Bling of the Month: Baby Baubles

A growing expectation among expectant women these days is receiving a token to commemorate their journey into motherhood. A “push present” or “baby bauble” is a gift from a new dad to the new mom, celebrating the birth of their child. According to Wikipedia, the tradition of giving gifts to a new mother has roots in England and India. As a gesture of appreciation and respect for carrying their child for nine months and “pushing” through labor, dads give a special gift that will last a lifetime. Here are a few of our picks for pretty baubles that the mothers-to-be will love.

Tiny Treasures Initials
Italian designer Roberto Coin has created Tiny Treasures in diamond and white gold that give a woman a reason to wear diamonds every day. Each tiny pendant features pave diamonds set in 18k gold. Start off with her initial, then add one as each child is born. Initial pendants start at $380 each, large cursive initials start at $4000.

Eternity Bands
A slim Fink's Diamond Eternity band can be worn as a right-hand ring or paired with other rings. Available in platinum, palladium, and 18k yellow or white gold, our bands feature diamonds that meet the standards we use to classify our Fink's Superior Quality Diamonds. For an extra-special touch, ask about including your baby's birthstone to create a family ring she'll cherish. Diamond bands shown start at $1050, prices vary with finger size and metal choice.

Charm bracelets
A charm bracelet is frequently referred to as her “Lifetime” bracelet, growing over the years to one day be passed on to her daughter, continuing the tradition of charm collecting from generation to generation. Choose a few charms to mark this special occasion, then add to it every year. Available in gold and sterling silver. As shown, $360.

Pearls
A strand of pearls is a classic jewelry must-have and a strand of Mikimoto Akoya pearls are as near-perfect as can be. Available in various lengths with 18k white or yellow gold clasps, starting at $1610. Now through June 30, you'll receive a free pair of matching pearl stud earrings when you purchase a strand of Mikimoto Akoya pearls.

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Prior to joining Fink's Jewelers as eCommerce Manager a year ago, Denise Stanley owned an advertising agency in Roanoke, VA. She can be found Twittering and Facebooking about Finks.com daily. She enjoys being mommy to her two fantastic daughters.

Jewelry Shopping in the Digital Age

There is a lot of talk in the jewelry industry about the merits of shopping online versus shopping in stores. Most retailers are on one side of the argument or the other based on how their store operates. Fink's is different from so many of our competitors because of our approach to both.

The relationship between our stores and our website is part of what helps Fink's provide a unique shopping experience for our customers. Because we've been in business for almost 80 years, we have the benefit of a long-standing reputation in our communities. Our customers are familiar with our quality and trust our service.

So many retailers discourage their customers from shopping with online retailers because the competition is fierce; there's always someone willing to sell consumers something at a rock-bottom price. The quality of the merchandise is questionable and there's no support when customers need service, repairs, or sizing.

What makes the Fink's Jewelers online customer experience so different is that our merchandise is backed by long-standing vendor relationships and the knowledge and experience of our buyers and staff.

When Fink's customers choose to shop online, they get peace of mind from shopping with a reputable company. The eCommerce department offers personalized services on all orders, including gift wrapping and personal shopping. Returns and special orders are handled promptly and customers enjoy quick responses to emails and phone calls.

These days, it's not uncommon for customers to browse our website before visiting our stores no matter how many times they've shopped with us before. Knowing this, we update products and prices on our website daily. Our online inventory has grown from about 300 items a year ago to now almost 2000 pieces of jewelry. Shoppers know they can't find everything they want in each store, so our website lets them see an expanded selection of merchandise whenever they want. It makes it so easy for customers to come to our stores ready to buy. Our sales staff in our stores work with our eCommerce department to create the best experience for every Fink's customers.

When Fink's customers prefer to shop in our stores, they enjoy the convenience of browsing large merchandise selections from some of their favorite designers. From our website, they can request to see an item in a store nearby, then try it on buy it when it's convenient. No matter how you prefer to shop, we're certain that you'll be pleasantly surprised with everything Fink's has to offer.

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Prior to joining Fink's Jewelers as eCommerce Manager a year ago, Denise Stanley owned an advertising agency in Roanoke, VA. She can be found Twittering and Facebooking about Finks.com daily. She enjoys being mommy to her two fantastic daughters.

