Beware the double-edged sword of carrying high-profile brandsIf there has been one major change in the retail jewelry landscape in the past three years, it’s been the dominance of brands on the marketing landscape. Brands have obviously been around for many years, particularly in the watch market, but there has been a sizable power shift recently: The tail has started to wag the dog.Many vendors, particularly bead manufacturers, have started to create a niche for themselves in the eyes of the public. There are a number of pluses to this. Major brands such as Pandora have extensive marketing budgets that focus on building product awareness. There is a natural spill-off in terms of sales potential for the jewelers who stock these products. There is also an obvious advantage for a store that’s associated with a major brand: You look like a serious player. If a high-profile brand is