Jared’s design strategy is anchored in several initiatives: collaborations, accessible prices and bespoke experiences.
The Signet Jewelers-owned retailer has stayed committed to offering its customers accessibly priced fine jewelry by carrying a diverse assortment of brands and partnering with like-minded designers on popular collaborations.
According to Ann Grimmett, vice president of merchandising at Jared, the retailer takes a cautious approach to following jewelry trends, and instead focuses on offering timeless styles.
“These are pieces that we see people keeping in their jewelry box for years and years to come and passing them down as heirlooms to people in their family,” she said. “So we have to be measured and diligent about the kinds of trends that we go after. We focus a lot on updated classics, doing trend but in a very wearable, very timeless way.”
The company’s most recent expansion in its offerings was the introduction of Jared Atelier in October 2022. Jared Atelier is the retailer’s collection of high jewelry styles created with fancy-cut diamonds and gemstones. Many pieces in the collection are priced at under $100,000, which Grimmett said is more accessible than high jewelry collections from other brands.
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“When we first started thinking about Atelier, there were a few things in mind,” she said. “One was showing the customer what we could do. We believe that Jared is your local jeweler with big reach, so we have the resources of a large jeweler, but we have the relationships and the experience of a local jeweler. We wanted to show how those two things come together that we could offer a customer something that’s $500 or $500,000 and that was really important to us — to be able to showcase them to our customers and to the world.”
Jared has followed up its initial Atelier collection with its second collection: a collaboration with jewelry designer Shy Dayan.
Grimmett also stated one of the goals of Jared Atelier was to show customers what the retailer’s capabilities are in design. These capabilities are also displayed through Jared’s Design Foundry, which creates bespoke pieces for customers.
The executive explained that Jared’s Foundry experience offers customers an in-depth and personal way to create a custom style. Customers work very closely with sales representatives who involve them throughout the whole creation process.
“It showcases how we can design something for you and make it truly your own, truly unique and truly special, but do it in front of your eyes,” she said. “It doesn’t need to be a mystery, where you say something and then we go off to some supplier overseas and do some sketches and then come back to you a week later or two weeks later. We wanted to be able to actually sit down side by side with the customer and bring their dream into real life and have them walk away with something very tangible that they could then decide to make into jewelry.”
Jared’s collaborations are also an important part of the retailer’s design strategy, according to Grimmett, who named the recent partnership with vintage-inspired jewelry brand Lulu Frost as one that resonated with customers.
The collaboration was recently awarded the brand collaboration award at the 2024 Accessories Council Design Excellence Awards.
“We really like to truly partner with people,” Grimmett said. “We’re looking for designers that can bring something different to our assortment and that we can also bring something different to their portfolio. We like to do things that are unique or innovative, something that someone else doesn’t have. Exclusive is really important to us and being able to find things that you wouldn’t otherwise have.”
Other standout collections include J’Lure, which offers fancy-cut lab-created diamond jewelry, and LeVian, which includes colorful gemstones.
“It’s really important to have within the mix of Jared,” Grimmett said about the different collections. “What is special about Jared — if you go into most independents or other local jewelers, in some ways they’re a bit of a house of brands. Everywhere you look, it’s a new stall of a brand or you go into a department store with lots of brands. We don’t believe that we should be that way. We have the ability to bring beautiful jewelry that we have the capability of making ourselves to the customer, but we also recognize the beauty of an amazing designer or an amazing brand who can bring something completely special and innovative and new and exclusive to Jared.”
Going into the holiday season, Grimmett sees opportunities for self-purchasing amid the gifting period, stating that she’s seen self-purchase become more important among young Millennials and older Gen Z customers. She also stated she’s seeing self-purchasing increase more among men, who are becoming more interested in accessorizing with jewelry.
“We know that what we’re delivering is something that’s going to directly resonate with the guests that we have and then we continue to bring in new things that may resonate with the guests that we don’t yet have to try to bring them into the store and have them experience the beauty that is Jared,” she said. “We talk about accessible luxury. Those two words are very important. It’s this luxury feel, but in an accessible way. It doesn’t mean it’s all inexpensive, but at different price points it’s more accessible than you may find somewhere else. When people see the value we can offer, that’s a big pull for them.”