What Makes our Swiss Timpieces so 'Fine'

by Carlos Colmenero, Fink's Jewelers, Store Manager at The Streets at Southpoint, Durham, NC

Time to ‘Blog’ my marketing director says ... Hmmm, what to write about? How about a passion of mine, fine timepieces. To me a nice wristwatch is like a great cigar after a steak at Ruth’s Chris ... it just gets my juices flowing! Seriously.

I can remember coming to this company about 6 1/2 years ago. I had only sold watches like Seiko, Citizen and Movado just to name a few. Nice watches, don’t get me wrong. The difference is how they are made, mass production vs. mass inspection. I've learned that a watch connoisseur would rarely settle for a watch that is not self-winding if given the choice.

It’s not just the name of the brand, but how the watch is made that is so sexy! The great thing about my job is I get to visit these beauties EVERY DAY!! We carry watches like Patek Phillippe, Rolex, Bretling, and many more. Watches that take 8 months to make from start to finish. I guess the craziest thing about selling nice timepieces is that 95% of people in America don’t own a watch over $500. All the watches we have in our store are over $500, so I always say I live in a warped universe.
The reality is, the watches tend to be more expensive just because there is a lot more hands-on craftsmanship. For instance, Breitling sends every one of their watches to a test facility in Switzerland called the C.O.S.C where they are unbiasedly re-tested to ensure perfect accuracy. They have to be accurate to -4 to +6 seconds a day for self-winding, automatic timepieces. They also created the first and only quartz watch that is C.O.S.C certified, (the C.O.S.C. had never given the certificate to anyone for a quartz watch because they are usually pretty accurate at +,- 30seconds a year. That’s pretty good timekeeping but for a battery operated watch, very common). They have the ‘superquartz technology that is accurate to within +,- 3 seconds a year… the most accurate timepiece in the world!

Myself, I like the old fashioned way of keeping time. Besides, Marc Fink won’t mind if I’m 6 seconds late, (ya right!) Just think, A watch that has no battery… just running off the movement of your wrist! I heard someone once say, "It’s like a tiny miracle going on in there!" and it’s true. It is old-world craftsmanship that propels the watch….the meticulous love of a watchmaker painstakingly putting together an instrument that contains in some cases over 500 individual parts! Wow.

The part I love the most is just the feeling you get when you wear them. You know you have a great timepiece when you want to wear short sleeves when it is 35 degrees outside! You’re either crazy ... or in love with time! I have many clients and friends who have great watches. Some have a watch for different outfits. Others have just one that they love.

The truth is whether you spend $500 or $50,000, watch making and watch buying are precious arts. The right watch says a lot about you, but does not define you. As a guy especially, it is one of the few things you can get away with these days. They might be able to question the earring in your ear ... but never the timepiece on the wrist!

Carlos has been in the jeweler industry for 12 years, over half of that with Fink's. He and his beautiful wife Lori have been married for 10 years and have a superstar son, Kobe and a baby daughter, Avery.

Fabulous Fall Finds

This fall the look is all about statement pieces and making a splash. We’ve seen it with politicians’ wives, Hollywood starlets and on the runway during fashion week. Unlike some others, the statement piece trend is simple to make your own. Simply choose your favorite type of jewelry i.e. necklace, earrings, bracelets, rings . . . then find a look you’ll love to wear! Below are my choices for fall statement pieces that suit almost every style and preference.


First up are necklaces . . . With the weather cooling down and turtlenecks being spotted, the necklace has a chance to shine! Beaded necklaces are a hit with David Yurman this year as well as bib necklaces by John Hardy. They’re perfect over and under the high necklines of fall tops and dresses.

However, I think my favorite this year is the layered pearl look. Often when walking through our stores, I instantly fall in love with what our sales associates have put together. Sometimes there’s a quality that’s shown when a piece is worn that you just can't see in the case. Honora has some perfect pieces in their colored pearl collections for a chunky look without too much bulk. The dark multi color pearls come in lengths up to 80 inches and can be worn wrapped a time or two or long. At our holiday catalog shoot this year we paired the 80” rope necklace with a 36” necklace of the same size pearls and an 18” necklace with a slightly bigger pearl. It is gorgeous! We tried it with a cream top, navy top and aubergine top (which was the final look you'll see when your catalog arrives!) and all complemented the pearls perfectly. This look could be worn with shades of green, brown, grays and metallics too.

