How to Display Jewelry for Sale: 22 Ideas, Tips, and Best Practices

The jewelry industry is a highly visual world where every sale depends on a piece’s ability to catch the eye of a potential buyer. When businesses can properly display the different types of jewelry they have for sale, they provide each piece with maximum visibility, which increases the chances of someone noticing and purchasing it.

To increase your jewelry sales and attract more customers, you must design effective jewelry display stands. Learning how to display jewelry for sale in-store and at craft shows, plus incorporating practical tips and jewelry display ideas is key.

Why Jewelry Display Matters

The colors used in your jewelry display can influence the emotions a buyer feels while looking at it. Color psychology—the study of the effects of color on human beings—has shown reds and oranges tend to elicit energy and excitement, while blues and greens tend to have a relaxing, calming effect on the viewer. Some color combinations can even cause physiological reactions like increased blood pressure or an elevated heart rate. And that’s just one element of a jewelry display. Lighting, spacing, location, and even the texture of the materials used in the jewelry display stands all have a psychological impact on the viewer.

To market and sell your jewelry effectively, you’ll need to master the art of visual merchandising by considering all of these elements. Doing so will help you understand your display’s full impact on customers and guide your decision-making as you prep and adjust jewelry displays to ensure every piece is shown in the best light.

How to Prepare Your Jewelry for Display

Designing the right jewelry display starts with understanding your target audience. This information is key because it enables you to make strategic decisions about each element of your jewelry display so the design and layout appeal to that specific target. Keep in mind that the target audience may change based on where you display your jewelry. A craft show, for example, may have an entirely different clientele than your usual customer base for in-store sales.

Once you’ve gained a solid understanding of who will most likely be purchasing your jewelry, you can start designing a jewelry display tailored to them. As you get started, keep these five tips in mind:

1. Select the Right Jewelry to Display

Space is often limited when building a jewelry display, so you want to make sure you’re including the right types of jewelry for your space. Consider reviewing past sales records to identify what types of jewelry had the highest sales. The most popular type of jewelry at a craft show may differ from in-store best sellers. It can also differ among age groups of your clientele.

Identifying what types of jewelry your audience is most interested in helps you know if you should have necklaces displayed in jewelry trays or dedicate the entire space to an earring display stand instead.

2. Work With Negative Space

Negative space—sometimes called white space—is what designers say when they refer to empty areas. These empty spaces are essential to creating a visually pleasing jewelry display stand. They break up what the viewer sees and can even be used to draw attention to a specific area of the jewelry stand.

Striking the right balance of negative space to jewelry display pieces can be tricky. Too little negative space will overwhelm customers and make the display seem cluttered and disorganized, while too much negative space will make it seem empty. Take your time removing and adding display pieces to see what each variation looks like in your space.

3. Balance Vertical and Horizontal Display Spaces

As a general rule, variety catches the eye. You can make your jewelry stand more interesting by incorporating both horizontal elements (jewelry trays, bracelet display cases, cushioned ring display boxes, etc.) and vertical ones (hanging necklace display stand and earring trees). Mixing up the types of displays not only makes the display more engaging as a whole but also enables you to take full advantage of the space to show off more pieces of your current collection.

4. Provide Enough Mirrors and Correct Lighting

Customers are much more likely to make a purchase after seeing how a piece of jewelry looks on them. Be sure to incorporate plenty of mirrors in your display so no one has to wait in line to try on and view the jewelry. Providing adequate lighting in your display is also important, especially around the mirrors, so customers can see themselves clearly. Don’t forget that you can also use lighting as an element in your design. Shine a spotlight on specific pieces in your jewelry display or light the pieces from below to show off how much each gem sparkles.

5. Take Your Display’s Portability Into Account

The best jewelry displays are easy to work with and fit your needs. Think about what you plan to do with each piece of jewelry at the end of the day and whether or not you’ll need to remove them from the showcase. In some instances, you may need to take down the entire display and set it up again tomorrow. If your jewelry display stand will frequently be on the move, you’ll want to use lightweight materials that are easy to lift and collapsible stands that don’t take up as much space.

18 Jewelry Display Ideas for Different Settings

For Brick-and-Mortar Stores and Boutiques

Ring Stands

Displaying rings in stands helps draw attention to these smaller pieces, which can be easily missed at first glance. Ring stands are most commonly used to emphasize a single ring. This type of stand is ideal for in-store displays where there is more room to work with, as opposed to craft shows where space is limited.

Glass Displays

Unfortunately, theft is a real concern for jewelers. The smaller a piece is, the more easily it can be stolen. Glass display cases can help protect high-priced items without reducing their visibility to potential customers. They also often draw extra attention because customers know the most valuable and beautiful pieces are usually stored behind glass.

Bangle Pillows

Great for bracelet displays, bangle pillows convey a feeling of softness and comfort to viewers. They can highlight a single bracelet or watch and also add a splash of color to your jewelry display. They are versatile display pieces that can be laid down for a traditional horizontal view or stood upright for vertical presentation.

Rotating Racks

A 360-degree spinning rack is a great way to display necklaces and earrings in bulk without taking up as much space as a typical jewelry tray. It makes a large portion of your inventory easily accessible to potential customers and encourages them to browse and compare pieces.

Earring Trees

This earring display stand is specially designed to show off how earrings naturally dangle when worn. It simulates a tree with multiple branches that pairs of earrings can hang on for easy viewing. Earring trees come in a variety of heights, making them a versatile addition to any jewelry display.

