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INTERNATIONAL JEWELER
COUTURE International Jeweler 286/1 BaselWorld 2009
www.couturejeweler.com
BASELWORLD 2009
1330 West Avenue - Suite 1102 - Miami Beach FL 33139 - USA - [email protected]
Distributor USA
1330 West Avenue - Suite 1102 - Miami Beach FL 33139 - USA - [email protected]
Distributor USA
When a simple gesture reveals great feelings.
Emotions__Made in Italy
Diamond Strings
Designed by Carlo Palmiero
in Valenza
www.palmierogioielli.it
Made in Italy and Distributed by Davite & Delucchi - Customer service phone 0039 0131 941731 - patent models - www.davitedelucchi.it
CHARME COLLECTION
M A D E I N I TA LY
V I C E N Z A RO M A M I L A N O TAO R M I N A B A S I L E A N A P O L I L A S V E G A S TO K YO N E W YO R K
B A H R A I N D U B A I M A D R I D L O N D R A S A N P I E T RO B U R G O D U B L I N O AT E N E
Davite & Delucchi
Davite & Delucchi interprets the elegance
and charm of the deco crossover ring
in white gold and diamonds.
Designer Fausto Delucchi
E D I T O R ’ S
L E T T E R
Mickey, Oscar
and me
Los Angeles is rarely thought of as a hub of the diamond and
jewelry trade, but during one week of the year it matters more
than all the other centers combined. I realized this in February,
when a visit there happened to coincide with Oscar week.
Even though I grew up in LA, the Hollywood of popular
imagination eluded me because I lacked an entree into its
exclusive circles. This time, armed with invites to a few Oscar
gatherings, I had every intention of soaking up the spectacle.
My first stop was Erica Courtney’s 10th annual Oscar party at the W Hotel in Westwood. The designer,
profiled in this issue’s special report on ethical jewelry, has teamed up with the Tanzanite Foundation on
a collection featuring the rare, blue-violet gemstone. It seemed only fitting in this milieu of outsize
personalities that a flawless 525-carat specimen with a rich, velvety sheen was the example on display.
Next up was the Thompson Hotel in Beverly Hills, where H. Stern was hosting a suite. International
Communications Director Andrea Hansen had brought a collection of baubles gorgeous enough to
woo the most snobbish of stylists, the real fashion powers in Hollywood. She showed me vintage cuffs
from headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, an 80-carat diamond necklace worn by pop princess Fergie during
her recent nuptials, and the new Giverny collection, described in this issue’s global brands feature. But
not even these stellar jewels could guarantee H. Stern a coveted red carpet endorsement.
Meanwhile, down the street, at the iconic Beverly Hilton Hotel, another Oscar suite hosted by the PR
firm TMG was in progress. I arrived just in time to watch a crew from the TV show Access Hollywood
tape a segment on Sethi Couture’s ornate diamond jewelry. TMG was hoping to dress Slumdog
Millionaire’s Freida Pinto in something extravagant. (Good luck, I thought; they were hardly the only ones.)
My stay in the mythical Hollywood ended at the Spirit Awards for independent films, a raucous,
irreverent ceremony held on Santa Monica beach on the day before the Oscars. As a guest of Piaget,
a premier sponsor, I sat behind the table occupied by the crew from The Wrestler, including director
Darren Aronofsky, his partner, actress Rachel Weisz, and the star of the film, Mickey Rourke. Every time
the cameras panned to Mickey (which was often, given that he won for best actor and the film won for
best feature), there I was in the background, giggling at my image on the big screens flanking the stage.
When Mickey, a gregarious and gracious if somewhat strange personality, learned we were with the
company responsible for outfitting him with a luxury watch, he pulled back the sleeve of his silk jacket
and flashed a Piaget Polo in white gold with diamonds. “Is that you?” he asked no one in particular.
The gesture made me wonder what the brand actually meant to him. Like the other celebrities Piaget
dressed that day (Anne Hathaway, Jessica Alba and Alec Baldwin, to name a few), Mickey almost
certainly wore what his stylist had chosen for him after some intense brokering. I doubted his own taste
figured much into the equation. It was a simple but revealing moment. The Oscar dressing game is an
illusion we collectively — and happily, might I add — embrace. Why? Because much of our industry’s
success comes down to helping the Hollywood myth sparkle even more seductively.
Victoria Gomelsky
Editor
[email protected]
Italian Jewellery
ANDREOLI s.r.l
Vicolo dei Sarmati 1/A - 15048 Valenza (AL) Italy
tel. +39 0131 946665 - Fax +39 0131 946095
e-mail: [email protected] - www.andreoli-gioielli.com
presenti alle fiere - present at the fairs
BASEL Halle 2.2 Stand E90 - LAS VEGAS JCK - NEW YORK - VICENZA Pad. B Stand 661
I N
T H I S
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44 42
On the cover
Picchiotti
«A 10 ct. fancy yellow cushion
diamond is the focal point of this
important ring. Belonging to the
Unique Diamond Collection,
the cushion is enhanced by a
special «trellis-workmanship»
where each single diamond is
set in its own box creating an
irregular grate. Typically
Picchiotti, it clearly denotes
Picchiotti’s mastery in working
with calibrated stones.»
Cover Feature on page 12
BaselWorld Hall 2.2 Booth B30
www.picchiotti.it
no 286 - 1/2009
14 Global Luxury How are the world’s
leading luxury brands greeting this tumultuous
year? Judging by their bold spring collections, a
lot less conservatively that you might have
guessed.
19 Couture Spotlight
16
34 SPECIAL REPORT:
Ethical Jewelry
There’s no denying the zeitgeist: In a world gone
mad for money, one way to promote luxury is to
make sure it’s affiliated with the right ideals.
The good, the green and the
utterly gorgeous is how we’d
characterize our spring jewelry
feature. Not all of the jewels
are green in the philosophical
sense of the word, but that’s
okay. Even if they’re green in
appearance only, just think of
them as spreading the word.
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Designing for a cause 38
42 Tastemakers This issue’s influencers — a
36
medievalist, a video artist, an artisanal crafts advocate
and a cutting-edge retailer — project pure passion.
22
Nicole Mackinlay Hahn 42
Tania Machado 44
Liliane Jossua 45
50 Influences Jewelry inspired by the
unlikeliest of icons.
50
31
Vicolo dei sarmati, 1/A - 15048 Valenza (AL) - Italy
tel. (+) 39 0131 946665 - fax (+) 39 0131 946095
e-mail: [email protected]
www.andreoli-gioielli.com
Presenti alle fiere di: BASILEA - NEW YORK - LAS VEGAS (Couture JCK) - HONG KONG (edizione di settembre) - VICENZA - VALENZA
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T H I S
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48 56
D E P A R T M E N T S
46 Designer Roundup The royals of
Editor’s Letter 06
Saudi Arabia, collectors of art jewelry, lovers of fine
colored stones and fans of modern Indian style would
applaud our designer fantastic foursome.
Marketplace:
Vicenza 48
The First fair in Vicenza
set the stage for a
showdown between
Italian jewelers who side
with trends or tradition.
46
Advertiser/
Editorial Index 55
47
52 Couture Practices Online used to be a dirty
Freely
Speaking 56
Under new show
director Liz Hitchcock,
the Couture event
in Las Vegas is
undergoing a subtle
transformation.
47
word in the fine jewelry sphere, but a coterie of sophisticated
Web entrepreneurs are gradually helping to change that.
52
The Official
Jewelry Magazine of
Couture 2009
COUTURE International Jeweler, 25 route des Acacias, CH - 1227 Genève, Switzerland
Tel. +41 22 307 78 37, Fax +41 22 300 37 48, Help desk: [email protected]
©
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C O V E R
S T O R Y
Modern, vibrant
concepts by Picchiotti
Picchiotti needs little or no introduction. Founded in
1967 by Giuseppe Picchiotti in Valenza, Italy, today the
jeweler from the ‘City of Gold’ is renowned worldwide.
The latest addition to the vast Royal Star Collection is this
beautiful parure of a necklace and earrings. In 18 carat
white gold, the central stars are enhanced by a cluster of
buff-top square rubies, surrounded by white diamonds and
outlined by a fine line of black rhodium. An innovative, elegant
and sophisticated design.
Picchiotti’s understanding of jewelry and the
industry in general, his long-term commitment
to excellence, sound business ethics and the
rich tradition of artistic excellence combined
with a modern twist, ensures that the family-run
business will enjoy continued success.
Picchiotti’s sophisticated and distinctive jewelry
is created entirely in-house and Giuseppe
Picchiotti himself oversees every aspect of the
design and production process, and yet spends
much of his time searching the world for the
rare stones which highlight his collections.
Often, his travels result in the discovery of
stones of such incredible size, beauty and
uniqueness that they become the inspiration
for his signature pieces. He is above all a
connoisseur of colored gemstones – which
feature as a highly recognizable trademark in
the Picchiotti collections.
12 l Basel 2009 l COUTURE International Jeweler
New challenges
With the current challenging economical
environment in mind and an evolution in
consumers’ needs and tastes, Picchiotti has
been gradually introducing new lines inspired by
modern concepts and vibrant fashions that
blend together to give an enduring style with
what is clearly a distinctive motif. These collections include inventive designs and settings that
have been conceived to be worn as an
‘everyday’ accessory. However, every piece of
jewelry that emerges from the workshops still
reflects the high standards of quality and craftsmanship associated with Picchiotti and is
accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. In
addition, each and every piece in the exclusive
collections is stamped with the ‘Picchiotti’
signature mark. This seal is the purchaser’s
assurance that the jewelry is a genuine creation
by Picchiotti.
Picchiotti’s jewelry is favored by the fashion
conscious, well-dressed, sophisticated woman,
one who does not like to show off, but who
appreciates the beauty of these finely designed
and treasured pieces of jewelry and is very
much aware of the fine craftsmanship behind
Picchiotti creations.