My last pick in the layering family are rings from our Italian gold designers. I’ve always wavered between liking rings that stand up and catch light boldly and a ring that looks good but stays out of my way. Roberto Coin combines the two in yellow,
white and rose gold three stone diamond rings that are meant to be layered. The choice is yours whether to go with one, two or three shades at a time. They are also available with one diamond for more of an understated look.

A bold color choice, Marco Bicego has stackable rings with color gemstones all in 18k yellow, white and rose gold these rings pair up with the sun and sand of summer and the falling leaves and autumnal hues of the current season.

And finally, an old look worn in a new way. I always thought of pendants as a little outdated. But this year we’ve seen them worn in new ways. When wearing a v-neck dress or top placing a bold pendant and the tip of the “v” ends up making the pendant look more like an enhancer minus the chain. The same can be done with multiple pendants centered on strapless gowns much like an enhancer would hang but without the necklace. This look would work under blazers on camisoles or on all your holiday party dresses.

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Hollie Wingate has been the Marketing Coordinator at Fink’s for the past two years. She and her husband Mike live in Roanoke with their new son, West and their furry child, Lizzie.

Pearls, Every Fashionista’s Favorite

by Converse Roberts
Fink's Jewelers, Northlake Mall, Charlotte, NC
sales.northlake@finks.com

It shouldn’t be shocking in the least that Cartier bought his famed Fifth Avenue store for a double strand of them. After all, Jackie Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn wore them with style and grace, and the Princess of Monaco chose to accessorize with them for her legendary royal wedding extravaganza. Sophisticated and ultra-feminine, pearls have long been every fashionista’s favorite. Like our cherished little black dress, pearls are a must in every well dressed lady’s jewelry wardrobe. A collection without them would be, well, a very incomplete collection at that…

Legend has it that Cleopatra (one of history’s best dressed women) once drank a crushed pearl, then valued at $1 million, in vinegar, to prove to Marc Anthony that she could throw the most decadent dinner party of their time.

Whether worn in drops as Teri Hatcher did at the Golden Globes with her David Yurman earrings, or as studs accented with diamonds with a fabulous pair of designer jeans and fitted t-shirt, pearls have an enduring elegance that scream true style like no other. And to imagine that wearing pearls was once a crime severely punished for those not of extreme wealth and privilege!

With the vast depletion of natural pearls, such options would never have been possible if not for the grueling years sacrificed by Kokichi Mikimoto in the name of researching pearl cultivation. American genius, Thomas Edison, upon meeting with the Pearl King, remarked that, “This isn’t a cultured pearl, it’s a real pearl. There are two things which couldn’t be made at my laboratory – diamonds and pearls. It is something which is supposed to be biologically impossible”. Experts all over the world agreed with Mr. Edison that there were no differences between the natural pearl and Mikimoto’s cultured pearl!

Thanks to his brilliant discovery, years later the Mikimoto Company offers a collection so stunning Grace Kelly would surely approve. For those of us that have the desire to add these luminous beauties to our collection, it’s easier than ever. Mikimoto celebrates their 150th anniversary this June with an unheard of twelve month, deferred interest, financing. Although no longer a crime to wear luxury pearls, it certainly would be to pass on Mikimoto’s generous offer!

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Items featured in this blog:

Mikimoto 7-7.5" Akoya Pearls in Motion Necklace and Earrings
Mikimoto Black South Seas Pearls in Motion Necklace and Earrings
David Yurman Silver Pearl Bead & Chain Necklace
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Converse Roberts holds a GIA Graduate Jeweler degree, the Jewelry Design, Casting, Mold Making certificates, and is currently studying to earn the Graduate Gemological Degree, all from GIA.

Going Green at Fink's Jewelers

by Veronica M. Wilson
John Hardy Store Captain, Triangle Town Center, Raleigh, NC
Triangle@finks.com

When I first started with Fink's Jewelers, I was introduced to the John Hardy brand. Instantly, I was intrigued by the craftsmanship and Balinese-inspired designs. At the time, I was totally unaware of the effect the John Hardy brand would have on my life.
Passionate about the environment and our impact on it, John Hardy became one of the first companies to take a stance on global warming. As a way to offset the carbon emissions of print advertising, John Hardy began to reforest the island of Nusa Penida (just off the coast of Bali).
His headquarters and workshops in Bali are located on a fully functioning organic farm where all of the buildings are made of sustainable bamboo. On the compound, where the Hardy family also lives, they grow all of their own vegetables and grains. Each day, more than one hundred artisans and craftsmen, including John Hardy himself, sit down for lunch under an open canopy.

