Stocking and Selling Children’s Jewelry: What You Need to Know

Impress Parents With Your Knowledge of Jewelry to Sell More

Kids LOVE jewelry.

Granted, they may not have the ability to articulately explain why they like the jewelry they do….

But they love jewelry regardless.

And not just girls – boys enjoy masculine necklaces and pendants quite a bit.

However, there is one key element to keep in mind when stocking jewelry for children: children don’t have money.

While a certain number of them might have a small allowance, 90 percent of the time, it will be parents buying jewelry for the kids to wear. In this piece, we’re defining “kids” as those roughly younger than 13 years.

Because, once kids hit puberty, they start getting a LOT more interested in self-expression and fashion. They want to impress all the guys and/or girls in their school after all.

Younger children, while they may actually love fashion, simply don’t have the financial resources to directly act on those feelings. In most places, you can’t even get a paper route until about age 13 or 14, and paper routes pay below minimum wage.

All of this to say: If you want to sell childrens’ jewelry, you MUST cater to their parents desires as well.

Parents care about things such as:

• Is this jewelry safe for my child to wear?
• Is this jewelry age appropriate for my child?
• Is this jewelry durable enough for my child to wear?
• How much money am I willing to spend on jewelry my child might lose tomorrow?
• Will my child actually wear this piece?

In this article, we want to educate you on the above questions, so you can be prepared when the parents come a-knockin’.

Most of all, parents seek reassurance when it comes to things related to their children. This means your ability to give parents intelligent answers to their questions will sell you more jewelry!

At the end of this piece, we’ll offer several examples of jewelry that will be sure sellers.

What Material Should Parents Choose For Their Children’s Jewelry?

The main considerations for materials are:

• Cost (parents might not want to spend a lot for jewelry that could get lost easily)
• Allergic reaction prevention
• Durability (kids can be rather rough on their jewelry)

Let’s break each of these down.

Cost

Let’s be blunt: Most parents are not going to buy pure gold jewelry for their children. They’re also probably not going to buy expensive gemstones.

The most expensive material they will choose is probably going to be gold plated sterling silver.

This rule might be broken for pieces they only allow their children to wear to special occasions (Baptism, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, weddings, funerals, etc.), but these are the exceptions that prove the rule.

Preventing Allergic Reactions

Source: julietoliver

Parents fear for their children.

They want to keep them safe, above all else. This is a CRUCIAL thing you MUST understand in order to sell to parents.

While parents may have fear of wasting money, their fear for their children’s health is much stronger.

So, knowing which materials are hypoallergenic, and which materials are most likely to lead to an allergic reaction is THE MOST important information you can possess for selling children’s jewelry.

While most people are fine wearing nickel jewelry, it is the metal causing most allergic reactions.

Therefore, it would be unwise to sell children’s jewelry with large amounts of nickel in it. Many costume jewelry pieces are suspect here.

But what about sterling silver jewelry? Is it hypoallergenic?

An article titled, “Hypoallergenic Vs. Sterling Silver Earrings” from Leaf.tv explores this question:

“Sterling silver is a jewelry alloy of 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent other metals. The other metal in sterling silver is generally copper, but it can also be germanium, zinc or platinum.

Traces of nickel can also be found in sterling silver jewelry and can cause an allergic reaction in people with intense jewelry allergies.

However, most people who are allergic to nickel can wear sterling silver jewelry.” (emphasis added)

Let’s look at that last line again.

It doesn’t’ say most people can wear sterling silver jewelry without a reaction.

It says most people who already have an allergy to nickel (which is a small subset of the overall population), can wear sterling silver jewelry without a reaction.

In other words, you can confidently recommend sterling silver jewelry to your customers.

However, if a parent tells you their child has a nickel allergy or their child is about to get a new piercing, it would be wise to also offer them an EVEN SAFER material than sterling silver.

Nickel Allergies and New Piercings

Source: ep.yimg.com

An article from Jewelry Wise titled, “Jewelry for Kids” has this to say about material choice for a new piercing:

“Nickel allergies are a common cause of allergic contact dermatitis.

The skin reaction is similar to one caused by infection, so if those newly pierced ears are looking bad, it could be an infection or it could be an allergy.

Look for earring materials that tend to not irritate newly pierced ears.”

Since sterling silver is 92.5 percent silver (aka definitely not nickel), if you want to be extra cautious, you want to recommend parents buy materials that are even more pure.

These could include very high purity gold or silver, but these materials are also relatively soft (not durable) and expensive.

The best bet for a highly worried parent would be surgery grade stainless steel. It’s very pure, it’s very durable and it’s not that expensive compared to gold or silver.

However, it is important to note almost all children with nickel allergies will be completely fine wearing sterling silver jewelry.

As a piece from Jewelry Info Place titled, “What is Hypoallergenic Jewelry?” says,

“Although there are some people who are allergic to silver, most people who are allergic to nickel are not allergic to (sterling) silver because sterling silver is an almost pure metal usually made from 92.5% silver and 7.5% of other metals like zinc or copper…so it does not contain nickel, the most common source of allergies.”

The bottom line on children’s jewelry and allergens?

Almost everyone will be safe with sterling silver jewelry, but offering a small selection of surgical grade stainless steel can be a wise choice to lessen the fears of certain parents (and make the sale).

Durability/hardiness

To be honest, there’s not much that needs to be said here that isn’t common sense.

Children’s brains are not quite as developed as adults, particularly in areas that deal with impulse control and making rational decisions.

And kids love to have fun!

So, buying a child a rather expensive, thin gold necklace and then sending them to the playground, is probably a bad idea … unless you like throwing money away!

Pure gold and silver are relatively “soft” metals, meaning they are easily scratched.

That’s why sterling silver, or gold-plated sterling silver, is a better idea – it’s a bit harder and much less expensive.

Again, stainless steel is also a great choice due to its cost and durability.

Example Pieces

Ok, we’ve offered plenty of background on what you need to know to sell children’s jewelry to parents.

Now, let’s move on to various example pieces from Elf925wholesale.com!

These pieces are all made of sterling silver. Sterling silver is probably the best material choice for children’s jewelry because of its low cost, good durability, and near-hypoallergenic nature.

Children’s Silver Owl Pendant with Epoxy

This fun owl pendant has bright colors and a cool design that’s sure to appeal to younger children.

This sterling silver pendant is a great addition to your child’s jewelry selection.

Wholesale Kids Silver Crystal Butterfly Earrings

Butterflies are very “in” with children, and these pink butterfly earrings have enough crystals on them to make a child feel “fabulous.”

Additionally, due to the innocent design, parents shouldn’t have a problem allowing their children to wear these earrings.

Children’s Silver Button Necklace

This sterling silver button necklace is simple enough it will appeal to both young boys and young girls alike.

It almost looks like a lost piece of treasure or a clue to a deeper mystery … ideas kids love.

Children’s Silver Heart Necklace with Crystal

Going back toward the feminine, we have a silver heart necklace with crystals inlaid.

The contrast in colors draws the eye in while the pink asserts this piece’s femininity even more so.

Children’s Silver Football Ring Adjustable

This is a more masculine piece with a sporty theme! Since the design is quite minimalist and silver, boys shouldn’t have a problem wearing this piece of jewelry.

Children’s Silver Monkey Bracelet with Epoxy and Epoxy Color

Finally, we have, perhaps, the most fun piece of all: a silver monkey bracelet!

You can’t help but smile when you see this monkey’s grin and children will love the smile as well.

This piece will appeal to parents, boys and girls alike.