March 23, 2008

Diamond Earrings

Filed under: World Of Jewelry — admin @ 6:58 pm

The word ‘diamond’ is derived from an ancient Greek work meaning “impossible to tame.” Diamonds are one of the best-known forms of carbon. They have been used as gems from time immemorial and have a wide variety of industrial applications. The popularity of diamonds increased in the 19th century because of improved cutting and polishing techniques. The quality of the diamond is usually judged by the four C’s, referring to carat, clarity, color and cut.

Diamond earrings are a personal adornment worn attached to the ear lobe. Egyptians initiated the fashion of earrings by first wearing large gold hoops, which eventually grew smaller and also contained a pendant. In Babylonia and Assyria, men used to wear earrings as a sign of position. The Romans were connoisseurs of earrings set with precious stones. In the 18th century the diamond earring became more fashionable, and the 19th century witnessed the extensive use of the cameo.

Two basic types of diamond earrings exist. Diamond post and diamond wire earrings are for pierced ears, while diamond clips are for non-pierced ears. Post earrings use a clutch, nut or some other means to support it in the ear. Post earrings with a solitary diamond at the end are called stud earrings. Wire earrings like fish hooks and kidney wires use a differently shaped small wire that slips through the pierced ear to hold the earrings in place. Sometimes a hook at the back is used as an additional support. In the clip earrings a hinged clip clasps the earring in the ear lobe.

Diamond earrings vary in style, price range, size and weight. The diamond may be set with other diamonds or precious stones like emeralds, rubies and sapphires in yellow, white or red gold, silver, rhodium or platinum. There are infant and baby earrings as small as 0.06 carat, which is a 2-millimeter diamond in each ear, available for $49. On the other hand, some earrings set in platinum with an 18K princess-cut diamond are priced over $5,000, and can be as expensive as $20,000.

Elegant and sophisticated, diamond earrings have always been considered a favorite piece of jewelry with women.

Diamond Earrings provides detailed information on Diamond Earrings, Diamond Stud Earrings, Diamond Hoop Earrings, Cheap Diamond Earrings and more. Diamond Earrings is affiliated with Pearl Earrings.

March 19, 2008

Digging for Diamonds

Filed under: World Of Jewelry — admin @ 4:31 pm

Jewelry has become a major online category, in a counter-intuitive development within the e-commerce business.

Online jewelry sales are expected to reach $3.2 billion this year, compared with $2.5 billion last year. Overall, 8% of all jewelry sales in 2005 are expected to come from the Internet, up from 6% in 2004 and 3% in 2002. BlueNile forecasts 2005 sales of $205 million to $215 million, up from $169 million in 2004.

Ann Poletti at eBay said, they do $1.6-$1.7 Billion in jewelry and watches, and she gave me these two statistics:

50% ($0.8M) is in diamonds and watches.

50% ($0.8M) is in rings and watches.
These are very compelling numbers, indicating a very compelling opportunity.

An easy way to get into this business for an investor could be by buying Odimo (Nasdaq: ODMO) that owns the portal diamond.com, as well as other internet brands such as Ashford. The company did $52 Million in 2004 sales, but is currently valued at a mere $13 Million. Of course, they are losing beaucoup money. However, some of the P&L problems seem to be artifically created by their majority shareholder, The Steinmetz Group, who remains the sole supplier of diamonds to the company, but at questionable terms. Gross margin numbers seem suspicious.

Bottomline, jewelry online is an opportunity worth pursuing, and TAM is expected to continue to rise as more of the web savvy generations enhance their buying power.

Silicon Valley Entrepreneur and Strategy Consultant Sramana Mitra writes about Entrepreneurship, Business Strategy, Emerging Technology, Market Moves, and sundry other topics in her Blog “Sramana Mitra on Strategy”. Read more of her writings at http://www.sramanamitra.com