28/05/2026
Consignment is a reality nobody can deny today. Fewer and fewer retailers are taking risks. Inventory is expensive. Floor space is limited.
Designers are either reluctant or not able to offer/agree to full consignment terms or they fully accept consignment and try & make it work.
Those are usually designers with deep pockets or designers that are looking for a window to legitimize their brand. Lets be clear here, today consignment opens doors to a certain extent. Most retailers will focus their efforts on brands that sell regularly, brands who create solid revenue for them. That is business !
Some succeed to truly partner with retailers and some don’t, and end up despondent about wholesale.
Consignment will most likely work when the jewellery sells, the retailer pays, and everybody’s happy.
But that sounds like the dream scenario ! Especially when the retailer is communicative and pays promptly.
What happens if the jewellery that has been produced at the brand’s expense and risk is slow to sell ?
How to make sure the jewellery is well presented in store, well introduced to clients… and able to capture a growing audience?
Who is in charge of promoting the brand to ensure strong brand awareness building ?
Building a fine jewellery business requires significant investment once again, lets not shy away from this fact, it requires strategy, patience and flexibility. And ideally great jewellery that clients want to buy.
The product is one key thing, and marketing is another one.
A show… any show… is a platform to develop visibility, a show cannot provide any sales guarantee.
Consignment can work when everybody’s putting in the hardwork. But a word of caution: consignment is not for everybody.
