(IDEX Online) - Signet, the world's largest diamond jewelry retailer, has reported an eight per cent drop in Q2 revenue, down from $1.75bn to $1.61bn.Same store sales were down 12 per cent, net profits were down 48 per cent to $75.1m and bridal sales dropped seven per cent to $735.5m amid inflation and rising interest rates, as the post-Covid "engagement trough" persisted. Bridal has historically accounted for almost half of Signet's sales and it is still suffering the after-effects of passion-killing lockdowns.But CEO Virginia C. Drosos was hopeful the segment would rally. "We believe the upcoming multi-year recovery of engagements remains on track to begin in the fourth quarter of this year," she said."Our team's focus on the consumer enabled us to exceed our revenue and bottom-line commitments in the quarter while also advancing our strategic priorities. "We remain confident in our ability to achieve our fiscal 2024 guidance."She said Signet's new merchandise assortment and upcoming holiday season initiatives would "leverage our investments in innovation, digital capabilities, and data analytics to widen our competitive advantages".The company expects the US jewelry industry as a whole to see revenues down during the year by "more than the company's initial expectations of mid-single digits", driven by the impacts of macroeconomic factors on consumer spending and continued shift of consumer discretionary spend.Pic courtesy Signet shows a Jared store