JCP aims to snag the well-heeled modern bride

Plano, Texas--J.C. Penney is elevating its line of Modern Bride-branded engagement rings, offering finished pieces as expensive as $10,000 and, in another innovation for the retailer, selling loose diamonds on its website so brides-to-be can create custom pieces.

The launch is indicative of two trends in retailing: strength at the high-end of the market and younger consumers’ desire for more personalized pieces. 

The Modern Bride Signature collection ranges in price from $2,500 to $10,000 retail and includes more than 20 styles available in select J.C. Penney stores, with an extended assortment available online. Each ring contains a hidden, color-enhanced blue diamond placed beneath the center stone, giving brides “something blue” to wear on their wedding day. 

Complementing the launch of the Signature collection is the introduction of the Modern Bride Diamond Vault on JCPenney.com, where consumers can choose from a selection of loose diamonds to create their own ring, pendant or earrings. Settings are available in platinum, white or yellow gold. 

J.C. Penney first started carrying Modern Bride-branded jewelry in 2011 in a collaboration with publisher Condé Nast, which owns the name. (Once a standalone publication, Modern Bride magazine was folded into Brides, also a Condé Nast publication, in 2009.)  

Retail prices for the general Modern Bride collection start at $1,000. Higher-quality diamonds are the reason for the prices in the Signature collection, with those stones graded by Independent Gemological Laboratories, or IGL. 

As J.C. Penney has fought to regain its footing after changes made by former CEO Ron Johnson proved unpopular with customers, the retailer has cited fine jewelry as one of its best-selling categories multiple times, including in its latest results reported in August.

The fine jewelry department of the Plano-based retailer, however, also was among a number of large chains dinged on the Today show for selling lead-glass filled rubies without proper disclosure. In a statement, J.C. Penney told the morning news program that it would be updating the labeling of its lead-glass filled ruby jewelry so that “customers and associates clearly understand the nature of this enhanced gemstone.”