Consumers stressed about terrorism and war went shopping in October as retail sales shot up 7% from September to October, according to advance data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The largest gain was seen in motor vehicles and parts dealers, with a more than 25% increase in sales. But all major categories experienced sales increases save for furniture and home furnishings stores, which saw a less than 1% drop, and gasoline stations, where sales dropped off more than 6.5%. Jewelry store sales weren’t broken out by the Bureau just yet, but clothing and clothing accessories stores-the category in which jewelry is included-saw gains of more than 6.5% for the month.

Based on historical jewelry sales figures from the government and JCK research, advance jewelry stores sales estimates for October could be $2.45 million, representing an increase of more than 16% over October 2000 sales.

JCK