Rob Bates | November 18, 2015
"Big retailers are touting greater discounts on jewelry than any other category for Black Friday, with the average advertised price-cut totaling 73 percent, according to a new survey by WalletHub.
The Washington, D.C.–based personal finance site scanned 8,000 Black Friday deals offered by 30 of the biggest U.S. retailers.
Jewelry was also the most heavily discounted category in 2014—though last year, the average discount was a far lower 58 percent.
This year, jewelry far outpaced every other category as far as advertised discounts. The number two category—books, movies, and music—averaged a 56 percent discount, roughly even with last year.
Groupon advertised the highest ... "
http://www.jckonline.com/2015/11/18/jew ... -306540353
Here's a story I wanted to post the day before yesterday but never got around to, so I figure now that we have 2 articles on sellers offering huge discounts on jewelry, it's even more interesting when you take a look at the pros and cons.
Jewelry Should Not Be Discounted 75 Percent
Rob Bates | November 20, 2015
"A WalletHub survey published this week found that jewelry was the most the most heavily discounted category on Black Friday this year, as it was last year. The averaged (advertised) discount: 76 percent, up from last year’s 58 percent.
Not to be outdone, Amazon soon announced “up to 70 percent off” diamond jewelry on Black Friday. Macy’s is even offering 30 percent off engagement rings, an item that is not commonly marked down.
But let’s consider what kind of message this sends. If these items are now sold for 70 percent off, does that mean they are ordinarily 70 percent too expensive?
These pricing strategies “undermine the true value of a piece of jewelry,” says Charles Stanley, president of Forevermark USA.
This has been going on for years, of course, although lately it seems to be happening more with jewelry than other items, in part because jewelry doesn’t have an obvious reference price. It’s easy to check if you are getting 30 percent off your iPad. But jewelry is much harder to comparison shop.
At worst, these tactics mislead consumers, as they are based on reference prices that don’t exist, and a few retailers have faced class-action suits because of them. But even assuming all is on the level, they also raise consumer expectations to a degree that can’t be sustained long-term.
Take, for example, ... "
http://www.jckonline.com/blogs/cutting- ... -306540353
I got out my tools and carefully bent it back into place, but these things are machined, and getting it exactly positioned and with the proper tension proved impossible, so I was pretty peeved because the earrings were brand new and useless. 