I am so proud to carry John Hardy's collections in my store, but I am even more proud and passionate about one collection in particular. The aptly named "Bamboo Collection," available in sterling silver and 18 karat yellow gold, is designed to raise awareness and funds for the bamboo reforestation of Nusa Penida. On each piece from the Bamboo Collection, the number of bamboo planted is stamped inside. A great reminder of how we can be fashion forward and environmentally friendly at the same time! Who knew it could be as simple as wearing stunning jewelry? Please stop by Fink's Jewelers store to take a look at our large assortment of unique and beautiful John Hardy pieces.

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Items features in this blog:
John Hardy 18k Bamboo Slim Ring
John Hardy Set of 3 Bamboo Slim Bangles
John Hardy Bamboo Cuff Links
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Veronica has been in the jewelry business for nearly three years, the past two of which have been with Fink's. A native of Raleigh, NC, she studied International Business at Meredith College. She also has three certificates from the Gemological Institute of America.

Tags, Not Ties, This Father's Day

By Dan Schaffer
Manager Finks at MacArthur Center Norfolk, Va.

With Father’s Day soon approaching, when my clients are shopping for the man in their life over, I find myself taking them to the Men’s David Yurman case — especially with all the new choices Yurman has to offer in exotic stone choices for men's rings, cuff links, bracelets and dog tag necklaces. These days men don’t have to settle for ties on Father's Day.

I find the new textures in the alligator, the rhino print and the living coral so interesting and unique. Whether you're looking for a stylish piece of jewelry for a man or searching for the next great piece for his David Yurman collection, this season gives plenty of great options, even for my repeat customers who can’t think of a gift for that certain someone.


We also know that the David Yurman client is a collector of sorts so now we can start a collection for him. David Yurman is so special in the jewelry industry because he has continually been able to reinvent himself over and over again and since we live in a more casual society his designs are made to be worn all the time (even the ones with diamonds). So the next time you’re looking for a gift that isn't that "same old same old" come on into Fink’s and let’s explore the newest things that David Yurman has to offer in his men's line.

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Items featured in this blog:

David Yurman Black Onyx Tag
Black onyx dog tag with sterling silver logo and "925" inlay and Cable trim. Sterling silver chain.
David Yurman Sea Urchin Ring
Sterling silver sea urchin-embossed ring with 18-karat yellow gold DY stamp and faceted black diamond center.
David Yurman Rhino Plate Bracelet
From the Naturals Collection™, rubber bracelet with sterling silver rhinoceros-embossed plate.

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Dan Schaffer is the manager Fink's Jewelers at MacArthur Center Norfolk, VA. He has been in the industry for 25 years, ten of which he has been with Fink's Jewelers. Dan is GIA Certified in Diamonds and has completed extensive training with Breitling and Tag Heuer. He loves God, family, and golf (in that order).

Love is in the Air

By Astra Houff
Sales Associate, Valley View Mall


Now that springtime is in full bloom with all the beautiful colors of the season, many couples turn their focus on love and romance. June is the month where so many hearts choose to begin their lifetime journey together. What better way to show her just how special she is than to give her the gift of eternal beauty and brilliance … a Fink's diamond!

Whether you choose a designer brand or prefer a gorgeous, classic"It's a Fink's Diamond" engagement ring, you are guaranteed to have the most perfectly cut, prestigious diamond that money can buy!

I love designer Ritani, whose perfect creations display exquisite detail and make a signature statement. The Ritani Endless Love ring in platinum represents Past, Present, and Future ... it's romantic and very vintage for the lady who loves that look. This ring is a modern classic.

From our exclusive collection, you can't miss this very unique solitaire, mounted on a platinum band of channel-set diamonds. This is one that every lady enjoys trying on! Whether this is a new beginning with your special “one”, or you are celebrating a lifetime of memories, the best way to show your passion and love, is to find that perfect Fink's diamond that tells her just how perfect you think SHE is!!!

