In the hardest hit economies, there is one category of fine jewelry that retailers rely on to prop up flagging sales of others: bridal. Most view diamond engagement rings and wedding bands as a perennial seller (since when does love take a holiday?). In fact, diamond engagement rings alone, according to the results of this survey, total 33 percent of retailers' business. To get an in-depth look at the bridal jewelry that American retailers are selling, JCK queried nearly 100 store-owner subscribers to our weekly electronic newsletters during October and November 2009. Ninety-eight percent of respondents described themselves as independent retail jewelers; just 2 percent ran jewelry franchises or chains. More than one-third had total annual sales of less than $500,000. Another two-fifths had sales between $500,000 and $2 million. The remaining one-quarter claimed sales in e