Designs, suggests that many suspect that business would drop because of these issues, but she is convinced sales and interest will remain steady.

“People who like gold will still invest in gold, and older pieces in showcases are suddenly worth much more,” she explains. “Hopefully tariffs will encourage investment and development in American jewelry manufacturing.”

In terms of product, 2026 trends include religious jewelry, pieces with sentimental messaging, and colored gemstones, among others.

“In America, it takes a while for trends to transition to the center of the country or the South,” says Bassalali. “It’s a 2- to 5-year cycle until something changes.”

Fletcher anticipates a big Made in America trend, not only because of tariffs on imports but also because of the U.S.’s 250^th birthday celebration in 2026. In products, that trend can be addressed in symbols featuring the iconic Route 66 Centennial. She also expects the minimalist trend to flourish, and for large colored gemstones to grow in popularity.

“The market has been so oversaturated with lab diamonds this year,” she says.

Meanwhile, Matthew Behnam, president of Everspark, a sister company to Samuel B., reminds us that a big part of our industry’s future lies in the strengthening of relationships and customer service.

                     SDC Designs

“It’s not just about having the lowest price—value comes in many forms,” he says. “What better way to service customers than to build something truly unique for them, as opposed to selling them something that another thousand people already have?”

Here, he’s referring to his ever-growing custom jewelry manufacturing business.

“Custom is one of the fastest-growing categories—if not the fastest growing—in jewelry,” he adds.