Black Friday Jewelry and Holiday Gifting Statistics 2026
The numbers behind bracelet sales, gift shopping and the holiday outlook
- Jewelry sales rose 2.75% on Black Friday 2025 versus 2024, with online sales climbing even faster at 4.2%, outpacing the category overall.
- Over the longer Nov 1–Dec 21 window, jewelry growth settled at 1.6%, showing Black Friday’s single-day spike outran the season’s broader trend.
- Bracelets and earrings saw major holiday lifts, up 335% and 275% against October spending, though these are seasonal jumps, not year-over-year comparisons.
- Adobe forecasts $12.9 billion in Black Friday 2026 spending and $15.1 billion on Cyber Monday, part of a projected $275.1 billion holiday season overall.
- Four real Rare Carat gifts span the range: $460 diamond studs up to a $3,430 tennis bracelet, useful starting points rather than guaranteed Black Friday deals.
- A record sales day doesn’t guarantee a lower price on one specific piece, so compare the exact diamond, metal, and total weight before buying.
Rare Carat | Updated October 13, 2026
Bracelets and earrings were among the categories Adobe highlighted after the 2025 holidays. Online sales rose sharply against October spending, giving both a place in the conversation about gifts. Black Friday itself brought a more modest increase in jewelry sales compared with the previous year. [1, 2]
Rare Carat’s 7 ct. tw. lab diamond tennis bracelet in 14K yellow gold, shown on the wrist and in a product view. Photography: Rare Carat. [7]
A tennis bracelet or a pair of studs may feel like a familiar gift, but choosing one still takes some thought. How much does the recipient usually wear? Which metal color do they prefer? The sales figures tell us where spending increased; the answers to those smaller questions help choose the piece.
This 2026 edition brings together the latest completed holiday season, a survey of jewelry-gifting intentions and the published outlook for Black Friday. Rare Carat photographs and current product examples accompany the findings. Each statistic keeps its original year and comparison period, and the featured prices are dated to October 13.
What Black Friday did for jewelry sales
Mastercard SpendingPulse found that jewelry sales in the U.S. climbed 2.75% on Black Friday 2025 versus Black Friday 2024. Online jewelry sales did even better, up 4.2%, so e-commerce outpaced the category as a whole.[1]
Figure 1. Preliminary sales growth for November 28, 2025. Online sales are part of the all-channel total. [1]
That is growth in the value of sales. It does not establish that shoppers bought 2.75% more pieces, and the figures are not adjusted for inflation. A change in prices or in the mix of jewelry purchased can affect the total. The release also does not isolate purchases intended as gifts.
The longer season gives a different reading
Mastercard’s later update put jewelry sales growth at 1.6% for November 1–December 21, 2025, compared with the same period a year earlier. The preliminary window ended before Christmas, leaving the last days of December outside the result. [3]
Taken together, the two releases support a narrow conclusion: jewelry sales increased, and Black Friday’s growth rate was stronger than the rate recorded across the longer window. They do not show that the Friday produced the lowest prices or that waiting for it would have saved a particular buyer money.
Bracelets and earrings stood out online
Adobe’s holiday report puts a spotlight on two recognizable gift categories. Online bracelet sales rose 335% and earring sales rose 275% against its October 2025 spending baseline. The report covers November and December. These are seasonal lifts, not year-over-year growth rates. [2]
Figure 2. Adobe category results, illustrated with Rare Carat products. The percentages describe the wider online market, not sales of the products pictured. [2, 7, 9]
Adobe’s bracelet category covers more than tennis bracelets. The release offers no breakdown of these increases by diamond origin, metal or retailer, so the figures provide category context rather than a verdict on any one design.
To narrow the choice, look at the piece as it will be worn. An on-wrist photograph helps show the bracelet’s proportions. A side view of a stud reveals the setting around the diamond. Compare those details with jewelry the recipient already enjoys, then check the written dimensions before deciding.
Who was shopping for jewelry gifts
One useful measure of gifting comes from a survey rather than a sales tracker. In NRF and Prosper Insights & Analytics’ November 2024 research, 30% of shoppers ages 18–24 planned to give jewelry. The release identified them as the age group most likely to do so. This is a 2024 intention measure, not a tally of completed 2025 purchases. [4]
Gift ideas often start with a search
The same survey found that 44% of shoppers used online search for gift inspiration. Friends and family were a source for 36%, and wish lists for 26%. The channels can overlap: someone might see a piece online, ask a partner about it and then add it to a list. [4]
For a jewelry gift, that conversation can prevent an expensive guess. Notice the metal color the recipient already wears. Find out whether they prefer small studs or larger earrings, and whether a bracelet needs to fit closely or move more freely. A photograph of an existing favorite often gives a jeweler more to work with than a description such as “something classic.”
