STEVENS, Pa., Dec. 18 (UPI) -- More than half of U.S. adults bought jewelry in the past year either for themselves or to give as gifts, a report by Unity Marketing has reported.
A key finding in the study is a gender gap in the jewelry market.
"Women are from Venus and men are from Mars when it comes to jewelry shopping and buying," says Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing and author of "Let Them Eat Cake: Marketing Luxury to the Masses -- as well as the Classes."
Men buy mostly fine jewelry items as gifts for women, while women are about equally likely to buy either fine or costume jewelry -- for themselves.
Women's jewelry dominates the U.S. market of $57 billion, accounting for nearly 90 percent of the dollar volume in 2003. What little men's jewelry is sold is purchased by men; women don't buy jewelry as a gift for men, says Danziger.
Women buy more jewelry pieces per year, but men spend much more money -- men who buy jewelry spend two-times more per year than women do.
