The jewelry industry, while unthinkably large, is an e-commerce industry that almost anyone can break into. There will never be a lack of demand for things like earrings, necklaces, and bracelets, which is good news for anybody who wants to start their own business. Indeed, starting a jewelry line can gain you massive traffic from all over the world, especially with the immense popularity of social media and e-commerce these days!

With that said, it can be difficult to figure out what to sell. With so much competition going around, you need to identify your niche so you can sell something that differentiates you from other competitors while still being discoverable by the audience.

Below are the seven most common niches in the jewelry industry today.

1. Affordable Jewelry

Back in the old days, jewelry was only often associated with the rich and famous. Not everybody had the luxury of wearing necklaces or bracelets or earrings or rings.

These days, however, jewelry has been made more accessible due to fashion jewelry e-commerce. Instead of using gold or platinum, they use steel or tungsten. Instead of using diamonds or rubies, they use glass or zirconia.

The downside to affordable jewelry is that customers are often paying for quantity, not quality. You need to be mindful of what you’re making affordable jewelry out of as some people can have allergic reactions to them. They also tarnish and break very easily, which probably isn’t going to make people very happy.

Always remember that just because the input is cheap doesn’t mean the output has to be. Make the most out of your materials and come out with something as good as name-brand jewelry!

2. Body Jewelry

Over the years, piercings all over the body have had a massive surge in popularity. Nowadays, it feels like just about any part of your body can get pierced!

With this, the demand for body jewelry like belly button rings, nipple rings, tongue studs, and other unconventional types of jewelry has been on the rise. Because most of them can’t be found easily in local jewelry shops, people go online to shop for them.

Now, keep in mind that body jewelry is one of the toughest kinds of jewelry to sell on e-commerce websites. They’re not like regular earrings that usually fit most earlobes. They need to be sold in various sizes, materials and shapes to account for peoples’ various health concerns, body types, and piercing placements.

We recommend you only sell body jewelry if you’re very knowledgeable about piercings around the body.

3. Plated Jewelry

Lots of people want to have expensive jewelry minus the expensive part. Plated jewelry answers this need by providing jewelry that is made of inexpensive material but is covered in a thin layer of precious metal—think a nickel ring covered with gold foiling.

It’s important not to falsely advertise plated jewelry as authentic. On every product page, you need to clearly state your item is plated so customers will know what they’re paying for, especially if they have allergic reactions to cheap metal. If you’re using fake gems, you need to advertise that too—not doing so is a very scummy business ethic and will not do you any favors reputation-wise.

4. Handcrafted Jewelry

Handcrafted jewelry adds a nice, personal touch to your products. This is one of the easiest niches to go for as handcrafted jewelry can be made out of almost anything—polymer clay, resin, and even store-bought materials like paperclips!

They’re also pretty neat because you add a unique customer experience. You can offer them custom-made products that are perfectly tailored to their preferences in terms of colors, sizes, materials, and more.

Of course, making handcrafted jewelry will take a longer time than usual as it can’t be mass-produced, which is why they tend to be less affordable. However, lots of people are willing to pay extra if it means having something unique.

5. Luxury Jewelry

In total contrast to affordable or plated jewelry, fine jewelry is made out of precious metals and gemstones. They are usually also designed in more intricate and delicate designs that you can’t find in just any jewelry store. This is why luxury jewelry tends to be very expensive and can cost up to tens of thousands of dollars!

The appeal of luxury jewelry is its durability. Because they’re made of high-quality materials and are made with excellent craftsmanship, they last a lot longer and can even be passed down from generation to generation. This makes them good investments to have—they’ll likely be just as or even more valuable for years to come.

While sales might not be as frequent as in the other niches, profits can be huge.

6. Vintage Jewelry

Jewelry is something that has been around for millennia. It’s present in cultures all over the world. For history lovers or jewelry collectors, collecting vintage and historical jewelry is a long-term and expensive hobby—one that you can capitalize on.

Two things make vintage jewelry attractive. First, it’s quirky—fashions come and go, so vintage jewelry can be a blast from the past for some people. They’re unique pieces that you can’t readily find on the shelves.

Second, there’s usually a story behind vintage jewelry. Was the necklace crafted by a long-dead fashion designer? Was the bracelet found at the bottom of the ocean? Did the last owner of the ring die of mysterious causes?

Like luxury jewelry, vintage jewelry can become more valuable over time, especially if they’ve got history.

7. Fair-Trade Jewelry

Fair-trade jewelry is jewelry that usually supports some sort of cause, whether it be environmental, social, or moral.

For example, with many issues regarding child labor or unpaid wages, consumers want to know if the shops they’re coming from are paying their employees properly. Another example of it is responsibly-sourced jewelry—if the materials are coming from farmers and miners that are being paid generously for their work, then people will have no qualms about buying from them.

Fair-trade jewelry is a great way of shedding light on various issues in society and what people can do to fix them. It also lets you give back to the community by using your privilege to help others.