2009 Collection Highlights
To further enhance the unique elements of its
signature pieces, Picchiotti has made extensive
use of one of the rarest and purest metals to be
found on earth: platinum.
Picchiotti’s signature pieces feature important
diamond, emerald and sapphire necklaces,
earrings and rings enhanced by platinum that
give a classic, yet contemporary look.
These collections are designed as a showcase
for the different cuts of the precious stones
chosen by Picchiotti: exquisite and unique solitaires as rare and eternal as the platinum in
which they are set. The jewelry is simple yet
unique, modern but still classic, in short, a
genuine reflection of contemporary femininity.
A very refined and elegant brooch, the Feather, is the
expression of Picchiotti’s talent in reproducing the complex
beauty found in nature and giving it life as a piece of jewelry. Of
a sinuous and elegant shape, this 18 carat white gold brooch
features sparkling white diamonds and an elegant, thin line of
buff-top baguette sapphires.
COUTURE International Jeweler l Basel 2009 l 13
G L O B A L
L U X U R Y
What recession?
Based on the spring collections from the giants of the
jewelry world, the consensus is clear: No matter how
unpredictably the economy behaves, luxury goes on.
B
Bulgari
Chances are good that even the casual observer, if asked to
characterize the jewelry made by Bulgari, would describe it as bold,
colorful and utterly recognizable. The firm, founded in Rome by a
Greek immigrant named Sotirios Voulgaris, celebrates its 125th
anniversary this year, cementing its place among the pantheon of
20th century jewelers. The occasion has prompted a return to the
styles that made the house famous: namely, a series of haute joaillerie
pieces, including this cabochon aquamarine and ruby ring, that
combine the finest stones with a bigger-than-life approach to design.
C
Cartier’s new Trinity collection, an updated version of an iconic
motif in which bands of pink, white and yellow gold are intertwined,
makes evident the mystical power of threes. You might say the
bands represent friendship, love and fidelity; past, present and
future; or simply a distinct brand of French elegance. But one thing
is certain: Whether it’s the Trinity XXL bracelet, entirely paved with
126 carats of diamonds; a coiled sautoir; or the Trinity Crash ring
shown here, good tidings come in threes.
Katel Riou © Cartier 2009
Cartier
C
Chanel
Coco Chanel preferred the camellia to the rose — “for its sobriety,
its almost geometrical roundness and the classical arrangement of
its perfectly regular petals” — so it’s no surprise that the house she
built has made the white flower its emblem. Paired with one of
Mademoiselle’s timeless little black dresses and glistening with
diamonds, the camellia, seen here in the Fil de Camelia bracelet, is
a seductive flower, indeed.
C
Chopard
Chopard debuted the Happy Diamond line in 1976 as a tuxedo
watch for men but over the past three decades, it’s become closely
linked to the brand’s jewelry. Featuring free-floating diamonds
sandwiched between thin slices of bezel-set crystal, the collection
welcomes yet another variation into its midst with this spring’s
launch of the Teddy Bear pendant in 18-karat rose gold. Set with
three mobile diamonds, the pendant also comes in a mini version,
conveniently just in time for Mother’s Day.
D
De Beers
With the Diamond Trading Co. focusing its marketing message on
the notion of owning “fewer, better things,” it makes sense that its
retail progeny, De Beers, is back to promoting the classics. Simple
studs, bridal basics and straightforward solitaires, as in this selection
of single-stone pendants, will be front and center throughout the
company’s global network of retail stores this spring, proving that
when times get tough, the tough embrace that which is timeless.
G L O B A L
L U X U R Y
D
Dior
That Dior Artistic Director Victoire de Castellane is one of the most
extravagant personalities in Paris goes without saying. Simply look at
her jewels. The former costume designer and descendant of French
aristocracy creates ornate, gem-set pieces — including this Carnivora
Devorus ring from Dior’s new collection of garden-inspired confections, in yellow gold with diamonds, tsavorite garnets, sapphires,
Paraíba tourmalines and lacquer — that never fail to capture her
motto: “It’s not because it’s real that it has to be boring.”
H
H. Stern
Giverny, the village in northern France where Claude Monet kept his
garden, his lilies and his home, lends its name to H. Stern’s new
collection of rose gold leaf-shaped pendants and rings dusted with
beige diamonds. The Brazilian jeweler is sticking to a favorite theme —
the colors, textures and elements found in nature — but has decided
that a global brand needs a global approach to style, promising that
more collections inspired by the world’s gardens are to follow.
M
Mikimoto
Not long ago, baroque pearls were seen as sub-par, mis-shapen
lumps of pearlescence, valued, sure, though not nearly as highly as
their round counterparts. The design renaissance of the 21st century
has squelched that belief and has instead elevated the baroque
pearl from reject to rarefied. Witness the new Baroque Couture
collection from Mikimoto, whose one-of-a-kind jewels, like this
diamond-accented pendant, prove that the distinctive shape
of the baroque pearl is by far its most charming attribute.
P
Piaget
Piaget celebrates life on the high seas with its new Limelight Paradise
collection, a clever take on the yachting lifestyle. From the coralinspired diamond pendant at left to a bracelet strung with whimsical
charms such as an 82-carat citrine cut to resemble a pineapple, to
a series of cocktail rings that take their mandate all too literally (one
ring, called “Sex on the Beach,” features a pink tourmaline center
stone accented by a peridot lime), Piaget offers a vicarious escape
to the tropics, even, or perhaps especially, for the deskbound.
T
Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co. dug into its archives to develop its new Keys
Collection of pendants and charms evoking a time of keepsake
boxes, diaries, steamer trunks and country manors, all the while
channeling the jeweler’s great legacy. Designs of vintage skeleton
keys are rendered in medallion or heart shapes, decorated with
flowers or diamonds, and suspended from fine 18-karat gold,
platinum or silver chains. Designed to be worn alone or layered, the
keys, in Tiffany’s expert hands, are nothing less than talismans.
V
Van Cleef & Arpels
The art of gardening is the ultimate expression of man’s desire to
tame nature, but each culture approaches the task differently. The
French garden is a masterpiece of spatial geometry, while the classic
English version is overflowing and unruly. The Italians emphasize
nature’s relationship to architecture. In the Orient, harmony, balance
and tranquility are key. At Van Cleef & Arpels, the new Les Jardins
collection offers a glorious tour of this sublime garden universe, with
jewels, like these Pavillon d’Or sapphire and diamond earrings from
the Orient series, that speak to the enchanting power of Eden.
C O U T U R E
S P O T L I G H T
The green
years
When it comes to color palettes,
Mother Nature knows best
reen is a paradox. Signifying nature and money to
some, poison and envy to others, it’s a color that has
long projected contradictory images. In this, our first
ever green-themed issue, we attempt to settle the score.
It’s easy to defend green when you see the trend and color
pages that follow. They pay homage to jewelry in gorgeous
shades of green — grass green, mint green, lime green, and,
of course, emerald green — as well as to multihued jewels that
rely on green as the cohesive force keeping all the other
colors together (not unlike Mother Nature herself).
We’ve also included jewelry celebrating green as a philosophy, a concept and a way of life, be it through its use of
recycled materials, its glorification of botanical forms or its
rendering of animals, from butterflies to frogs. Ultimately, we’d
like to explore the best ways in which to fuse a concern for
the earth’s resources with our industry’s legendary attention
to beauty because soon enough it will be unseemly, if not
impossible, to segregate the two.
Green may indeed be the new black but let’s be clear: Our
love for the old black (not to mention the old white, blue,
orange and yellow, the colors most in vogue this season) has
not wavered. In that spirit, we kick off with a collection of
statement necklaces that look good no matter the color.
G
S P O T L I G H T
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Photo courtesy of AGTA and Robert & Orasa Weldon
C O U T U R E
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Photo provided by D'Orazio & Associates
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The Necklace
Affair
Who cares about the dress when
bold and beautiful collars are the
mark of a true fashionista?
1. Necklace in 18-karat gold with carved turquoise bead and turquoise, and ebony and blue
zircon pendant clasp by Katy Briscoe, Houston 2. Bochic abalone shell, diamond and raspberry tourmaline necklace on Marisa Tomei at the 13th Annual Art Directors Guild Awards,
Beverly Hills, Calif. 3. Necklace in 18-karat gold with green tourmaline by Yvel, Jerusalem
4. Venus necklace with silk cord, shells, corals, pink gold and rubies by Fabio Salini, Rome
5. Soleil necklace in 18-karat gold by Calgaro, Vicenza, Italy 6. Tea
Time one-of-a-kind necklace in 18-karat gold with cabochon-cut
rose quartz, topaz, aquamarine, turquoise, citrine, amethyst
and sapphire by Tous, Barcelona 7. Necklace in 24karat and 14-karat rose gold with Jasper cabochons
by Devta Doolan, Devta Doolan Jewelry, Portland,
Maine, for the 2009 AGTA Spectrum Awards
8. Disc bib necklace in 18-karat gold by DML for
Gold Expressions, Vicenza, Italy 9. Dancing
1
Elephant tiger’s eye necklace from the Wild Things
collection in fine silver and 22-karat gold vermeil by JJ
Singh Jewelry, Washington, D.C.
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E
I
N
M O T I O N S
F
I N E
J
E W E L L E R Y
B
E A U T Y
E
M O T I O N S
IT
COMES
AND
I S
C R E AT E D
.
OUT
SHINES
B Y
OF
THE
BRIGHT
HEART
LIKE
THE
SUN.
W W W
.B
L U M E R
.
