High-end jewelry is a big investment for most people. The average engagement ring costs around $6,000, which is often two to three month’s worth of paychecks. However, one company has begun making waves with lower cost, high-quality jewelry sold solely online. James Allen is a company under Signet jewelers operating exclusively virtually. 

As of 2017, James Allen is one of the top online jewelry stores, yet they still offer lower costs and higher selection than their competitors. Today, we’re going to explore how James Allen consistently sets an example for low prices and great service that other companies are rushing to emulate. 

Sales Tax

First and foremost, because James Allen is an online retailer, their sales tax policies are a little different than a brick-and-mortar store. Not only can they vary the sales tax charged according to state, but they can also forgo sales tax altogether. Sales tax may seem like a small charge, but when you consider the price of an expensive piece of jewelry with an added 8% sales tax, the price can increase quickly. 

As of now, there are 16 states where James Allen does not charge sales tax, but you can check their FAQ section to check if sales tax is charged where you live. In any case where you’re buying an expensive purchase online, be sure to check the sales tax policy to make sure that you know what you’re paying for.

Should you buy a lab-grown diamond?

Lab-Grown Diamonds

Lab-grown diamonds are manufactured by humans, made by placing a small piece of a diamond into a chamber with carbon-hydrogen, which will replicate the structure of a real diamond after it is left to grow for a month. These lab-grown diamonds cost 30% less than a natural diamond of a similar size, making them perfect for diamond hunters on a budget. 

James Allen offers lab-grown diamonds in the same settings as all of their regular diamonds. So if a customer wants an immediately lower price for the same setting and the same quality of a diamond, a lab-grown diamond is a way to go. James Allen continually sets the standard by offering the same options for both natural and lab-made diamonds.

Online Business Model

The online business model offers a much tighter margin for a customer in any market. No inventory, salespeople, physical stores, and maintenance makes for far lower prices than an in-person store. The same rings true for James Allen, who offers the same diamonds for far lower prices than a typical jewelry store. In comparison to their fellow online jewelers, James Allen still offers pretty competitive pricing.

In addition to a lower margin, online jewelry stores, in general, provide a much better atmosphere for customers. If you have ever been inside a regular jewelry store, you know that salespeople are pushy, convincing you to buy expensive jewelry that you can’t afford or don’t want. Online suppliers offer a buying experience where the buyer can browse slowly, cross-reference information, and even wait on buying a product for months at a time. 

Price Matching

James Allen has consistently stayed on the more modest side of price, but one factor that more jewelers should implement is price matching. If a consumer finds a similar diamond or piece of jewelry for a lower price from another store, you can send the information to James Allen and they will match the price for you. 

This is similar to a big box store’s policies on groceries or other small items, but the fact that James Allen does this with diamonds is ground-breaking. With this policy, a consumer can be sure that they’re getting the absolute best price on a diamond, no matter the source. It will be interesting to see if other jewelers begin implementing this, and how the price of diamonds will be affected in the future. 

James Allen offers lower prices than not only in-person showrooms but several of their online competitors. In the future, it will be interesting to see how other jewelry stores implement the policies that have worked for James Allen. The era of technology has improved jewelry buying exponentially, and James Allen is leading on that front. 

Fashion is a form of art of expressing oneself. It is all about the aesthetics of dressing up, accessorizing, doing the hairstyle, makeup, etc. A sense of fashion or the clothes that a person wears speaks a lot about their personality. If someone has good taste in clothes and knows how to carry themselves, it becomes a statement of style for the others.

People are increasingly addicted to the fashion-world as some people are dependent on online slots for fun. They believe it to be their own form of escapism, a means to keep aside their flaws and embrace their abilities. Fashion is much more than just clothing!

Preaching Fashion

There is an increase in the number of public influencers on social networking websites these days. The videos of makeup tutorials on YouTube, blogs and models on Instagram, etc. are all about preaching fashion in their own creative ways, in the endless circle of influence.

