Jewelry Designer Carol Brodie Talks Trends, Gems and Shipping More Than 1 Million Units From HSN
David Moin
6 min read
At Rarities, the 15-year-old jewelry collection designed by Carol Brodie and the longest-running jewelry brand on HSN, the metrics shine.
According to HSN, Rarities is among its top five bestselling jewelry collections, having shipped more than 1 million units from June 2009 to June 2024, generating more than $166 million in sales during that period.
The numbers were bolstered by the Rarities 15th anniversary collection that ran for four hours in June and four hours in July on HSN. “Carol’s anniversary show in June exceeded the sales plan by delivering to our customers a unique and celebratory assortment,” said Bridget Love, general merchandise manager and vice president, merchandising, fashion, jewelry and beauty, for HSN.
From the recent Rarities anniversary collection, “My favorite piece was a lapis and turquoise cocktail ring for $349.95,” Brodie said.
A veteran of the jewelry industry, Brodie earlier in her career was a spokeswoman at De Beers and Harry Winston, until introducing her own jewelry line with multichannel retailer HSN. A key mentor was Ambaji Shinde, who designed jewelry for the maharajas of India as head designer for Winston.
“Rarities is all about confidence,” Brodie once told WWD. “It’s about layering and building a great wardrobe of jewelry.”
In the following Q&A, Brodie discusses via an email exchange, the past, the present and what’s ahead for her business.
WWD: What are your plans for this year, with HSN and otherwise?
Carol Brodie: Jewelry is my love language, so designing jewelry is always at the top of my list. As a result, it organically influences many of my plans for the year including travel. While traveling provides me with an immense amount of personal happiness, it also provides me with inspiration for my designs across my HSN business and other design projects. With 15 years of HSN experience behind me, I’m positioning myself for a record-breaking 2025 at HSN.
WWD: How do you see the company evolving in the next 15 years?
C.B.: One of the benefits of HSN’s livestream shopping model is that I’m able to hear from my customers in real time and immediately incorporate their feedback into the next collection. That feedback continues to shape the brand in a meaningful way, allowing Rarities to evolve with the women who wear it. I see Rarities morphing into a lifestyle brand with gemstones being featured in all of my designs. I’m constantly filling the white space and using my customers’ passions as a roadmap for future designs.
Rarities cushion-cut gemstone and diamond gold-plated ring, priced $249.95.
WWD: What’s top of mind for you when designing?
C.B.: My designs are created with luxury at the forefront. While price is always a consideration, Rarities is about value. I have a very loyal following of women who collect my limited styles, under the Trunk Show collection, which are higher price points but showcase an elevated level of workmanship and premium gemstones. I plan to bring more of these styles to HSN and build out an online Trunk Show destination.
WWD: What’s resonating the best with customers?
C.B.: The Rarities customer has really been responding to diamonds, so in the immediate future, I’m excited to bring her a more robust diamond assortment. She will see a range of designs featuring diamonds, from value-driven pieces she can wear every day to special-occasion designs that are truly one of a kind.
WWD: Describe the product shown on the anniversary show on HSN.
C.B.: The Rarities 15th anniversary HSN jewelry collection featured natural champagne diamond star pendants and earrings, rock quartz crystal and multicolor spinel bead necklaces, and hand-carved gemstone leaf drop earrings in tiger’s eye, turquoise, pink opal and labradorite. Also a major part of the collection featured jumbo cultured baroque pearls up to 25x14mm paired with gemstone hand-cut beads in bolo bracelets and lariat necklaces. There are also pieces with 0.25 carat diamonds, including a heart pendant and a signet ring, both in 18-karat gold-plated sterling silver as well as 1-carat diamond styles. The collection included statement turquoise and diamond double heart earrings and a large turquoise heart necklace framed in champagne diamonds, ranging in price from $99.98 to $429.95. My favorite piece is a lapis and turquoise cocktail ring for $349.95.
WWD: What were three top sellers from the anniversary show?
C.B.: The gold-plated gemstone branch earrings, priced $164.97; the gold-plated gemstone bead and pearl drop lariat necklace, priced $159.95, and the cushion-cut gemstone and diamond gold-plated ring for $249.95.
WWD: What were some big milestones from the past 15 years?
C.B.: One of the biggest milestones has been moving from a curated business to a design business. When I started in 2009, I mostly curated by collections. Over the past eight years, I have transitioned to my own designs inspired by various periods of history. I’ve leaned into the Art Deco period for diamond jewelry, the ’50s-’70s for signature cocktail rings and the present for trending jewelry. Additionally, I have amassed a large personal collection of jewelry that continues to inspire me creatively, specifically small European brands that I have discovered throughout my travels.
Selling over 1 million pieces of jewelry through one channel of distribution is a huge milestone —both within the industry and on a personal level. The retail landscape has rapidly evolved during my time at HSN; consumers are increasingly more savvy and discerning about how they spend their money. It’s a privilege that she chooses to spend her disposable income on Rarities — one that I take very seriously.
WWD: What did you learn at De Beers and Harry Winston?
C.B.: I am an expert in semiprecious gemstones. My career at De Beers and Harry Winston taught me about precious stones, rare diamonds, emeralds, sapphires and rubies. Now I am fluent in every type of gemstone, including ones that I never knew were considered gems.
WWD: What are the distinctive characteristics of Carol Brodie jewelry?
C.B.: Handmade, bold, gold, hand-carved genuine gemstones featuring mostly natural diamonds, labradorite, lapis, malachite, moonstone and turquoise. Rare gems and rare designs accompanied by empowering messaging, profound expertise and extensive knowledge of gemstones, provenance and design.
WWD: Generally, what are women looking for in jewelry and some key trends of the moment?
C.B.: Vintage-inspired designs that combine classic with contemporary styles; colored gemstones; freshwater, big baroque pearls; bold charms and talismans; customized chains; statement earrings; asymmetric, standout pieces that can elevate an overall look, and layering necklaces and stackable rings and bracelets.