A number of wedding specialists—retailers, publications, gown designers—have been expanding their brands through licensing and collaborations. That includes the bridal jewelry category, a logical licensed brand extension if there ever was one. Each deal, at its core, focuses on engagement rings and wedding bands, but the collections typically also encompass other accessories such as earrings, bracelets, and necklaces for the bride, groom, attendants, and family members. The products are also, in many cases, marketed for use beyond the wedding, including for special occasions such as proms or parties, and sometimes even for everyday use.
Some of the properties that have recently entered or expanded their presence in bridal jewelry include:
- Bridal fashion retailer Kleinfeld, known as the location where TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress takes place, which last month launched a line of fashion jewelry with Amazon, via licensee Centric Brands. The range includes necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and hair accessories. In addition to brides, the collaboration, which is organized into seven collections, is tailored for attendees of special occasions such as coming-of-age celebrations, proms, and the like, as well as weddings.
- The online publication Brides, which in September of last year announced an agreement with Vrai for a fine jewelry collection of engagement rings and wedding bands, as well as earrings, necklaces, and bracelets for weddings, special occasion wear, and gifting. The 14 pieces—including four engagement rings and a unisex wedding band—were made in a zero-emissions foundry from lab-grown diamonds and recycled gold.
- Retailer David’s Bridal, which paired with Diamond Nexus, a lab-grown fine jewelry brand, for heirloom-quality pieces for weddings and special occasions, in September 2022. The products are available through David’s physical and digital outlets, with exclusive offers through its Diamond Loyalty Program. This is one of a growing number of partnerships for the retailer.
- Wedding dress designer Pnina Tornai, who in June 2022 released her fourth collection with retailer Jared since the two partnered in late 2020. The first release consisted of 31 engagement rings featuring natural diamonds; the new range includes 25 rings, 12 of them engagement rings, that exclusively use lab-grown gemstones.
- Digital wedding inspiration platform Style Me Pretty, which launched a seven-piece, sustainable bridal jewelry collection through a deal with Vrai in January 2022. The pieces feature the unique diamond shapes for which Vrai is known, and are designed to be appropriate for gifts to bridesmaids and for everyday wear after the wedding, as well as for the event itself.
Note that these agreements—like many others in the fine jewelry category—increasingly feature lab-grown gems, either solely or in part. As their quality and availability have improved, these synthetic stones represent a more sustainable, more ethical, and less costly option that is increasingly attractive to jewelry buyers.
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