D E
Blumer GmbH Manufacturer of fine jewellery Luisenstraße 60 75172 Pforzheim Germany
Tel.: +49(0)7231-13 83- 0 Fax: +49(0)7231-13 83-290 E-Mail: info @ blumer.de Internet: www.blumer.de
C O U T U R E
S P O T L I G H T
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Photo provided by D’Orazio & Associates
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On the Money
There’s no going wrong with jewelry
that evokes both nature and the
bounty of riches it bestows
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1. Large teardrop ring in 22-karat gold with emerald and rosecut diamonds by Nancy
Chapman, Houston 2. Cuff and ring in 22-karat yellow gold by Amrapali on Camilla Belle
at the 12th Annual Hollywood Film Festival’s Award Gala Show, Beverly Hills, Calif.
3. Archi ring in platinum with rectangular-cut chrome green tourmaline and diamond
melee by Tanagro, New York 4. Triple-strand emerald necklace in 18-karat gold by
Mia Katrin for Jewel Couture LLC, Fleetwood, N.C. 5. Samoan earrings
in sterling silver and black rhodium with resin by Angelique de Paris,
Allentown, Penn. 6. Heart Breaker pendant in 18-karat white and rose gold
with diamonds and tsavorites by Sartoro, Bangkok 7. Lucky Animals
Grenouille ring in 18-karat gold with peridot by Mathon Paris, Paris
8. Earrings in 18-karat yellow gold with green amethyst and diamonds
by Al Coro, Cologne, Germany 9. Degustateur ring from ArteFacto collection in 18-karat gold with emeralds and diamonds
by Isabel & Canseco, Oviedo, Spain 10. Fancy yellowish
green diamond ring in 18-karat white gold with diamond
melee by Nice Diamonds, New York.
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11. Duo ring in 18-karat gold with emeralds by Yael Sonia, New
York 12. Huge apple green early 20th century vase available through
41 Main Antiques and Collectibles at Vintage & Modern, Inc.
(VandM), New York 13. Earrings in 18-karat gold with tsavorites
and diamonds by Atelier Minyon, Ankara 14. Biodegradable
canvas tote with recycled leather and 18-karat gold plated chain and
leather handles by CC Skye, Los Angeles 15. Huge ring in 18-karat
yellow gold with chrysophrase and diamonds by Boaz Kashi, Tel
Aviv 16. Capri Plus necklace in black rhodium plated gold with
chrysoprase by Roberto Coin, Vicenza, Italy 17. Two ring in 18karat white gold with hand-carved green jadeite trimmed with cognac
diamonds by tête-à-tête limited, Bangkok 18. Precious Beads
mixed aqua necklace in 18-karat gold with champagne citrine jewel
bead clasp by David Yurman, New York 19. Dolce & Gabbana
Stone sunglasses at Ilori, Cincinnati, Ohio 20. Bracelet in pink gold
with brilliants and prasiolite by Casato, Rome 21. Opal green
handbag by Shana London, London.
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C O U T U R E
S P O T L I G H T
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Eternal Blooms
1. Apple blue floral handbag by Shana London, London 2. Paisley Lace pendant in 18-karat
white gold with natural green and white diamonds by Sethi Couture, San Francisco 3. Day
Lily earrings in 18-karat gold with plique a jour transparent enamels, garnet centers and garnet
grape drops by Leila Tai Jewelry Design, New York 4. Leaf earrings in 18-karat white
gold with graduated pink sapphires, tsavorites and diamonds by Sartoro, Bangkok 5. Glacée
bracelet in matte sterling silver by Tous, Barcelona 6. Three-Finger U ring in high-karat gold
with granulation, oxidized silver and purple spinels by Patricia Tschetter, Dallas 7. Dionea
rings in white and yellow gold with white diamonds and sapphires by Io Sì, Valenza, Italy
8. Zorab rubellite tourmaline flower ring in rose gold with diamonds on Scarlett Johansson
at the premiere of her film “He’s Just Not That Into You,” Los Angeles 9. Wilton House necklace in 18-karat gold with emeralds, pink and white diamonds by Van Cleef & Arpels, Paris.
3
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Unlike fresh flowers, the jeweled
variety make up in longevity
what they lack in scent
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10. Iris rings in 18-karat gold with diamonds,
sapphires, garnets and tsvaorites by Paolo
Piovan, Padua, Italy 11. Primavera Colore
ceramic tile by Bardelli, Milan 12. Daisy
Chain necklace in 18-karat rose, white and
yellow gold with pink, blue and yellow
sapphires by Janet Deleuse, San
Francisco 13. One-of-a-kind necklace with
antique 17th century Satsuma vignettes
(porcelain-like material hand-painted with
enamel) framed in pure 24-karat gold by
Gurhan, New York 14. Flower ring in 18karat yellow gold with pear-shaped reddish
brown opaque natural fancy color diamonds
and white melee by Rahaminov
Diamonds, Los Angeles 15. Art Nouveau
earrings in 18-karat yellow gold with brilliantcut diamonds and fired enamel by
Masriera, Barcelona 16. Kimi shoes with
luxury kimono fabric by Hetty Rose, Milan
17. Botanicals Orchid brooches in sterling
silver with enamel and CZ by Angelique de
Paris, Allentown, Pa. 18. Florada Orchid
earrings in 18-karat yellow gold by Carla
Amorim, São Paulo, Brazil 19. Couture
Collection Fleur d’Amour rings in 18-karat
white and rose gold with Tahitian and South
Sea cultured pearls, diamonds and/or
sapphires by Schoeffel, Stuttgart, Germany.
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C O U T U R E
S P O T L I G H T
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Eden’s
Bouquet
1
Mimicking nature, these
technicolor jewels use
green as their glue
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1. Bijou de Création pendant in white gold with pink tourmaline, peridot
and diamonds by Gay Frères, Annemasse, France 2. Kiss Me-Love
Me earrings in white gold with rock crystal, agate, amethyst, coral and
diamonds by Suzanne Syz, Geneva 3. Kaleidoscope X2 ring in platinum with crystal surrounding diamonds, amethysts, aquamarines, fire
opals, topaz, citrines, garnets and tourmalines by J.W. Currens, New
York, for the 2009 AGTA Spectrum Awards 4. Pop crystal
handbag by Shana London, London 5. Earrings in 18-karat gold
with opal drops, tourmaline and peridot by Paula Crevoshay,
Albuquerque, N.M. 6. Tricot bracelet in 18-karat gold with Tahitain
pearls, emeralds and white diamonds by Utopia, Milan 7. Lucky
Animals turtle ring in 18-karat white gold with opal, diamonds and
colored stones by Mathon Paris, Paris 8. Baroque necklace in 22karat gold with pink tourmaline, aquamarine, peridot and golden beryl
by Anabelle, Palm Desert, Calif. 9. Mulitcolor pendant in pink gold
with diamonds and colored stones by Ninetto Terzano, Valenza,
Italy 10. Jaipur necklace in yellow gold with prism-cut colored stones
by Marco Bicego, Trissino, Italy.
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11. Vine bracelet in 18-karat gold with tsavorites, amethysts, rubies,
diamonds and moonstones by Paula Crevoshay, Albuquerque,
N.M. 12. Platinum earrings with pink tourmalines, teal blue green
tourmaline briolettes and diamonds by Ricardo Basta for
PGI, Los Angeles 13. Colibrì Mosaic by Sicis, Milan
14. Boulder opal and emerald ring in 18-karat gold by Jane
Taylor, Amherst, Mass. 15. Cufflinks in 22-karat and 18-karat
gold with bi-color watermelon tourmaline slices by Jack Bigio,
Basser & Bigio LLC, New York, for the 2009 AGTA Spectrum Awards
16. Pod bracelets in reclaimed silver with various semiprecious stones by
Nina Basharova, New York 17. Dim Sum rings with lemon quartz and citrine on
gold-plated silver with hand-knotted green jade silk by tête-à-tête limited, Bangkok
18. Croco cuffs and ring in 18-karat gold with diamonds by Hellmuth on Rihanna at
the Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Party, Los Angeles 19. Nymphéa ring in 18-karat gold with
tsavorites, pink sapphires and diamonds by Van Cleef & Arpels, Paris.
13
14
19
17
15
16
C O U T U R E
S P O T L I G H T
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4
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Photo provided by D’Orazio & Associates
7
Moonstruck
Great whites abound in
this season’s dreamy
selection of jewels
1. White Bakelite bangle with diamonds, rubies and pearl lions in 14karat gold and silver by Bochic, New York 2. Rose-cut diamond
earrings and matching bracelet by Amrapali on Freida Pinto at the
14th Annual VH1 Critics’ Choice Awards, Santa Monica, Calif.
3. White agate and gold ring by Idalia.com, New York 4. Chain
bracelet in 18-karat gold with pearls by Schofer, Pforzheim, Germany
5. Flagship Collection platinum bracelet with rose gold fleur de lis set
in white pearlescent enamel, accented with diamonds by Beaudry,
Los Angeles 6. African Scent necklace in pink gold with warthog teeth
and leopard pattern pavé-set brown, black and white diamonds by
Fabio Salini, Rome 7. Chic Chic earrings in white gold with pearls
and diamonds by Stefan Hafner, Valenza, Italy 8. Moonstone ring
in platinum with diamonds by Stephen Russell for PGI, New York
9. Plastic white handbag by Shana London, London.
1
8
9
9
8
10
2
Photo by Getty Images
1
7
Fade to Black
Black is back with a vengeance,
which begs the question:
Did it ever leave?
1. Sara pendant in 18-karat black gold with diamonds by Cresber, Córdoba, Spain 2. Platinum
and diamond cuff bracelet from the 1940s and platinum bracelet from the 1930s, both by
Fred Leighton, on Liv Tyler at the 2008 Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute
Annual Gala, New York 3. Diamond and onyx ring in 18-karat gold by Davite & Delucchi,
Valenza, Italy 4. Cuba Libre earrings in 18-karat gold with diamonds and black quartz by
Carla Amorim, São Paulo, Brazil 5. Black Flowers tile by Viva, Sassuolo, Italy 6. Sandals
by Gianvito Rossi, Milan 7. Juliet Flower ring in 18-karat white gold with black onyx and
diamonds by Rhonda Faber Green, Los Angeles 8. Jacaranda Pod earrings in 18-karat
gold with diamonds by Sarah Graham, San Francisco 9. Hematite and diamond cufflinks
in white gold by Deakin & Francis, Birmingham, England 10. Pure Pyramid diamond
bracelet in 18-karat white gold with diamonds and onyx by JJ Number 8 Jewelry,
Orange County, Calif.