Instagram has given many new faces a platform to express their skills regarding the craze. It is seen that Instagram influencer marketing is a $1.7 billion industry, with the tech giant ranking as the most important social media channel. There are many online fashion communities that have given a chance to the self-made models to gather followers and inspire them. Many new fashion brands have also come up with the aid of social media.

Vogue magazines are also important components of the fancy world. They help people to understand fashion better. There are many useful tips that magazines provide about beauty, dressing and teaming up clothes and accessories, shoes, bags, makeup, etc.

Recent Trends

Fashion trends recycle themselves! The old trends keep coming back and again get outdated in a few days. Some of the fashion trends that made a comeback are the 90s’ bell-bottom jeans, chokers, and cargo pants. Silk scarves, round glasses, flannel shirts, sneakers have also managed to make a comeback in recent times.

Ripped denim makes a comeback almost every 5-10 years. The 90s’ plaids, sweatpants, leather jackets, dungarees, winged eyeliner, brown gothic lipsticks are all back!

Many other trends like the bob haircut, neon colours on clothes and shoes, high waisted denim, boots are some other vintage styles that have come alive again.

Though it is difficult to put fashion in a box, some of the patterns on-trend are:

• polka dots

• floral patterns

• animal prints

• classic pinstripes

• geometric jigsaw prints

• tie it and dye it patterns

• camouflage patterns

• optical illusion prints

• tropical prints

• African prints

• patchworks.

The colours that are being picked by the fashionistas these days are:

• dove blue

• slime green

• lemon yellow

• golden yellow

• beige

• bright orange

• bold green

• bright pink

• soft browns

• lavender tones

• neon.

Other commodities and looks that are the biggest trends of recent times are: 

• bamboo bags

• biker shorts

• wrap dresses

• boiler suits / dungarees

• neo-gothic looks

• puff shoulder dresses

• bucket hats

• capes

• flat shoes

Casinos – Hub for Modern Fashion Trendsetters

Since fashion is permanently changing, the casino fashion has to change simultaneously, too. While casinos still enforce strict dress codes, some patrons have already pulled away from fashionable attires. Nowadays, many casino visitors wear jeans, t-shirts and sneakers. Depending on the house, patrons can dress up at will. 

Probably, it was the casino’s strict dress codes that urged people to stay home and gamble online. Gambling online, players can wear anything and still access their favourite casino games. In fact, they can wear their pyjamas if they want to and play their favourite games!

Factors Influencing Fashion

There are many factors that influence the trends in clothing to a great extent. 

• Diverse cultural influence: Van Dyke Lewis, an assistant professor from the Department of textiles, Cornell University, said:

“As we move toward being one society, we also keep alive categories of people–defined in racial or subcultural terms- whose needs, tastes, and wants are different from each other.” 

Fashion, in a way, is very important because it represents cultural variations and the inter-cultural diversities. Inter-cultural exchanges have brought about a lot of changes in fashion all across the world.

• Celebrities: Celebrities have widely been used as a means of provoking attitudinal and emotional reactions than a non-celebrity endorser. 

According to Weber (2008), imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. When you admire someone, it is easy to allow that person to influence the choices you make, including admirable clothing. The clothes that celebrities wear to the red carpets, movie promotions, etc. are used as fashion icons to increase the popularity of the designers and the clothes they are making.

• Economic state: The topic of fashion marketing can be best understood by a fashion designing student. The economy of a country plays a major role in the fashion industry. The fashion trends are set according to the economy. The rise in the price of various fabrics like silk, velvet, leather, etc. in different places is also a major reason for the variation of fashion in different countries. Whereas, the economic boom and an increase in income lead people to buy more clothing.

• Entertainment world: The world of movies and music is a major influencer of the fashion world. Various actors and actresses all across the world have successfully made various looks in movies famous among the audiences. Many musicians have also popularised many trends and have become fashion icons.

