Online jewelry sales in the US market reached $2.45 billion in 2006, up nearly 20 percent from 2005, according to new data from IDEX Online Research (via eMarketer).
Online sales accounted for 3.9 percent of total jewelry industry sales of $63.0 billion in 2006. Sales are expected to account for just over 8 percent of the industry total by 2010.
The best-selling diamond online is the diamond engagement ring. Blue Nile, the largest online jeweler in the U.S., sells about 90 percent diamonds - compared with the average specialty jeweler's 50 percent.
Websites that offered unconditional free shipping on jewelry were those that performed the best.
