Wide & Steady
Wedding bands in America are getting stout! Those beloved skinny barely 3 mm bands (with diamonds no less) for women are being cast aside in favor of thicker and wider ones, with some even combining the engagement and wedding styles into one big band. As bench jewelers rejoice in clients choosing sturdier construction, merchants are weighing their design options, and manufacturers are here for it.
“Most women don’t take off their bands,” observes Amish Shah, founder, ALTR, a maker of lab-grown diamonds and jewelry. “That’s where our revenue growth is going—into bands. Today’s consumer is into shapes that go far and beyond traditional options. What was once aspirational is now affordable [in terms of diamonds] and this changes the entire conversation.”
Benchmark
Brands like Benchmark specialize in bands, with a wide array, in particular, for men. President A. J. Tosyali reveals that “lifestyle-focused styling for bands is more accepted now. Textures are always ‘in.’”
For the upcoming JCK Las Vegas fair, Benchmark will unveil new looks for gents featuring texturing and new metal combinations. “Alternative materials are certainly very important in today’s marketplace, given the cost of precious metal,” he adds. Also at the show, seek out Benchmark’s new American-theme bands in its Brook & Branch line and a fresh quintet of patterned looks in its Ammara Stone collection.
Despite metal costs, yellow gold remains popular, and platinum is holding its own. “Platinum is seeing a lot of lift lately, given the gold markets,” notes Tosyali.
Eric Wadia, the vice president of marketing and corporate communication for Asian Star Group, agrees. “At current gold rates, platinum costs just a fraction more than 14k gold,” he explains. “Yet [platinum] holds a much higher perceived value in the customer’s mind.”
The Asian Star Group plans to capitalize on the available real estate in wide bands by unveiling an engraved collection, and other more fashion-forward options with colored gemstones in interesting shapes. “Expressing oneself is important to today’s consumer,” notes Wadia.
Asian Star
Valerie Fletcher, vice president of design and product development, ODI, is experiencing this interest firsthand as well.
“We get a lot of requests for personalization—special engraving or sometimes a symbol or icon to be added as a gallery detail,” she says. “We have many requests to replace diamonds with the birthstones of one or both bride and groom, to make the rings unique to that couple.”
Another Asian Star offering that’s generating interest? Its platinum and ceramic bands. Wadia maintains that while platinum is heavy, the company reduces the weight by up to 50% when inlaying the precious metal into ceramic. “This allows for customization while keeping the price lower than a conventional band,” he adds.
Platinum is having a strong moment, too, at ODI. Sales of its platinum bands, including in channel, micro-pavé, and shared prong settings, are all up over last year, according to Fletcher.
Meanwhile, ALTR has already soft-launched something special for women seeking a practical eternity band: a self-sizing one.
“Many have talked about and tried to develop one, but we have made one that will expand up to two finger sizes with a firm hold,” says Shah. “Our sizing mechanism is patented, with four junctions inside and a spring mechanism that flexes itself up to two finger sizes. It’s been tested for longevity and is protected by a patent.”
SHEFI Diamonds
Bonus: The rings look good, offering an ombré of lab-grown diamond colors in emerald cuts that are a half carat each in size.
“There are six shades of blue, a white to yellow, and a white to pink,” says Shah. “We’re moving away from core generic design; we must solve jewelry problems and give pieces identity.”
For sure, this is the ring you’ll want to wear out for drinks with friends, insists Shah. “The next time you want to have three margaritas you won’t have to worry that your ring won’t fit!”