3
4
6
5
1
2
Stuck on Blue
From topaz to turquoise,
some stones are guaranteed
to make a lasting impression
1. Concerto bracelet in white gold with sapphires by Roberto Coin,
Vicenza, Italy 2. Twinkle Twinkle Gem Drop earrings in 18-karat gold with
aquamarine by Jane Taylor, Amherst, Mass. 3. Ring in 18-karat yellow
gold with a chalcedony cabochon, turquoise cabochons and diamonds by
Erica Courtney, Los Angeles, for the 2009 AGTA Spectrum Awards
4. Byzantine turquoise ring in 24-karat gold by Doris Panos, New York
5. Samarcanda bracelet in white gold with enamel, diamonds, blue
sapphires and blue chalcedony by La Nouvelle Bague, Florence, Italy
6. Chopard diamond bracelet and earrings on Kate Winslet at the
SAG Awards, Hollywood, Calif. 7. Blue and white Korean or Chinese
ceramic Dragon vase available through Vintage Views Consignment and
Consulting at Vintage & Modern, Inc. (VandM), New York
8. Angel handbag with blue and white Swarovski crystals by Shana
London, London 9. Nuage de Palekh ring in 18-karat gold with
diamonds and blue lacquer by Marchak, Paris 10. Double strand
turquoise drop necklace by Nancey Chapman, Houston.
S P O T L I G H T
3
C O U T U R E
6
4
5
10
7
9
8
3
4
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2
Agent Orange
&
Yellow Fever
Let the sunshine in with
a jewel in one of the
year’s hot new hues
1
1. Precious Bead flat-faceted lemon citrine necklace with 18-karat gold sculpted
cable disks by David Yurman, New York 2. Champagne Bubbles earrings in 18karat yellow gold with 27.76 carats of natural rough diamonds and micro pavé
diamond accents by Diamond in the Rough on Alicia Keys at the Vanity Fair
Academy Awards Party, Los Angeles 3. Ring in 22-karat gold and sterling silver
with orange sapphire and gold granulation leaves by Patricia Tschetter, Dallas
4. Mid-century table lamps by Vintage and Modern Inc. (V&M), New York
5. Undivided Holiness brooch in 18-karat gold, silver, copper and bronze with
yellow and black treated diamonds by Yehuda Kassif, Tel Aviv 6. Sunburst
brooch and pendant in 18-karat white and yellow gold with mandarin garnet and
diamonds by Tamir, New York 7. Dreamcatcher earrings in 18-karat gold with
citrine by Io Sì, Valenza, Italy 8. Harvest Angel butterfly pendant from Beyond
Color collection in 18-karat gold with rose quartz, pink tourmaline, rhodolite garnet
and moonstone by Paula Crevoshay, Albuquerque, N.M. 9. Marlena yellow
handbag by Liz Lange for Essentials Brands, New York. 10. Ring in 18karat gold with cognac quartz and diamonds by Brüner, São Paulo, Brazil.
10
6
7
8
9
C O U T U R E
S P O T L I G H T
4
5
3
6
2
Rhapsody
in Wood
1
Jewelry fashioned from
exotic woods is the
epitome of eco-chic
1. Lacquered Chinese cabinet by Vintage & Modern, Inc.
(VandM), New York 2. Enlightened unique ebony cuff with Swarovski
gems by Christine J. Brandt, New York 3. Necklace in 18-karat
gold with wood and diamonds by Brüner, São Paulo 4. Wood necklace in 18-karat yellow gold and walnut wood by Tous, Barcelona
5. Sunday in the Jungle Running Zebra bracelet in ebony wood and
18-karat gold with micro mosaic natural color stones by Maya
Jewels, New York 6. Sheaok wood earrings in rose gold with faceted
salmon colored tourmaline by Scheffel Schmuck, Munich, Germany
7. Antler armchair in the Continental style available through Nina
Griscom at Vintage & Modern, Inc. (VandM), New York
8. Amaranth wood ring in red gold with amethyst by Scheffel
Schmuck, Munich, Germany 9. Sunday in the Jungle butterfly
perfume pendant in 18-karat gold with a carved tiger shell butterfly and
a purple heart wood bottle with ebony wood and diamonds by Maya
Jewels, New York 10. Sunglasses in sapele pommele wood by
iWood ecodesign, Louisville, Ky.
10
7
8
9
9
10
8
5
7
4
Frog photo courtesy of AGTA and Robert & Orasa Weldon
6
5
Still Life
Whether they fly, crawl or
jump, critters that glitter
are whimsical works of art
3
2
1
1. Adam & Eve gold aqua handbag by Shana London, London
2. Chameleon brooch in 18-karat gold with colored stones by Palmiero,
Valenza, Italy 3. Frogs in gold with brilliants and precious stones by Pieriz,
Naples, Italy 4. Vintage platinum and 75-carat diamond cuff bracelet by
Fred Leighton on Sarah Jessica Parker at the world premiere of her
film “Sex and the City,” London 5. Frog brooch in 18-karat white and yellow
gold with opals, moonstones and pink sapphires by Gregore Morin, Gregore
Joailliers, Santa Barbara, Calif., for the 2009 AGTA Spectrum Awards
6. Papillon brooch in black and white enamel on yellow gold by
Commelin, Paris 7. Butterfly brooch in platinum with natural color
diamonds by Amgad, New York 8. Dreaming in Color one-of-a-kind
butterfly ring in 18-karat white gold with uncut rose colored diamonds and
pavé diamonds by Michael M, Los Angeles 9. Brooch in white gold
with diamonds and emeralds by Andreoli, Valenza, Italy 10. Tribal
Energy pin in silver by Celegato Jewels, Vicenza, Italy.
SPECIAL REPORT
ETHICAL JEWELRY
Style and
In the world of fine jewelry, doing good and looking
>> Victoria Gomelsky
limate change is almost what the bomb was when I was a kid in
the ’50s,” Simon Doonan, creative director of Barneys New York,
says when he walks onto the stage for the final presentation of
the 10th annual New York Fashion Conference. This year’s theme?
“Green: Sustainability, Significance and Style.”
Launching into a hilarious anecdote about his youth in Great Britain,
Doonan brings three days of panel discussions about weighty issues of
ecological and social import to a spirited, if irreverent, close. The gathering has covered everything from the scourge of “dirty gold” to the
future of green fashion, and while the messages have been meaningful,
the energy in the room has, as with any extended event, gradually been
sapped from the room.
Doonan does his best to enliven the audience. In recalling his initial
resistance to decorating Barneys’ windows with an earth-friendly green
theme for the 2007 holiday season, he cuts right to the chase:
“Let’s face it — it can be a bit earnest at times,” Doonan says, referring to
the by-now obligatory need for companies to tout their green credentials.
“We added some style, humor and a bit of glamour in there,” he
continues, describing his own cheeky approach to the theme: windows
populated by elves clad in recycled Metro cards and a “Rudolph the
Recycling Reindeer” display made entirely of recycled aluminum cans.
“You don’t have to be earnest and super-crunchy. That’s the vibe I got
from people on the street. They were grateful that we’d married those
two concepts.”
By poking fun at the clichés of the green movement while simultaneously honoring it, Doonan makes a strong case for luxury goods that are
at once stylish and socially responsible.
The high-end jewelry industry has had a similar awakening. Over the
past three to five years, the selection of high-ticket jewelry described as
either green, sustainable, ethical, fair trade, fair made, charitable, causebased or “conscient luxury” has increased exponentially. The degree of
green chatter in the jewelry business, famous for its conservatism and
insularity, is today so great that it’s become abundantly clear even the
old-timers have embraced the zeitgeist.
Civic style URTH brand jewelry, including the pieces on this page designed by Stephen
Webster and the leaf pendants on the opposite page by Pippa Small, uses “ethical gold”
sourced from communities – including the one pictured at left in Tipuani, Bolivia – that are
expected to meet the firm’s fundamental values or agree to conform to them. In return, they
receive a portion of profits to improve their quality of life and mining practices. Ruff&Cut, a
New York-based jeweler that uses diamonds mined in Sierra Leone, takes a similar approach,
channeling its profits to local organizations such as the Muddy Lotus Primary School.
Tipuani community photo provided by Urth Solutions
C
sensibility
Muddy Lotus Primary School photo provided by Ruff&Cut
good don’t have to be mutually exclusive
But what does being “green” truly mean in a business that lacks a
shared understanding of fair trade, not to mention an officially sanctioned third-party process to certify its products as such? One way to
understand the movement is by looking at it as the industry’s collective
effort to develop smarter, more efficient and sustainable practices to
source and produce its goods. And one case to study, in particular, is that
of Tiffany & Co., the iconic American retailer that has, in many respects,
set the tone for how the luxury jewelry business addresses its commitment to social and environmental responsibility.
“I’m not about to tell you we’ve painted the blue box green, but sustainability is good business,” Michael Kowalski, Tiffany chairman and CEO,
says at the outset of the Green conference. “We sell objects that matter,
things that last: the very antithesis of excess. We owe it to our customers
and to the earth itself.”
The company’s initiation into the realm of corporate responsibility
came in 1995, years before the movement came into vogue, when it
opposed the development of the New World Gold Mine outside of
Yellowstone National Park, a project Kowalski described as “a reputational disaster in waiting.”
