Bridging the Jewelry Terms Gap... Bridge, Contemporary, Designer, Fashion, and more

We're always fielding questions about what makes us "designer jewelry." Is it really just a term for the pricing a company puts on their product? No, it's definitely not a pricing scheme (although a few might abuse it). These terms have all been developed and evolved to fill a niche in the market that will describe all the different types of designs entering the fashion field.

Fine, Fashion, Bridge, Contemporary, Designer... Stop the madness!

THE THREE MAIN CATEGORIES OF JEWELRY...

Fine Jewelry: Precious metals - Fine Jewelry does not necessarily guarantee you a certain quality, but when properly used, it should refer to Platinum, 18K Gold, 14K Gold, and rarely Sterling Silver. Any assortment of diamonds and precious gemstone settings can be associated with Fine Jewelry.

Bridge Jewelry: Bridging the gap between Fine Jewelry and Costume Jewelry... Bridge is often sterling silver with semi-precious stones as opposed to the gold and precious stones of Fine Jewelry or the faux materials of Costume Jewelry.

Costume Jewelry: Brass, Bronze, Copper, Tin, White Metals - Costume Jewelry is made with anything inexpensive except gold or silver (unless it's a flash plating) and set with glass (crystal), plastic, and faux stones.

NEW "SPIN-OFF" TERMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE MAIN CATEGORIES:

Designer Jewelry: This is an often debated and misused term. Designer Jewelry is defined by a stylistic quality that can be identified with an artist evolving with time. Unlike a manufacturer's line which could be following any trend or being designed by multiple people, a designer line has a certain continuity that also has an artistic quality. In the fashion industry, designers are normally granted this title by being juried (with an industry based panel) into special "designer" sections at tradeshows. In recent years, many people are now misusing that label to claim a more fashionable look with their line or just calling themselves a "designer" as that trend is growing.

Designer-Inspired Jewelry: Wow, I can't even believe I'm giving space to this, but begrudgingly, I will if for no other reason than to tell everyone why it frustrates designers everywhere!! It is exactly what you think - someone lacking creativity thought it would be easier to be "inspired," a.k.a replicate (possibly using lower quality materials) , designs from someone else in the industry. They are able to also offer it at lower prices because not only does the quality often go down, but there was no design time, no product development, no models, no creativity!

Contemporary Jewelry: This term is often found in the "designer jewelry" industry, but it is truly defined by modern, artistic design that fits in the "contemporary" art world.

Fashion Jewelry: A really nice way to say we make "slightly more expensive" costume jewelry, but we think the term has a bad rap. This term gained a lot of popularity after many mainstream designer clothing brands began adding jewelry to their lines and larger department stores wanted to give a new label to these products that were more fashion forward than past costume pieces.


Happy Shopping! Put your terms to the test and go show everyone all the new knowledge you have (and no more letting anyone claim they are something more than they are!)....