What better way to showcase your pearls than draped around a cute reindeer? Or dripping like frosty icicles from crystal chandeliers? This holiday season, Saks Fifth Avenue in New York has done a fabulous job of displaying fine jewelry items in their gorgeous window displays. Everything makes an appearance—from glittering chokers and bangle bracelets to chunky cocktail rings and statement earrings. We think these creative window displays are the ideal mix of art, fashion, design, and marketing that will stop anyone in their tracks and invite people into the store. Of course, not everyone has the budget and window real estate of this storied department store, but there are some takeaways that can help any jewelry retailer improve its visual merchandising to invite browsing.

° Go for maximum eye candy. Some pieces dazzle and grab our attention more than others. These will attract more shopper attention. Notice how Saks, a master of visual merchandising, put special emphasis on super-sparkly items and on current jewelry trends.

° Less is more. The less jewelry in a display, the easier it is to be noticed by customers. Too much clutters a window—or even a display case—and can create visual confusion. Even though the Saks windows are over the top, each window showcases the jewelry to tell a story.

° Highlight items with good lighting. The Saks windows use icy blue lighting which brings out the sparkle in the jewelry and accentuates the wintery scenes.

° Use the high-low trick. Placing items at varying heights and depths catches shoppers’ attention and makes the display more inviting to the eye. Saks strategically places jewelry on mannequins in interesting poses which makes it more visible to passersby. To see an amazing slide show of the Saks windows photographed for Racked by Khushbu Shah click here.