Commercial Jewelry Terms

Blowing Out: Selling extremely well.
Bridge jewelry: A marketing/merchandising term that refers to jewelry that is between costume and fine jewelry in price and perceived quality. Sterling silver jewelry, with or without stones, often falls into this category because it is not precious enough to be considered fine jewelry but is made of a more valuable material than costume jewelry which is often referred to as jewelry made of "base metal".
Buying Office: Purchasing office for a retail chain.
Costume jewelry: Jewelry made from non-precious materials that is usually more up-to-date and fashionable than fine jewelry and thus often more ephemeral. Often with a famous fashion designer names involved, style and price vary tremendously in this field and branding is very important as well.
Fine jewelry: Usually refers to jewelry made from precious metals and materials. Often bought for its intrinsic value and often more traditionally styled than costume jewelry.
Guild Store: Retail store catering to a customer focused on quality.
In Stock Close-outs: Refers to items in the inventory of a company that said company no longer wants to offer in its line. These items are sold, often in bulk, to retailers or wholesalers at a reduced price that will recoup the cost of materials and labor for the selling company but usually without the profit margin.
Marketing: How product is sold to the retail jeweler and subsequently to the end user.
Merchandising: Development of product from concept to initial sample.
Minimalism: A style of fashion and jewelry important in the 1990's that incorporated extremely simple and spare designs with a philosophy that purported to turn away from the excesses of the 1980's. Fashion models in magazines and on the runways often wore no jewelry at all and as a result, the field of jewelry suffered a downturn during this period. Particularly hard hit during this time was the field of costume jewelry because of it's close alliance with clothing fashion.
Point of Purchase/POP: Signage and product which is highlighted in or on a retail showcase. A marketing/merchandising term.
Promotional Jewelry: product usually retailed at $99.00 and under, utilizing promotional quality stones and light gold weight.