Mrs. Buckingham, 27, is a marketing specialist and the owner of Youth Intelligence, a consultancy in New York.

"There is no question, religion is becoming the new brand," said Jane Buckingham, the president of Youth Intelligence, a trend-forecasting company.

A few minutes later, a group of young women who work at a trend-forecasting firm in the West Village called Youth Intelligence arrived.

One is Christine Densmore, 29, who had been strategic planning director at Youth Intelligence in New York.

It was a Lalique ring, and Ms. Ramsey ran out and bought one, reporting this to Youth Intelligence.

"There's a new need people have to prove themselves," said Jane Buckingham, president of Youth Intelligence, a trend-forecasting firm.

"What she is doing totally plays into the way this generation thinks and acts," said Jane Buckingham, president of Youth Intelligence, a market research firm.

Jane Buckingham, 34, will continue as president at Youth Intelligence.

In its quarterly Cassandra Report, Youth Intelligence differentiates between the brand preferences of "trendsetters" and "mainstream" kids.

Buckingham sold Youth Intelligence to Creative Artists Agency in 2003.