Commenter “Weisfeld” recently noted that there seems to be similarities in designs between DTC’s Everlon Diamond Knot and Love’s Embrace from Sterling, which is one of the few major retailers to not get involved with Everlon. Click the links, and see for yourself.

Now, there are also obvious differences: All the Everlon designs are built around knots, and Sterling’s aren’t. But it is fascinating that the products do, at least at a quick glance, look so similar, even if they both seem to have been developed separately.

Moreover, the Everlon is advertised as “the strength of love, forged in a knot.” The “Love’s Embrace” tag line is “You will always be surrounded by the strength of my love.”

Those similarities came up at Sterling’s recent investor day (PDF). Here is what COO Bill Montalto had to say …

[Everlon] is jewelry that is in the style of a knot, and it has, if you will, a similar concept and that it is meant in these particular times because both organizations did research …

We chose not to [participate in Everlon] because, first of all, we were out in the marketplace with this back in the spring season. We had it in the market. We had results. We were doing very well with it. We believed we had a better product design. We believe we had a better concept in the terms of how we were conceptualizing that concept, that creative. It was exclusive to us, of course. It is not going to be generic.

We built an ad, I think, that has a very strong ad, very strong emotional appeal. We are not going to have to tag it as we would have had to have done if we were using the generic advertising. We are not going to be in, if you will, a sea of sameness with all of the other retail doors that are doing this.

Rob Bates

JCK News Director