STAWAR COLUMN: Psychology of jewelry
Nov 14, 2019 3 min to read
Terry Stawar
""As the holiday season gears up, many individuals have already begun their shopping. For many adults, jewelry is the obvious choice. This Christmas, Tiffany & Co. is offering a limited edition Advent Calendar. This 4-foot calendar is in the shape of Tiffany’s Fifth Avenue store and contains 24 Tiffany surprises. As you might expect, jewelry dominates with gold and platinum pendants, brooches, rings, earrings and bangles, many with diamonds. There is also a sterling silver harmonica, paper cup, key ring and clothespin, as well as a Tiffany watch and Eau de Parfum. The cost of the calendar starts at $112,000, which is probably a little too rich for most Americans.
The over 60,000 American jewelry stores are part of a $30 billion industry. Although there was recently a slight dip in industry revenues, rising disposable income is expected to revive demand. About 28% of yearly jewelry sales take place during the holiday season.
What makes jewelry an appropriate holiday gift? First of all, jewelry is something that most people usually do not buy for themselves. It is a sentimental gift that also can be worn immediately and become a heirloom later. Jewelry is generally a good financial investment and increases in value over time. Many people, who claim they don’t want jewelry as a gift, really may desire it, but feel that it’s too impractical and expensive.
Research has shown that wearing jewelry can increase an individual’s self-esteem. In one study, wearing jewelry was shown to reduce irritability in nursing home patients with memory disorders, by increasing their self-regard.
Roughly 95% of all jewelry sold is made for women and only 5% is made for men. Market research, however, shows that about 60% of all jewelry purchases are paid for by women, while 40% are paid for by men. The most common men’s jewelry items are wedding bands, watches, lapel pins, necklaces, cufflinks, shirt studs, tie accents, rings, belt buckles, and military and religious jewelry. When I was growing up, boxed sets of tie clips and cufflinks were very common Christmas gifts for men. Today, however, very few shirts have double cuffs, so I never get to wear my psychology logo cufflinks.
Psychologists have associated certain types of jewelry with specific personality features. For example, wearing ... "
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