Then came the conflict diamonds crisis, a period of time in the late
1990s when stones mined in African war zones were sold to finance
ongoing conflicts. It was a high-profile publicity nightmare, not exclusive
to Tiffany but damaging all the same. “We were unprepared,” Kowalski
says. “However, to the industry’s credit, there was quick mobilization. We
became strong and vocal advocates for the Kimberley Process, and the
result has been an effective control system.”
In 2001, Tiffany’s refusal to be implicated in other consumer confidence-threatening issues led it “to move beyond industrywide structure
and take control of our own supply chain,” Kowalski says.
Not only did the firm create its own diamond unit, Laurelton Diamonds,
it also advised vendors that it would be scrutinizing their sourcing
methods. By 2004, Tiffany had discontinued the sale of two precious
resources: Burmese rubies, banned by the U.S. government because of
human rights abuses in that country, and coral, whose conservation environmentalists say is critical to protecting the health of the oceans.
Aided by the four-year-old Council for Responsible Jewellery
Practices, a worldwide diamond and gold jewelry supply chain initiative
of which Tiffany was a founding member, the company has also tackled
the issue of “dirty gold,” a term for gold mined through practices that
wreck the environment.
Photo provided by Ruff&Cut
SPECIAL REPORT
ETHICAL JEWELRY
According to the nonprofit No Dirty Gold, founded in 2004 by human
rights groups Oxfam America and Earthworks, the production of one
gold ring generates up to 20 tons of waste, including toxic cyanide and
mercury runoff. In the most egregious cases, gold mining also destroys
landscapes and displaces communities, impacting mostly indigenous
peoples in countries such as Ghana, Indonesia and Peru.
While a company the size of Tiffany is expected — and can afford — to
be a model of corporate righteousness (by sourcing the majority of its
gold and silver from a single U.S. mine that upholds its considerable
standards), scores of smaller jewelers have turned to recycled or
reclaimed gold to assure their customers that they, too, have
confronted the industry’s inconvenient truths.
“When I saw the No Dirty Gold Web site, I was shocked by
how much devastation there is in metals mining,” says Toby
Pomeroy, a boutique designer based in Oregon. “I thought, ‘I can’t do
it, I can’t contribute to this kind of destruction.’ ”
In 2005, Pomeroy asked Hoover & Strong, the largest metals refiner
in the United States, if they would set aside their scrap gold and silver
for him to recycle. Since that encounter, interest in the company’s
reclaimed metals program has spawned a brand of its own: Harmony
Metals and Gems, which consists of 100 percent recycled precious
metals paired with conflict-free diamonds and fair trade gemstones.
For Pomeroy, it all boils down to a single point: “How can we bring
ethics to an industry that has operated without accountability?”
Company benefits The Medallion bracelet by Tracy Matthews Design, Star earrings by
Ruff&Cut, Boulder Cluster ring by Todd Reed and Large Lotus ring by Oria for Ruff&Cut all
use diamonds provided by Ruff&Cut, as part of its effort to promote “socially responsible
luxury.” Transparency and beneficiation, or the re-investment of profits in the communities
where the diamonds are sourced (such as the one the Sierra Leonean diggers in the photo
above call home) is at the core of the company’s philosophy.
SPECIAL REPORT
TOPIC
The good news is that thanks to the jewelry trade’s newfound environmentalist zeal, that question no longer prompts an uncomfortable silence.
Not everyone, however, agrees on the best approach. Take Urth Solution,
for example. The Beverly Hills, Calif.-based company’s URTH brand
jewels, a chic selection of designer pieces made by the likes of Pippa
Small and Stephen Webster, are made from gold mined by artisanal and
small-scale miners in Bolivia and Madagascar. In exchange for their gold,
Urth pledges to ensure “a fair price while providing much needed
resources, skills, education and technology through programs funded by
the sale of URTH products.”
“We have an independent minerals and sustainability expert to
develop a set of standards with a more attainable entry point based
on the values of our company: dignity, peace, development, community, ecology, family, health and justice,” co-founder Meyghan Hill says.
“So, for example, we will purchase from a community that mines using
mercury if, through our reinvestment program funded by the profits of
URTH jewelry, they will participate in a mercury management and
reduction course.”
Urth’s marketing materials, which describe the business as a “marriage
of luxury and altruism,” reflect a sensibility that has only recently become
if not quite commonplace then certainly not unique in the trade. Another
example of the effort to help consumers effect change with their jewelry
purchases comes by way of Ruff&Cut, a two-year-old jewelry company
based in New York specializing in rough diamonds sourced from Sierra
Leone, the country most ravaged by blood diamonds.
“Our goal is to create an invisible cord that ties the land and the people
who bear the stones to those who wear them with singular conscience
— a spiritual cat’s cradle, if you like, of beauty & rawness, of source &
provenance, and of purity & distinction, all draw-stringed together,” states
the company’s core philosophy.
To that end, explains founder and CEO Wade Watson, Ruff&Cut sells
not only its own brand of jewelry featuring Sierra Leonean diamonds but
also pieces designed by Todd Reed, Me&Ro and Tracy Matthews. On the
Web site, concerned customers will find explicit remarks about where the
materials have been sourced and how much money from their sale will
go to nonprofit partners.
Watson is operating on the conviction that even, or perhaps
especially, in a down market, jewelry that promotes lofty ideals
gives consumers an extra incentive to buy. Yet given the dismal
realities of the marketplace, he and his fellow activist jewelers are
equal parts sanguine and concerned about their prospects.
“As a whole, I don’t really think the industry gets it yet,” Watson says.
“In the end it will be driven by the consumer and their desire to make the
world a better place.” ■
FPO Caption
Old The
goldNavaratna,
Oregon goldsmith
or nine Toby Pomeroy had an epiphany in 2005, when he learned about
gemstone, turtle brooch
the No at
Dirty
leftGold
pays campaign,
homage toformed
a
a year prior to put an end to irresponsible gold mining
traditional Hindu belief
practices
that thethat
world
wreak
restshavoc
atop the
on the environment and devastate communities. Consequently,
back of an elephant which
Pomeroy
stands began
atop a using
turtle. what
The nine
he calls “eco-gold,” referring to metal that’s been recycled or
gems that decorate the shellreclaimed,
are fashioned
as in in
this
anpendant
astrologiand cuff bracelet.
COUTUREInternational
InternationalJeweler
Jewelerl Basel
l Basel2009
2009l 37
l5
COUTURE
SPECIAL REPORT
ETHICAL JEWELRY
Cause and effect
These four jewelers have made social responsibility a cornerstone of their work
Erica Courtney
Blue streak Erica Courtney’s 18-karat
gold, diamond and tanzanite earrings
and Tanzanite Aurora necklace with pink
sapphires were the product of her partnership with the Tanzanite Foundation.
One of the many things that struck designer Erica
Courtney on her trip to Tanzania last summer was the
local Maasai tradition of wearing red and blue together.
In the bright sunlight, they looked violet, much like the color
of tanzanite, the gemstone discovered there in 1967.
“Of course they have worn these colors long before tanzanite
was discovered, but it’s as if the Maasai were telling us that the
tanzanite was in the earth by the way they dress,” Courtney says. “I thought that was
very poetic in a way, since the tanzanite find has given them so much opportunity:
money, schools, roads, jobs, tourists buying their wares.”
Courtney saw those opportunities first-hand thanks to her collaboration with the
Tanzanite Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection and promotion of tanzanite. Upon her return to Los Angeles in September, Courtney arranged for 10
percent of the proceeds from the month’s sales at her Robertson Boulevard retail store
to go to the Community Uplift Program, set up by the foundation to help sustain medical
clinics, community centers and educational programs in the area where tanzanite is mined.
“I personally have plans on financially helping two schools and visiting every year to
spend time with them,” Courtney says. “My heart has been absolutely stolen!” ■
Lori Bonn
A few years ago, jewelry designer Lori Bonn attended a luncheon in
San Francisco to raise money for the indigenous people living in the
Amazon rainforest. At the end of the fundraiser, the hostess made
an announcement: The entire event, she said, had been staged
with a net-zero impact on the planet, thanks to a clever approach to carbon offsetting.
“It was an epiphany for me because, until then, I couldn’t find anything green that
wasn’t also ‘granola,’ ” Bonn said, recalling the gathering as ultra-sophisticated, in stark
contrast to the “crunchy” aesthetic she had previously associated with green activism. “It
didn’t occur to me that you could be stylish and socially responsible at the same time.”
Although the Oakland, Calif.-based designer had always endeavored to ensure her
jewelry, most of it produced in Bali, was manufactured under progressive
standards, the luncheon proved to be a turning point. She now
promotes her collections, including the Chrysalis line of recycled silver
and speckled chalcedony jewels, under the “Clear Conscience” label,
an umbrella term meant to convey that her jewels “tread lightly on the
planet while respecting every person along the supply chain.” ■
All clear Lori Bonn’s Chrysalis collection, including this Kaleidoscope cuff
bracelet with smoky quartz, citrine and
white quartz and Round Dot ring with
polka dot chalcedony, is designed to be
worn with a “clear conscience.”
SPECIAL REPORT
TOPIC
Jaipur photos by Victoria Gomelsky
Monique Péan
>>
When her younger sister passed away unexpectedly in 2005,
Monique Péan, then a banker with Goldman Sachs, turned to jewelry
as a form of therapy. Today, the company she founded in her sister’s
memory is at the forefront of a growing movement to help
consumers effect change with their purchases.
“The whole idea behind my collection was to combine my love for art, business and
philanthropy,” Péan says. “My father worked in development growing up, so I had the privilege of traveling to over 40 countries. And I felt indigenous art and culture is so rich, but
it had never been at the forefront of the luxury market.”
