Depending on where they live and at what stage they are, the jewelry that teens tend to wear ranges anywhere from more-mature versions of younger children’s items, simple, demure copies of adult jewelry, Indian wedding-type jewelry, or even full-on all over body piercings.  There are perennial favorites, seasonal novelties, and items for teenage boys as well as girls.   All of these are available from wholesale jewelry websites online.  The question is, what will sell well over time, and, can a seller (or anyone!) predict what teens will want?

There are some general guidelines, mostly determined by where in their teen years your buyer is.   Cartoon character jewelry can be very popular with the youngest teens, although as they get a little older, manga characters may be preferred.  Children just past their pre-teens may want a more adult look, choosing jewelry that is similar to those items their parents wear, but with more color or the addition of a favorite character.

Once kids hit their mid-teens, they start choosing wholesale jewelry that is what they think of as ‘wilder’ than anything their folks would wear.  The young women may go for the Indian bridal jewelry look, buying things such as toe rings, hathphool (bracelets with attached rings), or maang tikka (which are worn in the hair, along the part).  Young men may decide to sport surfer jewelry – necklaces made of black string or leather, with medallions of dolphins, sharks, skulls, etc.

Older teens in high school and college may develop an interest in body jewelry.  Body piercing has maintained its popularity, especially in college towns and cities around the world.  Nose, lip, eyebrow, navel, and tongue rings, as well as barbells, ear lobe plugs, and other specialty items continue to fascinate the older teen.  Non-piercing versions of these items are also available.

Some jewelry never seems to go out of favor with teens.  Mood rings and moonstones are two items that have been popular for decades, and still sell very well.  Seasonal jewelry and items related to current trends also tend to catch teenagers’ eyes.

Of course, cultural differences and expectations do influence teens’ purchases of wholesale jewelry.  But more and more, a sort of universal teen culture is coalescing around the world, as teens use the internet to communicate online across state, national, and economic boundaries.  You can research what current teen trends are by searching social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace.  Catch the beginning of a trend, and business can boom!

Photo: lunarpersuasion

Ever since the legendary days of ancient Egypt, when idols of the cat goddess Bast (or Bastet) were worshiped and festooned with necklaces and earrings, people have enjoyed buying and using jewelry for their pets.  We may no longer have cat figurines on our home altars, but today there are wholesale jewelry sellers who specialize in adornments for the cats, dogs, and other animals in our lives.  Learning about the types of pet jewelry available could lead you to a profitable wholesale or retail business venture that’s also enjoyable and interesting.

One of the most common forms of wholesale jewelry for pets are tags for dog or cat collars.  These can be stainless steel, pewter, silver, and even gold.  Tags come in an almost infinite variety of shapes, although for canines the dog biscuit shape is the most commonly offered.  Practical tags may be engraved with the pet’s name and the owner’s address and phone number, but jewelry tags are something else again.  Clever and endearing sayings can be found, such as “Tummy Rub, Please” or “Best Dog on the Block.”  Some wholesalers do personalized engraving so, if you come up with a saying or two for a tag of your own, you can order them by the batch – a good way to individualize your business!

Another popular form of wholesale jewelry for Fluffy or Spot is necklaces, a much more fun version of a pet’s collar.  A far cry from the stereotypical surfer dog’s necklace of a worn bandanna (still popular among conservative Golden Retrievers and Labradors along California’s coastline), these items can range from expensively sublime to adorably funny.  Like tags, they are also available in a wide range of metals, including platinum, and can be plain or adorned with costume jewels and medallions of every description.  Do you see cats as truly elegant creatures?  Then you should undoubtedly offer pearl necklaces for kitties – double strand, of course!

Jewelry for horses is also available wholesale.  These delightful dangles are often made of beads, feathers, leather, and other natural materials, and can be braided into a horse’s mane.  These are great for horse trials, rodeos, and cross country riding.  Depending on the competition, some rather elegant horse jewelry is allowed at equestrian, dressage, and other shows.  Horse lovers represent a strong market where you can find a solid customer base through the right emphasis in your advertising.

Fun and unusual, pet jewelry offers a great creative opportunity and could be just the right specialty for your business!

Photo: tanakawho

One way to specialize is to offer only a certain form of jewelry.  Perhaps you’ve always found yourself more interested in bracelets – bangles, clasp, metal, beaded -  than in other types of jewelry.  A search through the catalogs of most wholesale jewelry companies will show you a virtually unlimited choice of bracelets available in a wide price range.  While specializing in bracelets, you could also carry anklets, childrens, teens, and adult bracelets for both men and women.  Or you could specialize in earrings, or necklaces – the choice is yours!

