While bricks-and-mortar jewellers in the US generally saw a decline in sales during the past Christmas shopping season, their online counterparts appeared to have fared well.

Amazon.com Inc recently announced that diamond sales on its shopping website increased over 100 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007 compared to the same time last year. The online retailer also said in a statement that an increasing number of customers are buying from Amazon.com Jewelry & Watch store, especially for peak jewellery buying seasons such as Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.

The “Journey” curve pendant in 14-karat white gold, platinum diamond stud earrings and 2-carat round cut stone were among the top sellers, Amazon said, adding that black diamond jewellery also sold well after it added 150 new black diamond styles during the season. Coloured gemstone jewellery such as those with coated Swiss blue topaz in 14-karat while gold mountings also became many online shoppers’ favourites.

Meanwhile, giant online jeweller Blue Nile also achieved a sales growth of about 23 percent in the fourth season of 2007 compared to the same period last year. The company reported net sales of US$319.3 million in the full year of 2007, up by about 27 percent from the fiscal year 2006, the Israel diamond portal reported.

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