Holiday Jewelry Sales Up 8.4%, Luxury Sales Up 6.7%, Total Holiday Sales Up 5.5%

After a mild start, jewelry posted several weekly sales increases and ended the 2010 holiday shopping season with a year-over-year increase 8.4 percent, according to MasterCard Advisors’ SpendingPulse. Meanwhile, luxury sales (excluding jewelry) started the season with a solid gain and then picked up steam, ending with a very respectable year-over-year growth of 6.7 percent.

During the 50-day