Another way to develop your business niche would be to offer only one type of jewelry.  Do you really like gold jewelry?  Or jade?  Pearls, opals, silver, beads?  You can choose and sell necklaces, bracelets, rings, chokers, anklets, all in the type you prefer and in the price range you want to pay.  For example, you can offer your customers only gold jewelry, but in a wide range of prices for every budget.  You could even specialize further, perhaps by offering only men’s gold rings with stones or insignias.

Hand-crafted jewelry is also available, and can be developed into a very viable business.  These items can be a bit pricier than machine or mass-produced pieces, but they have a great appeal to your potential buyers.  Knowing that you’re supporting individual artisans is personally satisfying, as well as  offering a great marketing concept to plan your wholesale jewelry business around! 

Other ways to specialize include themed jewelry, such as western, ethnic, Native American, or animal (horses or seagulls or…).  You could specialize in jewelry for children, or teens, or men.  Whatever you choose, do some solid research first – and then have fun choosing your favorite pieces!

Photo: cjc4454

If you run a bricks and mortar business, discover what makes your area unique, and theme your wholesale jewelry business around that uniqueness.  In a tourist destination town, this may prove difficult – everyone’s selling seashell earrings by the seashore!  But you can do some research by going online and finding unusual seashell jewelry items (body piercings or toe rings, for example) other stores aren’t carrying, and prominently display them in a catalog you send to local jewelry shops. Once retail sellers realize you have a variety of items easily available, your sales will increase.

Whether you have a storefront or only an online presence, an inviting, attractive website is a must.  Make yours quick to load (shoppers won’t wait around for a slow website!), interesting, and easy to navigate.  Learn how search engines reach your website, and design it with your customer’s shopping habits in mind.  Carefully choose what goes on the home page of your wholesale jewelry website, since it’s the first chance you have to entice customers to explore the items you have for sale. 

The first thing a customer needs is a quick overview of what you have to offer.  Place smaller pictures of your most unusual pieces near the top, with easily-navigated links.  If you specialize in a particular type of jewelry (beaded or ethnic, for example), make that clear with both text and pictures.  Also indicate what methods of payment you accept – PayPal may be the easiest for most customers.  You can also start a blog, join Twitter, Facebook, and other social networking sites, and provide a way for customers to sign up on an email list so that you can send them news on your latest sales.  For those sales, discounts on holiday-themed items (red and gold jewelry for Christmas, perhaps) should be offered far-enough in advance so your customers can get their orders in time.

One last thing – offer a donation to a choice of non-profits with every purchase.  List links to these non-profits, and theme the choices to the items, if possible.  Then, when your customer chooses those lovely dachshund toe rings, the ASPCA will benefit, your customer will be glad they choose to shop with you, and you’ll see your sales start climbing!

Photo: theogeo

One thing that’s very important when you’re just starting purchasing from a wholesale jewelry business is whether the company you want to buy from allows changes in the order before it’s shipped.  Until you really know your market, you may find yourself having to change your order.  Many discount jewelry companies will allow you to, but only within a certain time frame after you place your order.  Unless you have some experience in the business, you will want to look for a company that lets you change the order within a reasonable time.

Another thing to look for is the minimum purchase amount.  Some companies have no minimum dollar amount per order, while others require orders of $100, $800, $5000, or more.  What you can afford to purchase will depend on your business plan and financing, as well as on how you will be marketing the wholesale jewelry you choose.  If the business you’re starting is a smaller boutique jewelry site, you may want to order from wholesale jewelers who have no or a low minimum order.  Payment terms are another important factor.  Some companies will accept partial payments before shipping and the balance when they ship.

Lead, or production, time is another important consideration.  How long it takes a company to ship the jewelry to you after you order will determine when you can start selling and then restock.  Reliable wholesalers will list this on their sales policy or FAQ pages.  They may also state if they can do rush orders, and whether they charge extra to get your discount jewelry to you so you can keep selling.

Carefully read the company’s return and refund policy as well.  When you are investing to start a new business, it’s important to know if a product arrives broken or not as stated that you can return it for a refund.  Most companies have some policy for refunding money on your wholesale jewelry purchase, but many list certain limitations, such as the time since the order was shipped or whether they still carry the product or not.

Check every policy page on the wholesale jewelry outlet site, then you can get to the fun part – choosing the jewelry you want!

Photo: Sarah G…