Necklace Walls

This trendy necklace display offers the best of both worlds with greater visibility and an efficient use of space. Customers can easily gauge the length of a necklace and see how it hangs naturally, while business owners get to use up empty wall space in their stores. Necklace walls are also a great opportunity to exercise some creativity and build eye-catching patterns and artwork using the necklaces displayed.

Tall Necks

Tall neck stands are similar to mannequins, with a neck and collarbone outline that showcases how a necklace might look when worn. But unlike mannequins, they don’t have shoulders or a bust. Instead, the neck plunges down in a steep curve and ends at the stand base, making them ideal for displaying necklaces. They’re also a fantastic addition to window displays because their dramatic shape quickly catches the eye of anyone walking by your store.

Mannequins

Mannequins are unique among display ideas because they showcase exactly how a piece of jewelry would look when worn on a human body. They come in a variety of sizes, from full-body mannequins to specific parts like a bust or hand. Mannequins can be a bit bulky, and the larger ones are difficult to move, so they’re best suited for in-store jewelry displays.

Bracelet Ramps

Every bracelet display can benefit from a well-placed ramp. These stands showcase multiple bracelets at once, using a built-in elastic to keep the bands in place. They come in a variety of inclines from a gradual, gentle slope to a steep vertical dive.

Cork Boards

Inexpensive and highly portable, cork boards offer the greatest bang for your buck compared to other display stands. Just be sure to thoughtfully design the layout for the corkboard so it doesn’t appear overcrowded. Also, remember that the space with the greatest visibility is the section at eye-level, so be sure to position stand-out pieces there.

Craft Shows

Stackable Display Trays

Display trays can make it easier to view multiple pieces and types of jewelry at once, but they take up a lot of horizontal space. At a craft show, your space is often limited, so stackable display trays are a must. They enable you to use up vertical space without sacrificing any of the benefits of the spread-out view supplied by display trays.

Two-Sided Panels

Two-sided panels are another great display stand for craft shows because they use a lot of vertical space and very little horizontal space. They’re also a great way to encourage movement throughout your booth, as customers will walk around to see what’s hanging on the other side. Two-sided panels are a great directional tool for encouraging further browsing and drawing attention to other parts of your display.

Standing Necklace Holders

Necklace display stands aren’t limited to table-size display stands. A standing necklace holder is a great option if you need more room to display necklaces. It’s especially good for craft shows because it can stand on its own (no table needed), and it’s tall enough to put pieces at eye level for customers to view.

Free-Standing Cabinets

If you’re running low on table space, adding some free-standing cabinets will give you more surface area to work with, allowing you to add more display stands and earring trees to your space.

Display Cards

Display cards can enhance an earring display stand by setting each pair of earrings against a blank, neutral background. These display cards make it easier to see the design, allowing customers to flip through earrings on a rack at a craft show and quickly identify one pair of earrings from another.

Organizer Boxes

Compact and lightweight, organizer boxes are ideal for displaying rings at craft shows. Most versions come with either an attached or detachable lid for easy cleaning and set-up each day. Plus, should the unthinkable happen and a display table gets knocked over, these boxes can help keep pieces together for easy cleanup.

Display Chests

These are great displays for piquing viewers’ curiosity. You can pull out each drawer to a different length for a staggered view or just display one drawer to encourage customers to open the rest to see your full array of jewelry. The best part is that the display stand is also the packing box, so it’s really easy to just push the drawers in and pack up your craft show booth at the end of the day.

Rotating Display Towers

With limited space at a craft show, rotating display towers are a must-have display stand. They enable you to make large amounts of your inventory accessible to customers without taking up too much space. They also encourage customers to interact with your display and browse through the racks to see what’s available.

4 Pro Tips and Best Practices for Displaying Jewelry

Now that you’ve learned how to display jewelry for sale and have built an effective jewelry display, your next step is to maintain it over time and observe your customers interacting with it so you can make adjustments if needed. Here are four pro tips for running a successful jewelry business with highly effective displays:

Regular Display Rotation

Variety is the spice of life. Regularly rotate the pieces displayed and change up the jewelry display itself. Matching your current display with your business’s jewelry campaign and marketing efforts can be a very effective way to increase interest. Plus, keeping things fresh will ensure loyal customers who visit your store or craft show booth more than once always have something new to browse.

Ensure Easy Accessibility

Accessibility is key to delivering a great jewelry store customer experience. The more effort required to view and try on your jewelry display pieces, the less interest they’ll get. Customers are much more likely to flip through a rotating necklace display stand or spin an earring tree around to try on pieces than dig through a bin of miscellaneous jewelry.

Clean and Organized Displays

The jewelry business is visual, so it’s important your displays convey the high level of professionalism with which you operate. Striving to always keep jewelry displays clean and organized will make customers feel more comfortable and make it easier to see your inventory, naturally increasing sales.

Clear Signage and Labels

Provide customers with all the information they need to make a purchase by setting up clearly visible signs and labeling all jewelry pieces. If they can’t find the information they need and you’re busy with another customer, they may become frustrated and lose interest. When information is readily available, customers have a better experience and are more likely to engage with your jewelry pieces.

Increase Your Jewelry Sales with Podium

Once you learn how to display jewelry for sale in an effective way, you’ll need some help managing all of the incoming leads and appointment requests. Podium’s Jewelry and Reputation Management software is an all-in-one platform with AI-powered tools to help you automate your business.

With Podium, your jewelry business can automatically invite customers to submit reviews, improve customer communications through its AI-generated replies, call transcription and summary services, and even turn your smartphone into a card reader for easy in-person payments. These are just a few of the many tools you’ll have at your fingertips when you partner with Podium.

Watch a demo and learn more about how Podium can optimize your jewelry business workflows.