Shoppers gravitate to the irresistible baubles in boutique and department store showcases. The preview to this glamorous ornamentation is in the wholesale jewelry market that sets the course months before shoppers see it. So a look into the crystal ball of things to come is found in the showrooms and trade shows of jewelry wholesalers. Veteran retailers that visit these showrooms and trade shows regularly see a change — a line that is blurring.

Labels for wholesale jewelry were easily applied in the past — labels like "costume jewelry", "fashion jewelry", "semiprecious jewelry", and "fine jewelry." Today that is not so easy. A current in fashion trends moves wholesale jewelry to a new level. The driving force is the classic look. Think Joan Crawford, Audrey Hepburn, and Grace Kelly. Think beauty that appeals to every generation in your family and you have classic fashion.

Classic reins of the runways and in the fashion magazines. This overall look cannot be held down by labels. Suddenly wholesale jewelry showrooms that were called "costume jewelry" are filled with designs showing turquoise, coral, agates, and rose quartz that once belonged to the rock and gem wholesalers. The shell jewelry of the beach resort wholesalers finds beautiful expressions in these same showrooms.

The sterling silver of fine jewelry has been in fashion jewelry showrooms for a decade, but the once obscure art of glassmakers has suddenly joined sterling silver in these same showrooms. Murano glass, lamp work beads, and diochroic glass that were once niche markets, have now become household names.

Like all roads lead to Rome all that is beautiful leads to classic jewelry. Even the most obscure and isolated arts will be swept into the current. So this season and next classic beauty dominates. Drop labels and expect classic beauty that fits under the umbrella of wholesale jewelry.