Boucheron, owned by French retailer PPR, and Bulgari SpA have launched Web sites to sell their products, Reuters reports.

“By the end of the year, and for now only in the United States, we are going to start an Internet trial,” Bulgari chief executive Francesco Trapani told Reuters in an interview.

A Boucheron spokeswoman told Reuters its Web site would be officially launched Monday, but was already opened Thursday for select clients.

Boucheron chief executive Jean-Christophe Bedos said in an interview with Le Figaro newspaper, said he had no idea how many sales the site would generate, but expected it to increase traffic to its network of stores that are set to expand this year with the addition of outlets in Doha, Bahrain, Saint Petersburg, Macao, Shanghai, and Bordeaux.

The move to the Internet by jewelers comes amid an unprecedented boom for luxury goods ranging from monogrammed luggage to diamond rings, Reuters reports.

The Boucheron site will allow purchases to be made directly for pieces worth up to 10,000 euros, Reuters reports. Customers seeking to spend between 10,000 and 50,000 euros will be directed to a special hotline to make transfers, while bigger orders will still have to be made in person at stores.

Source: JCK Keystone