The fall 2007 Bering collection, featuring smooth shards of fossilized walrus, caribou
and wooly mammoth ivory sourced from the Alaskan Inupiaq and Yup’ik tribes living in
the Arctic Circle and set in 100 percent recycled gold, was the product of her freshman
effort. Ten percent of proceeds are directed to the Alaska House, a gallery in Fairbanks
dedicated to preserving and promoting Alaska native arts.
Péan’s second collection, called Charity Water after the New York nonprofit of the
same name, features chunky stones designed to evoke clean or contaminated drinking
water, thereby drawing attention to the 1.1 billion people who live without access to safe
drinking water. Each sale provides clean drinking water to 10 people for 20 years. ■
The kings
FPO deck here, the artisans of Gem Palace
Sure things Every element in Monique Péan’s collection has been ethically sourced. From top, this hemihave created
morphite and recycled yellow gold necklace includes 4 carats of “conflict- and devastation-free diamonds”
on a sustainably gathered stingray cord while the Mzibia agate necklace features fossilized woolly mammoth
ivory set in 18-karat recycled yellow gold with a conflict- and devastation-free diamond clasp.
M Reed
Todd
otorized rickshaws, mopeds, hand-drawn carts and cows
dominate the relentless traffic on Jaipur’s dusty M.I. Road,
except for the block that houses the esteemed Gem Palace,
where tour buses are a conspicuous and everyday presence.
Todd
TheReed
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store—a
experimenting
Jaipur institution
with raw
since
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1852,inwhen
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appointed
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treasure trove, and his
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ends
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” Reed
and Pappu
says. “It’s
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early days,
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when
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to define
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goes
didn’t
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eighth-generation
but, as they say,Munnu
better
late than never. “Maybe this is the time in jewelry when change happens,” he says. ■
FPO Caption Jaipur is called the “Pink City” because of the pink stucco walls that surround its carefulloveold
Todd
Reedbuilt
prefers
raw Jai
diamonds
theyHawa
have Mahal,
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lyRuff
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1727. The
or Palace ofaesthetic
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necklace
is made
18-karat recycled
goldGem
andPalace
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isinone
its enduring
icons. Lying
justThis
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traffic-choked
M.I. Road,
is a
diamond
cubes,
macles,
octahedrons;
natural
color
rose-cut
diamonds;
and
white
rose-cut
diamonds,
while
retail store-cum-tourist magnet, regularly besieged by jewelry lovers who have come to see designer FPO
the cuff bracelet features 18-karat yellow gold, silver, raw diamond cubes and colored brilliants.
COUTURE International Jeweler l Basel
2009 l 3
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TASTEMAKERS
NICOLE MACKINLAY HAHN
The poetry behind
the purchase
Using her lyrical style of video art, Nicole Mackinlay
Hahn puts an original spin on conscious consumerism
magine picking up an Ethiopian silk purse at the trendiest luxury boutique
in town and focusing not on the purse but on a 30-second video showing
the Malagasy man who helped make its raw silk, as he chases his friend
around their village, waving a silkworm on a stick.
“I want people to be more emotionally attached to where their things
come from,” says Nicole Mackinlay Hahn, a video artist whose Reap What
You Sew project goes a long way in establishing such a connection.
Using documentary-style footage shot in Africa and then distilled into an
interactive video piece called Mirror/Africa (which includes the silkworm clip
described above), Reap What You Sew offers a fascinating glimpse into
the supply chain that connects African communities to the American
consumers who buy the fashions they produce.
Mackinlay Hahn, an accomplished video artist,
launched the project in 2005, when the Edun
clothing company took her to Lesotho to shoot
footage they hoped to use in “an advocacy video
to tell their brand story.”
“It was my weird initiation into fashion,” Mackinlay
Hahn recalls. “I could not believe how many people
touched one garment of clothing.”
The trip marked the beginning of her love affair
with the continent. She has since returned five
times. On those trips, she traced more designer
goods back through the supply chain — including
fashion from Duro Olowu, beauty products
from Philip B and jewelry by Devon Paige
McCleary — making sure that at least some of
their components were sourced or produced
in Africa.
Mackinlay Hahn then created hundreds of
30-second video clips that play through an interactive and transparent
domelike sculpture that she installed as a temporary public art project at
Barneys New York in May 2008 and hopes to bring to additional retail
venues this year. When consumers pick up one of the items she tracked, a
special bamboo tag prompts them to scan it at the nearby installation.
Depending on where the item originated or was produced, they see clips of
Madagascar, Kenya, Lesotho, Mali, Uganda, Tunisia, Ghana or South Africa.
Photo by James Ryang
I
Mirror images Nicole Mackinlay Hahn’s crystal ball-like sculpture plays clips from Mirror/
Africa, the video footage that lies at the heart of her ambitious Reap What You Sew project.
It’s an interactive exploration of the supply chain linking communities in Africa, such as the
one pictured at right, to the American consumers who buy the goods they produce.
Mackinlay Hahn says she was driven to
create the project — and the feature-length
documentary film it inspired, due to premiere
in 2010 — after recognizing she could harness
the Web’s interactive and touch-screen technology to convey information “way beyond
[what could be contained in] the tag.”
She stresses that her work isn’t intended
to preach but to delight, inspire and celebrate. More poetic than information-driven,
the videos suggest that “you still need entertainment value in order to get an emotional
reaction in a transactional environment.”
One sign that she has succeeded appears
in a clip that could end up in the documentary,
which Mackinlay Hahn has structured around
the experiences of consumers using the
installation. A middle-aged Barneys shopper
is shown watching one of the videos. “I like to
know that my consumerism isn’t hurting
someone else,” says the woman, making Reap
What You Sew’s point, exactly. ■
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TASTEMAKERS
TANIA MACHADO
Craft master
Under Tania Machado’s stewardship, Brazilian artisans
are bringing their eco-friendly designs to the world
J
ewelers may know Minas Gerais as the Brazilian state where the bulk
of the country’s precious stones are mined (the name, in fact, translates
to “General Mines”) but the region is also rich with talented artisans who
have taken advantage of local materials to produce a range of arts and
crafts distinguished by their respect for the earth.
In 2001, Tania Machado recognized the need to promote these crafts —
mostly home décor items made from seeds, ceramic, glass, fiber, wood,
paper, soapstone and ironwork — to an international audience, thereby
generating income for poor families while encouraging recycling and environmentalism. Thus, the EcoArts program was born.
As an offshoot of a Brazilian nonprofit called Instituto Centro CAPE,
which helps prepare artisans to sell their work abroad, EcoArts represents
a collective of eight artisans, whose products are sold bearing a seal — IQS,
or Sustainable Quality Institute — guaranteeing they are socially fair,
ecologically correct and economically viable.
“Today, the whole world is worried about the environment, and recycling is well-respected by everyone,” says Machado, who is based in
Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais. “But in the case that the
improvement of the economic situation of poor people is attached to the
product’s good price, it’s even better.”
Among the artisans in the EcoArts stable is Maria Diniz. She uses coffee
husks and grounds, rice husks and cardboard boxes to make decorative
bowls. Leonardo Bueno makes furniture and household items by recycling
the wood from shipping pallets, while Cristina Duarte recycles raw glass to
fashion unique works of glass art.
In 2007, the program to which they belong exported more than $2 million
of artistic handicrafts to the United States. (A similar program exists in
Europe and is managed by a Lisbon-based company, Vitória Regia.)
The Brazilian government has been instrumental in nurturing EcoArts,
whose existence is made possible through a collaboration between several
organizations, including APEX, Brazil’s trade and investment promotion
agency, and the Central Mão de Minas, a nonprofit aimed at helping artisans navigate the complicated world of exporting. Despite the economic
downturn, Machado is optimistic that EcoArts will continue to thrive.
“We believe we have enormous growing potential,” she says. “There are 8.5
million artisans in Brazil. In the state of Minas Gerais there are 500,000, and
only about 300 are currently exporting products to the USA. But in order to
proceed we must continue looking for buyers. It’s necessary to adapt products, improve some of the technological processes for customs and trade
barriers, and continue showing the creative work of the Brazilian people.” ■
Reduce, reuse, recycle The EcoArts collective promotes the work of Brazilian artisans who
work with different recycled materials. Márcio Ferreira, for example, uses scrap iron to make his
signature ants, while other artists work with glass, shown here in a delicate petal-like sculpture,
or banana or coconut fibers, used to make decorative bowls.
TASTEMAKERS
LILIANE JOSSUA
The girl from Paris
In 2005, Liliane Jossua set a precedent by opening the
first multibrand retail shop on tony Avenue Montaigne
venue Montaigne, in the 8th arrondisement of Paris, is arguably the
world’s most illustrious shopping street. A mecca for high-fashion
devotees, it’s lined with grand facades bearing the names of prestige brands with a global following: Valentino, Gucci, Chanel and Dior, to
name but a few.
So sought after are the goods on Avenue Montaigne that in December,
thieves stole diamond necklaces, gem-studded rings and luxury watches
worth $108 million from the Harry Winston salon in one of the most ambitious — and successful — heists in history.
Yet the street’s monobrand domination can feel a bit monotonous. This
explains why the ultra-chic Montaigne Market, the street’s first multibrand
emporium, has a distinct edge.
Opened in 2005, the store boasts a high-low mix of designer merchandise that calls to mind the well-edited closet of a very stylish friend. This
season’s new acquisitions include Elizabeth & James, the sophomore
collection from Ashley and Mary Kate Olsen; retro-fabulous designs from
Halston, the icon of 70s style; and the moody, phantasmagorical jewels of
Fendi scion Delfina Delettrez.
But these are merely the tip of the iceberg; co-founder Liliane Jossua has
excellent and varied taste, which comes through in the store’s assorted
collection of jewelry. Besides Delettrez, Aurélie Bidermann, Repossi, Garrard,
and John Isaac, a vintage Rolex dealer, are among the collections on display.