• Social views related to fashion: The surrounding of a person or the expectation of a social cycle they belong to is a great cause influencing fashion. With the change of time, both women and men have become more liberated, and their style has also changed a great deal. With time, comes the up-gradation and shift in fashion trends.

• Climatic influence: Weather plays a major role in the shift of fashion from one end of the world to another. Furry jackets and caps are preferable in snowy areas than floral and light dresses, which are more apt in tropical countries.

Concluding Thoughts 

Fashion cannot be fitted into any particular category. The taste of the fashion of different people on different occasions may vary. Some may think that a particular style is acceptable, whereas others may not like it.

However, in recent times, the concept of a stereotypical model with long legs, fit body and fair skin is obsolete. There are various celebrated fashion icons with plus-sized bodies, dwarfism, pitch dark skin, rare genetic disorders or severe skin conditions.

Fashion is all about one’s confidence. It has nothing to do with how the person appears. Therefore body-diversity is not just a trend, it is here to stay and inspire a lot of people to try their careers in the fashion world.

One of Nike’s newest women’s sneaker offerings. Unveiled back in January, the Air Max Verona pays homage to Nike’s first women’s exclusive Air max shoe: the Air Verona, which made its debut back in 1992. The Nike Air Max Verona borrows elements from the tooling of the Air Max 90 and reimagines them to create a unique look which includes the exaggerated heel. The Air Max Verona also comes equipped with the Air Max 200 unit, which consists of a window that’s 200% larger than the traditional Air unit.

One of Nike Air Max Verona’s first colorways is known as Guava Ice. Done in a color scheme officially listed as Guava Ice, Black, Barely Volt, and Crimson Tint, the mixed material upper is done in Guava Ice. The tonal upper is accented by the secondary colors noted on the heel overlay, Swoosh, tongue tag branding, eyelets and air unit. 

Available now, pick up the Nike Air Max Verona from select retailers for $140. 

Nike and Women’s History Month

Being that March is officially known as Women’s History Month, we thought it’d be dope to highlight some of Nike’s most known women’s specific models that they have to offer. This is actually a big deal because it wasn’t too long ago that the women’s Nike sneaker selection was limited to women’s-exclusive colorways of certain “male” silhouettes and only a handful of women’s sneakers. That is no longer the case since Nike now offers a plethora of women’s-exclusive models ranging from lifestyle offerings to running and training silhouettes.

Today we place our focus on the Nike Air Max Verona in the Guava Ice colorway, but before we do that let’s go over some of Nike’s most notable women’s-exclusive sneakers from the past couple of years.  

Nike Air Force 1 Sage Low

Nike has designed a more feminine version of the classic Nike Air Force 1 Low. They have managed to do that by adding a few simple details to accomplish that look. The Nike Air Force 1 Sage Low is given a platform midsole to give the shoe some added height, while the pared-down upper results in a more bold and clean finish. From afar, this looks like your typical Air Force 1. It’s only when you get up close when you notice and appreciate the difference. 

Nike Air Max Dia

The women’s Nike Air Max Dia is cool because it was actually designed for a woman’s foot. The lifted look of the shoe creates a sleeker shape. Opting for a minimal aesthetic, the modern Air Max model’s most notable feature is the Max Air unit housed by the clear TPU. 

Nike ZoomX Vista Grind

Bold and modern are the two words that come to mind when I think of this model. One of Nike’s newest women models from this list, the Nike ZoomX Vista Grind is easily recognized due to its exaggerated features, most notable the uniquely designed midsole and the semi-translucent upper. Equipped with a ZoomX midsole, the silhouette is comfy and rebellious in its own way.

Nike Air Max Thea

You know we have to throw in another Air Max model being that Air Max Day is in March! The women’s Air Max Thea combines the classic Air Max cushioning and combines it with a sleek profile to create a style ideal for the everyday look.