This morning in the office, Bacilio Mendez noted that long gloves have been making their way back onto the fashion scene. From a few cubes down, Rob Bates then wondered aloud if this might affect ring wearing or ring selling. What followed was a spirited conversation about a major threat to many jewelry sales- the other accessory. Some of the biggest rivalries to watch out for:

• Watches vs. Cell phones. Many people, including our watch editor William Shuster, will argue that this is a ridiculous competition, as the watch’s aesthetics and complex functions will never be matched by the cell phone’s. Point taken, but I can’t deny that my watch use has greatly decreased since I bought my time-telling cell phone.
• Earrings vs. Headphones. This rivalry was perhaps more intense when bulky, ear-hiding headphones (still available, apparently!) were the norm. But though they don’t fully block the view of earrings anymore, small headphones- such as iPod earphones- have a tendency to get tangled up in them. This is annoying, but still, it hasn’t stopped me from wearing earrings…yet.
• Necklaces vs. Turtlenecks. Is there any point to wearing a necklace under a turtleneck? Maybe; the same point as wearing a ring with diamonds on the inside of the band (because the wearer knows its there). Still, turtlenecks minimize one of the pleasures of wearing jewelry: sharing it. Some women pull off the necklace-over-turtleneck look…perhaps a truce might be possible.

It is exceedingly fun to think about different jewelry v. accessories rivalries (try it). It’s also important to think about for members of our industry when promoting and selling product. Jewelers, as all savvy businesspeople, must know thine enemy.

JCK