Fashion formula Liliane Jossua has perfected a buying strategy for Montaigne Market, the
first multibrand boutique to open on Paris’s grand shopping street. Accessories, in the form of
colorful Lanvin handbags, outrageous Brian Atwood platforms and très interesting jewels from
the likes of Fendi scion Delfina Delettrez, make up 40 percent of the store’s merchandise.
A Parisian who studied fashion at Esmod in
Paris, Jossua moved to Saint Barth with her
family 16 years ago. It was there that she cut
her teeth at retail with her first store, Calypso.
“When my oldest daughter was 10 we
decided to go back home to Paris and then
it was time to open something here,” she
recalls. “We thought Avenue Montaigne was
an amazing place for its history and we
could find there the same customer I was
used to working with in Saint Barth.”
Montaigne Market’s white wall, lacquer,
and leather interior, designed by architect
Johannes Zingerle, is the perfect showcase
for Jossua’s myriad finds. Supported by her
business partner, Alain Celhay, she makes
all the buying decisions, gravitating to
designers such as Alaia, Givenchy,
Alexander McQueen and Balmain. Readyto-wear constitutes about 60 percent of the
store’s inventory; the rest is made up with
accessories, from Lanvin handbags to
Gianvito Rossi heels.
“When you buy one of those it’s a clever
choice,” she says. “You will keep the clothes
and wear them again next season mixed
with new ones. Time is not anymore to
spend for eccentric and expensive things
you’ll wear once.” ■
Photo provided by Montaigne Market
A
DESIGNER ROUNDUP
SHAHPOUR JAHAN
Royal engagements
Pleasing princesses is jeweler Shahpour Jahan’s specialty
ot long ago, Shahpour Jahan, a jeweler based in
Geneva, took an order from a young Saudi princess
who wanted a necklace “she could wear every day.”
A diamond-laden jewel anchored by a 9.5-carat fancy pink
pear-shaped stone is what he created for her.
With clientele drawn from the royal families of the Persian
Gulf, the Jahan family business, a seventh-generation affair
that dates back to Tehran in the 1800s, has a different relationship with its customers than do most jewelers.
“A person has a doctor, a lawyer, and we consider ourselves
an advisor,” Shahpour, the company’s creative director, says.
“We give them a service. We take their old jewelry that has
no value, and we update it.”
When there is a major wedding, it’s not just the bride who
is expected to shine. Mothers and grandmothers are also
draped in jewels and will often bring their old pieces into
one of the company’s three boutiques in Geneva, Riyadh or
Jeddah to get a fresh re-working. A Jahan design album
with a collection of dull photos documenting these quintessentially 1980s jewels (so passé looking they might as well
be in neon) is a testament to this. Shahpour then re-imagines the pieces, sometimes as stylish scarf necklaces or as
long cascades of stones.
The emphasis, it’s clear, is on the latter. “The real value to
us as jewelers is in the stones,” Shahpour says. “Like land,
antiques, paintings, the point is you have jewelry that will look
good years from now. It’s not supposed to be like fashion.”
From a floral collar of sapphire and diamond roses to the
suite of almond-sized Colombian emeralds about to be set
into a diamond and white gold parure, the classic jewels
N
that are Jahan’s bread and butter begin at 200,000 Swiss
francs (about $175,000 at current exchange rates) and top
out around 2 million Swiss francs.
Jahan’s singular commitment to providing a traditional,
albeit modernized, selection of jewels to customers who
have patronized the store for decades has placed it in a
good position to ride out the current economic downturn.
Based in Geneva since 1980, when Shahpour’s father began
using Swiss workshops to manufacture the jewelry he sold
in Iran, the company has a reputation for creating sumptuous
parures of the highest quality.
“Of course you feel it,” Shahpour says of the credit crunch.
“But high-level pieces like that always keep their value. If
people are getting married, we are good.”
In order to accommodate the gift-buying proliclivities of
clients who hail from the Gulf region, the company also
stocks a reasonably priced selection of glam watches and
perfumes, all on display in the Geneva boutique.
Situated in a prime location on the city’s famed Rue du
Rhône, the store opened in 1995 and was expanded and
renovated two years ago into a stylish black-and-white
showroom of 200 square meters. Neighbors include practically every major luxury name in the watch and jewelry
business, but that doesn’t faze Shahpour.
“We like that we have competitors,” he says. “When you
go into a garden, you don’t just want to see roses.” ■
Bridal boom Shahpour Jahan, the seventh generation of the Jahan
family business, has what many would consider the perfect plan to ride
out this year’s economic turbulence: If the royal familes of the Persian Gulf
who make up his clientele continue to get married, “we are good,” he says.
Mad about hue
Elke Berr evolved as a designer when
she succumbed to her love of color
rained as a gemologist nearly two
decades ago, Elke Berr began
her designing career making
tried-and-true styles featuring precious
stones, such as rubies, sapphires and
emeralds, in classic yet predictable
settings. “The value was given by the
stone itself, while the design was not
the central interest of the jewel,” she
says. Fast-forward 20 years, and Berr’s work is anything
but conventional. It includes a slew of precious and
semiprecious pieces in special cuts like the
bubble-cut, mirror-cut, wave-cut and ice-cube cut.
Read on to discover her creative turning point.
T
Who: Elke Fechner-Berr, Elke Berr Creations,
Genève Age: 44 Home base: Geneva, Switzerland
What: Feminine, trendy jewelry with colored
gemstones in 18-karat gold Where to buy: Best
The namesake
If you believe in omens, former banker
Manju Jasty is living her destiny
orn in the Indian state
of Andhra Pradesh and
raised in the suburbs of
New York City, designer Manju
Jasty spent her childhood summers
touring Indian holy sites such as
Tirupati, where a famous golden idol
enchanted her. After college, she
pursued investment banking, until she
could no longer deny her fascination with gems and jewels,
nor, perhaps, her destiny: Manju’s first name is derived from
the Sanskrit word for “jewel box.”
B
Who: Manju Jasty Age: 33 Home base: New York City
What: Manju Jasty Fine Jewels Where to buy: Barneys
New York or by appointment at www.manjujasty.com
Philosophy: Wearing fine jewelry should be a physical
jewelry shops in
Switzerland, Paris,
Monaco, Munich, Milan,
Kiev, Dubai, Doha and Jeddah
Philosophy: A passion for gems, life and women who know
what they want. My jewelry should be their favorite piece
and make them look different, happy and passionate about
life, at reasonable prices. Inspiration: Unusual stones and
cuts, and traveling. I capture the colors, trends and people
in different countries. Gemstone preferences: Stones with
effects, like star rubies, moonstones, black star diopside and
quartz in all colors, cut in unusual shapes. Design epiphany:
At a certain point, coinciding with my son Raphaël’s birth
seven years ago, I felt a drive to create jewelry for everyday
wear, for myself and for a passionate, trendy woman, and I
started designing with semiprecious stones and pearls.
Dream clients: The ones who take the risk to promote
a new name and stand behind me Breakthrough
moment: One year ago, I started to sell in Ukraine
and the Middle East Training: I was a gemologist
and gemstone dealer before launching my own
collections. Retail price range: $800–$50,000 ■
A heart for stones Seven years ago, gemologist Elke Berr began
creating designer pieces like this necklace strung with lemon quartz
drops and ring featuring a wave-cut smoky quartz.
pleasure as well as a source of joy. Inspiration: All things
beautiful, from the shapes of the Taj Mahal to the shape of a
calla lily. Gemstone preferences: Diamonds: a simple
and elegant statement, but a statement nonetheless.
Design epiphany: When my mom gave me permission to deconstruct a necklace and earrings I had
inherited and I realized I could refashion it into something I would use and thoroughly enjoy wearing.
Dream clients: Julianne Moore and
Charlize Theron Breakthrough
moment: Meeting Julie Gilhart
(fashion director of Barneys) the
day I resigned from banking. I ran
into her a few months later, at which
point she admired my earrings (of my own
design) and suggested I schedule an appointment
with her office. Training: Design is self-taught;
construction I learned by working with
artisans in India. Retail price range:
$4,000–$150,000 ■
Homage to India Manju Jasty’s Indian heritage is reflected in these bell-shaped earrings and carved emerald necklace.
Necklace photographed by Rudy Lepoultier; ring photographed by Sarah Girard
DESIGNER ROUNDUP
ELKE BERR AND MANJU JASTY
MARKETPLACE
VICENZA
Brave new world
eterans of the international trade fair circuit know
there are two kinds of exhibitors at the First show,
held every January, in Vicenza: Those who produce
eminently chic, if fleeting, fashion jewelry and those for
whom “made in Italy” is a battle cry for pieces that stand the
test of time.
As business philosophies, they couldn’t be more different,
yet for the 1,700 companies that showcased their newest
merchandise at the goldsmith fair in mid-January, these two
approaches represent flip sides of the same Italian coin.
The first approach is, arguably, the one that defines Italian
merchandise in the greater context of the global jewelry
scene, and the First fair is, naturally, where the trendiest of
such trendy merchandise makes its debut. This year, the
pieces most in vogue included those featuring black and
white gemstones in matte and polished forms, ornate bib
necklaces best suited to women with statuesque features
(not to mention long necks), variations on the traditional
diamond tennis bracelet using a mix of semiprecious
stones and varying shapes, and a heavy dose of jewels
evoking feathers, animals and leaves.
“Our industry is getting closer to the models and rhythms
of fashion and is observing that trends of fashion and style
merge with trends in our own sector,” Domenico Girardi, the
V
fair’s new general director, said at a press conference. “It
will be necessary to innovate more quickly, to speed up, and
the business models will be different.”
Girardi’s fellow organizers are, it seems, in full agreement.
Witness the show’s new Glam Room, unveiled at the Choice
event in September and enhanced for the 2009 gathering.
The pavilion of 26 exhibitors is dedicated to jewels that
combine precious materials with alternative elements, such
as wood, glass, ceramic, ebony, Perspex and steel.