The weekend does not finish the gift list
NRF estimated that 202.9 million people shopped over the 2025 Thanksgiving-to-Cyber-Monday period. Respondents reported an average of $337.86 in holiday-related purchases, including $225.74 spent on gifts. These are broad holiday-shopping figures, not jewelry budgets. [5]
Even after that busy stretch, consumers reported having 53% of their holiday shopping left to finish. [5] For a jewelry gift still on the list, check the delivery estimate for the chosen configuration. Leave time to receive the piece and resolve any issue before it is wrapped.
| Figure | What it measures | Evidence year |
|---|---|---|
| 30% | Ages 18–24 planning to give jewelry | 2024 survey |
| 44% | Shoppers using online search for gift ideas | 2024 survey |
| $225.74 | Average spending on gifts over the holiday weekend | 2025 survey |
| 53% | Holiday shopping still left to complete | 2025 survey |
Sources: NRF and Prosper Insights & Analytics. Different surveys and populations; these figures should not be combined into a jewelry-market estimate. [4, 5]
What the 2026 forecast says
Black Friday falls on November 27 in 2026; Cyber Monday follows on November 30. Adobe forecasts $12.9 billion in U.S. online spending on Black Friday and $15.1 billion on Cyber Monday. Both projections cover retail broadly. Neither is a jewelry-sales forecast. [6]
Figure 3. Solid bars show reported 2025 spending. Outlined bars show Adobe’s 2026 forecast, issued September 28. [2, 6]
Across November and December, Adobe expects online sales to reach $275.1 billion. Its projected five-day Cyber Week total is $47.5 billion. [6] Those estimates suggest another large shopping window, but they are still forecasts as of this article’s October 13 publication date.
A record shopping day is not a price guarantee
For jewelry buyers, a large national spending total says little about the deal on an individual piece. Compare the exact item, including diamond origin, total weight, metal and size. Record the price before a promotion starts, then compare the final checkout amount with that baseline. A prominent percentage-off label is only useful when the underlying comparison is clear.
The same care applies to timing. Check when the selected piece will be ready to ship, and whether the return window gives the recipient enough time to try it on after the gift is opened. An attractive price loses some of its appeal if the fit cannot be resolved.
A Rare Carat jewelry gift edit
Four current Rare Carat products show how much room there is within these gift categories. All four use lab-grown diamonds. Their prices range from $460 for diamond studs to $3,430 for a 7 ct. tw. tennis bracelet. These are selected examples, not a claim about the full catalog’s price range. [7, 8, 9, 10]
Figure 4. Rare Carat product photos and asking prices observed October 13, 2026. [7, 8, 9, 10]
The two tennis bracelets illustrate why the headline carat number deserves a closer look. “Total carat weight” adds together the diamonds in the piece; it does not describe a single stone. [11] Compare the bracelet’s length, the size and spacing of its diamonds, and the clasp as well as the total weight.
For the studs, that total is shared across the pair. For the necklace, check the pendant and chain dimensions together. Images help establish the style, but the written specifications settle what is included. The prices above exclude applicable tax and may change; none is presented as a confirmed Black Friday offer.
Methodology and source notes
This article is an editorial synthesis of public research and a dated Rare Carat product selection. Rare Carat is the publisher and featured retailer. It did not conduct the Adobe, Mastercard or NRF research. Photography illustrates product categories and does not imply that those pieces generated the reported sales increases.
Mastercard SpendingPulse estimates retail sales across payment types; the cited releases are preliminary and use different reporting windows. Adobe analyzes online transactions. Its bracelet and earring figures use an October baseline, while the Mastercard jewelry figures compare with the prior year. Those percentages answer different questions.
NRF’s 2024 gift survey included 8,135 adults; its 2025 weekend survey included 3,099. Published margins of error were ±1.1 and ±1.8 percentage points respectively. The overall margin should not be assumed to apply to the smaller 18–24 subgroup. Survey intentions and recalled spending differ from transaction measurements. [4, 5]
Product pages and photos were checked on October 13, 2026. The recorded prices are the prominent USD asking prices for the specified metal and diamond configuration. Comparison values and promotional gifts are excluded. No transaction was completed. Availability, promotions and prices can change.
Citing these findings
Credit the original research organization when using its statistic, and keep the year, geography and comparison period with the number. For the selection and graphics, cite Rare Carat, Black Friday Jewelry and Holiday Gifting Statistics 2026, October 13, 2026 edition. Retain the source notes when reproducing an infographic.
Sources
All links were checked on October 13, 2026. Source links and publication details appear below.
Research and product sources
[1] Mastercard. Black Friday 2025 SpendingPulse results
29 November 2025. Preliminary U.S. sales estimates for 28 November 2025 versus Black Friday 2024.
[2] Adobe. 2025 holiday shopping results
7 January 2026. U.S. online spending, 1 November–31 December 2025; bracelet and earring comparisons use October 2025 spending levels.
[3] Mastercard. 2025 holiday SpendingPulse update
23 December 2025. Preliminary U.S. sales for 1 November–21 December 2025 versus the same 2024 period.
[4] NRF and Prosper Insights & Analytics. 2024 winter holiday gift survey
21 November 2024. Survey of 8,135 adults, fielded 1–7 November 2024.
[5] NRF and Prosper Insights & Analytics. 2025 Thanksgiving weekend shopping results
2 December 2025. Survey of 3,099 adults, fielded 26–30 November 2025.
[6] Adobe. 2026 U.S. holiday shopping forecast
28 September 2026. Forecast for U.S. online spending, 1 November–31 December 2026.
[7] Rare Carat. Lab Diamond Tennis Bracelet 7 ct tw
Product 36962. 14K yellow gold; observed asking price $3,430.
[8] Rare Carat. Refined Lab Diamond Tennis Bracelet 1 ct tw
Product 55452. 14K yellow gold; observed asking price $850.
[9] Rare Carat. Lab Diamond Stud Earrings 1 ct tw
Product 33977. 14K white gold; observed asking price $460.
[10] Rare Carat. 3 Prong Lab Diamond Solitaire Necklace 1 third ct
Product 41433. 14K white gold; observed asking price $485.
[11] GIA. Understanding carat weight
Explains total carat weight as the combined weight of diamonds in a piece.