When we say, "It's a Fink's Diamond," our customers know they're getting only the best. Fink's proudly carries only the highest quality diamonds because our own certified diamond buyer holds our diamonds to a higher standard. He states that our diamonds not only have to look “good” on paper, but they must also PERFORM … that is, how they sparkle, how brilliant they shine and how well they are cut. This is what separates our beautiful diamonds from the rest out there.

Whether you choose from our huge selection in stock or let us help you design your own diamond ring, you'll see why buying your diamond with Fink's Jewelers is the sound decision so many couples have made for over 75 years.

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Items mentioned in this blog:
Ritani Endless Love ring
Fink's .5 ctw Solitaire with Diamond Eternity Band
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Astra has been with Finks for 5 years. She successfully completed the Bronze and Silver classes for Tag Heuer and attended the David Yurman conclave last year in New York. She's a mother of a fourteen-year old son who's into band and track, married to a wonderful guy named Ray.

The Handbag Theory

It’s common knowledge that women notice other women. Women notice sooner when another woman changes her hairstyle, has on the latest trend or just looks great overall. Our Director of Sales Training, Charlene Hudson has been overheard saying that when a woman has on a fabulous pair of shoes or a cute sweater she’s going to tell them. And she does on almost a daily basis! Her reasoning? Women put effort into how they present themselves. If someone is going to spend hours getting her hair the perfect mix of chocolate and caramel brown and it looks good, let her know! Not enough people in general, women in particular are acknowledged for their style effort.

Realistically, most (but not all!) men shop for function and most (but not all!) women shop for function too, but also spend time making certain their purchases fit their style. Women also encounter purchases that are slightly more involved than those men face, like handbags, jewelry and shoes. Often, the jewelry industry is indicative of other high-end retail trends.

In the fall 2007 issue of Accent Magazine Marc Fink was asked what the biggest change in the jewelry industry was in the past 25 years, his answer:

“Self-purchasing women, the power of women in the workforce, two-income families. Women are empowered today and they don’t need permission to buy a piece of jewelry; they buy it for themselves. They treat themselves if they want to. When I first joined the business, it was much more of a gifting business. Society has changed.”

He goes on to explain how Fink’s employees are top-notch in their customer service and sincerity and quotes long-time employee Marie Compton as saying, “We like to out-nice the competition.”

JCKonline.com’s Caroline Stanley recently posted on her blog a post titled, The Handbag Theory – Do Women with Great Handbags Shop for More Jewelry? What a great concept?!?! The woman with the high-end, designer handbag is the type of woman coming into Fink’s, knowing what she wants and purchasing her own jewelry, then telling her friends about the experience.

Mr. Fink was spot on in his assessment of female self-purchase shoppers. Women know what they like, typically know what they’re in the market for and respond to a positive customer service experience. Check out the article and let us know what you think.

Spring Fever

As the weather slowly warms, we tentatively start looking forward to late evening walks, long summer days, sundresses, sandals and shopping for baubles that match!

The most comprehensive source for scoping fashion trends is the internet. Obvious, right? Right. So, take a look at your favorite clothing retailers’ sites and see what’s going on this year. You’ll probably find prints galore, whether in an abundance of color or just two or three perfectly paired tamely together, interesting patterns are all over everyone. Stripes, checks, florals, ruffles are taking over much attire as the weather warms and the jewelry trends are falling in line, just as they should.

Working from last fall’s trends, this season layering necklaces, cocktail rings and animal and nature inspired jewelry are the most current fashion staples. Whether it is subtle like the John Hardy Kawung Collection and David Yurman’s Renaissance Collection or bold like some of the silver, gold and gemstone creepy crawlies and literal animal prints we’ve seen in the past year, nature is now in a big way.

So enjoy the current state of sunshine with colors and prints that will set you apart and as always, it’s all up to your personal style so just have fun.

Just a Click Away

So often you know what you’re looking for, but don’t know the designer. Or you may have a specific look in mind, but don’t know exactly what needs to be purchased to achieve it. Maybe, you’ve seen something on a television show or red carpet but can’t quite seem to remember if they were pear-shaped or round drop earrings.

With the invention and further expansion of the internet, the search is being narrowed! Some major magazines like People, InStyle, and Lucky already have tools on their websites that allow consumers to click on a celebrity image and learn more about what they’re wearing. Site like SeenOn.com and Like.com are taking the search an easy step forward.

Like.com does a “likeness” search so that if you’ve seen a great handbag or pair of shoes they’ll pull from a MASSIVE amount of internet knowledge and show similar items. A visual search is also available so when you see a pair of red platform pump you have to have, just go to shoes and color.

SeenOn.com offers a more celebrity centric approach with categories like TV, Movies, Music, Products and most specifically Celebrities and sub-categories for red carpets, network shows and so on. And those Oscar looks mentioned below, check them out here.

Update: JCK's Style360 blog does a thorough coverage of many of the women's fashions at the Oscars here.

All or Nothing

When you buy jewelry, is it all part of a master plan, buying a whole suite or piece to complete a suite, or do you mix and match what you like and just “make it work”? Some people just have a flair for putting on anything, mixing and matching different brands, different metals, different stones . . . and making it look great! Meanwhile . . . everyone else is stuck working hard for an effortless look. What’s your style?

Many times on the red carpet, celebrities will wear one stand-out piece and maybe accent with a few smaller pieces. The Oscars are Sunday night, so we’ll see what the trend is this year. In the meantime, take a look back at Oscar red carpet fashions from the 1930’s all the way up to the past five years.

In this corner we have. . .

Yellow gold! It is undeniable that trends filter down to different parts of the country at different times. After all, we see magazines coming from New York telling us the hottest jewelry right now is yellow gold and images of celebrities wearing yellow gold everywhere, but the average Jane in Middle America loves her white gold, platinum and silver pieces she wears every day.

But wait, just a few years ago weren’t we all supposed to be wearing white gold, platinum and the high-end high quality new and exciting silver brands according to the fashion powers that be? Are you outdated, unfashionable if you still wear the lighter hued metals? Do you have to update to yellow gold? What if you have your great-grandmother’s heirloom pieces from the first half of the 20th century? And you LOVE wearing them? It’s not like the green eye shadow that was the hot color of spring 2006, jewelry can be an investment (especially the matrimonial kind), and something many women build their jewelry wardrobes around!

Change is never easy, especially when the change being proposed is something as personal as jewelry, a keystone of your personal style. Are you expected to buy the hot, new trend every season? Of course not, unless you want to! But adding pieces throughout the year that you love and will wear for years to come never goes out of style! Bottom line, everything old is new again and will be 10, 15 and even 20 years from now too!

On the Cutting Edge of Jewelry Fashion

In the Spring/Summer 2007 Issue of JCK there were two trends that we noticed and loved. Both relate to nature, earth and the elements, but are very different in style. We showcased both these trends in our holiday catalog which hit homes this month.

The first is “Be Wilderness” and takes a look at earth inspired themes in jewelry this year. Since we were planning our catalog at the time this issue was published, we felt somewhat validated with our choices for the John Hardy pages especially. The new JH Kawung collection is, in a word, divine! The entire collection is bold and elemental with gold and sterling silver in the natural patterns and shapes of leaves and gemstones in colors that could only be found in nature. The mailing of the JH catalog on November 19 went into 30,000 of Fink’s customer’s homes to share this collection and win them over, like it did us!

Another mention was the use of different golds. White, yellow and rose gold, oh my! Roberto Coin specifically carries gold in these hues in several collections, like the Chic and Shine collection that is featured side by side with white, yellow and rose gold bangles and earrings in our holiday catalog as well. We also mailed 5,000 Coin catalogs to our customers on November 5 that show not only varieties in gold, but some animal inspired designs as well.

Speaking of animals as inspiration . . .

The second trend is “Animal Attraction” and focuses on the literal and implied use of our 4 (or more) legged friends in jewelry design. Roberto Coin uses crafts beautiful pieces in his Animalier collection that are named Cobra, Giraffe, Leopard, Lizard, Nemo and more! John Hardy also takes the animal theme quite literal and makes gorgeous creepy crawlies out of gold and silver. In fact we used some to highlight our about JH page in the spring JH mailer we produced in-house at Fink’s.

Another, less literal way in which animals are used is in the David Yurman Men’s line. Alligator, Rhinoceros, Tiger’s Eye, Dinosaur Bone and Thoroughbred are all par for the course in this line. Whether in style, texture or stone depends on the individual piece.

Have you seen these trends in stores this season? Are you wearing them, wanting them?