By 2010, noted Girardi, the Glam Room “will become an
independent pavilion where we celebrate the conjugation
between fashion and jewelry.”
Yet the notion of jewelry as accessory is at odds with the
way many of Vicenza’s finest exhibitors see their work.
In discussing his company’s plans for Baselworld, for
example, Umberto Picchiotti, of the Valenza-based manufacturer, said: “We will concentrate on more valuable pieces
and won’t do as much fashion or design collections. We
never did.”
Likewise, Isaac Levy, founder of Yvel, the Israeli pearl
jewelry manufacturer, said he would focus his merchandise
Glam slam The entrance to the Vicenza fair’s new Glam Room, which
General Director Domenico Girardi describes as “an independent pavilion
where we celebrate the conjugation between fashion and jewelry.”
Photo by LaPresse provided by Vicenza Fiera
At the First fair in Vicenza, the Italians were split on whether the secret
to their long-term success lies in promoting classic jewelry or fashion
Ne
ew Ittalia
an style
e
on higher-ticket items that required
the same amount of effort to sell as
lower priced goods. He also noted
that his global marketing strategy
hinged on finding “pockets of wealth”
rather than conquering entirely
new markets — a reflection of how
thoroughly globalized our world has
become: affluent consumers are invariably jet-setters, meaning their wealth
is as mobile as their high-tech phones.
“You cannot target a country today,”
Levy said. “You have to focus on a group
of people. For example, we don’t sell in
Belgium, but we sold to a group of Belgians.
We have a couple of wealthy people in
Kuwait and Dubai. It’s about targeting the
right customer.”
At the First fair, however, it was clear the
Italians were struggling to define, or even
recognize, who that might be.
“We’re still trying to understand what to do,”
said a woman at the Andreoli booth. “I think
everybody’s in crisis. We haven’t seen any
Americans. The first day was noticeably quiet,
and it’s supposed to be the strongest.”
Export statistics tell an equally disheartening
story. According to figures released by Italy’s
National Statistics Institute, the value of
jewelry and gold exports for the first three
quarters of 2008 fell by 5.54 percent
compared to the same period in 2007. “The
data is linked to the strongly negative
performance of the month of August
(-71%), but partially balanced by
the good performance registered
in the month of September,”
according to the Institute’s statement.
One of the report’s bright spots
affirmed that the United Arab
Emirates is now Italy’s chief export market,
with a 16.4 percent share representing a
14.56 percent increase from 2007 to 2008
— numbers that squared
perfectly with sentiment on the
show floor.
“Abu Dhabi,” Picchiotti said,
referring to the capital of the UAE, “seems
to be the next hot place.” ■
While black was ubiquitous
in Vicenza this year, the
selection wasn’t as somber
as you might think.
First things first Clockwise from top: Roberta
Porrati’s Ibiza ring with black diamonds and pearls;
Marco Bicego’s resplendent Jaipur bib necklace;
Palmiero’s graceful green Feather ring; Paolo
Piovan’s seductive snake necklace; Picchiotti’s
white diamonds and buff-top baguette sapphires
feather brooch; and Picchiotti’s classic emerald
earrings reflect the diversity of designs found at
the First fair in Vicenza. The big question? Should
Italian jewelers focus on fashion jewelry, Italy’s
traditional strong suit, or timeless designs that
transcend fashion to ensure their success during
what promises to be a challenging year?
I N F L U E N C E S
competitions
Winning brew
A quirky contest inspires designers to re-imagine an
unglamorous deli cup as a coveted piece of jewelry
New York City has no shortage of icons. There’s the Statue of Liberty, of
course, and the yellow taxicab, the Empire State Building and Times
Square. One symbol that rarely gets its due, however, is the blue-andwhite Greek paper coffee cup — the one emblazoned with the words
“We Are Happy to Serve You” — used by diners and coffee vendors
across the five boroughs.
A number of enterprising designers who exhibit at the Couture show
have done much to change that. In the NY Couture Jewelry Designer
Challenge, held earlier this year at the JA New York show, they were
asked to transform the instantly recognizable cup into a unique piece
of wearable jewelry. They responded with a wealth of unconventional
styles that were voted on by the Couture community and displayed at
the show, thereby elevating an unglamorous deli cup to its rightful place
among the Big Apple’s more celebrated trademarks.
Chad Allison designed the winning piece, a diamond and sapphire
pendant incorporating the cup’s distinctive Greek border motif into a
subtle tribute to a vintage only-in-New-York aesthetic. The other jewels
also reflected just a hint of coffee inspiration. One clever designer,
however, took the mandate rather literally.
“Use this and you don’t burn your fingers with the hot coffee,” said
runner-up Heather Moore of her gold coffee cup holder that transforms
into a bangle and armband. “When you’re done with your drink, put your
cup in the recycling bin, slip the pieces on your wrist and you’re stylin’
for the day!”
Hold the sugar New Yorkers love their coffee, so they’re sure to love these coffee-inspired
jewels. Clockwise from bottom: Chad Allison’s winning pendant features diamonds and blue
sapphires in 18-karat white gold. Gurhan’s pendant is set in his trademark 24-karat gold.
Heather Moore’s coffee cup holder/bangle (shown with and without coffee) is, without
doubt, the contest’s most clever submission, while Vibes’s pearl necklace, in a more subtle
approach to the design brief, includes a mere hint of the cup’s iconic motif.
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ONLINE LUXURY
Online luxury, reconsidered
A fresh crop of sophisticated Web. 2.0 sites are courting the high end with renewed vigor
he luxury industry’s experience with the Internet should
be counted in dog years: For every seven years of
Web-based progress in other fields, luxury providers
have inched along by just one.
Look, for example, to the online jewelry market, and you’ll
find that for most of its lifespan it’s been the domain of
schlock merchants, con artists and loose stone dealers
eager to dispense with the fripperies of romance in favor of
promoting goods at bargain-basement prices.
Just consider this quote from Jim Schultz, founder of
DirtCheapDiamonds.com, which appeared in an article in
COUTURE’s sister magazine, National Jeweler, seven years
ago: “DirtCheap is doing so well because we have a practical
attitude,” he said. “We don’t romance the stone. Because we’re
not face-to-face with a customer talking about a stone, we’re
just looking at the facts. I think people appreciate our candor.”
While it’s true that price — and, more meaningfully, value —
continues to be critical to the allure of buying luxury products
online, the notion that e-tailers eschew story, tradition and
a commitment to service has gone away as surely as
Facebook has replaced Friendster in the social networking
sphere. These days, the Internet is, without doubt, home to
the jewelry industry’s most promising action.
“[We’ve made] the empirical case directly from the voice
of the wealthy consumer for luxury brands to make their
Web sites the centerpiece of their online and offline strategies since 2006,” says Milton Pedraza, CEO of the New
York-based Luxury Institute. “Nevertheless, the traditional
luxury industry has been slow to adopt Web 2.0.”
T
The term “Web 2.0” refers to changing trends in the use
of Internet technology and design that strive to enhance
creativity, communications, secure information sharing,
collaboration and functionality.
Pedraza notes, “Innovators such as Gilt, Ideeli, A Small
World, Portero, Vivre, CoutureLab and several off-the-radar
players such as Bespoke Global, are gaining traction online
via membership models, global communities, and by aggregating categories of bespoke luxury designers and
producers in one-stop-shop destinations.”
This phenomenon is bound to grow. In light of the
faltering global economy, more old-school jewelry merchants
are adopting Internet-only policies, thereby ducking the
enormous expenses associated with running brick-andmortar operations.
“We’ve got Madison Avenue products with the value only
an online store can offer,” says Pinny Kaufman, a New York
diamond wholesaler who recently launched Idalia.com, a
luxury fashion jewelry site aimed at female self-purchasers.
“I don’t feel anyone’s targeting this niche. The industry standards are mall-type Web sites.”
For guidance, Kaufman studied the Web’s luxury visionaries,
Net-a-Porter and Vivre, two sites that established, early on,
reputations for expertly curating collections of high-end
designer goods, from fashion to accessories to home décor
The real deal Plenty of Web consumers are wary of shopping online due
to questions of authenticity. To battle the thriving online knock-off market,
Portero.com carefully vets its products to guarantee their genuineness. At
Idalia.com, the focus is value: “Madison Avenue products” at online prices.
items, that appealed to discerning shoppers precisely
because they fused the experience of browsing a luxury
print catalog with the Web’s user-friendly technologies.
“The two together blend to form a potent mix that’s hard
to resist,” wrote The Luxe Chronicles in a February 2008
blog post praising both Net-a-Porter and Vivre. “I’ve often
compared shopping on these sites to shopping directly
from the pages of your favorite print magazine, only better.”
More recently, CoutureLab, a next-generation version of
Net-a-Porter (given that its owner, Carmen Busquets, was
one of the latter’s original backers), has charmed luxury
consumers with its chic selection of one-of-a-kind and
limited-edition designer merchandise, sourced from around
the world. No small part of the two-year-old site’s appeal lies
in its crisp photography, stylish layout and engaging content,
like the bios describing each designer represented on the
site — including jewelers such as France’s Lydia Courteille,
Spain’s Vicente Gracia and Kenya’s Carolyn Roumeguere.
For purposes of Web site marketing and search engine
optimization (“SEO” in Web 2.0 lingo), the content quotient
is key — a fact that Beladora, a two-year-old estate jewelry
site based in Beverly Hills and affiliated with estate dealer
Kazanjian Bros., has used to its advantage.
“We’re creating content that makes our site useful and
helps the Google rankings,” says CEO Nancy Revy, adding
that a flexible approach to pricing (read: no triple-key markups)
and reliable customer service are the site’s strong suits.
“What’s amazing about this business is the amount of
trust you build up with people who have never heard of
you,” Revy says. “How do you instill confidence online? We
respond to every e-mail and call within 24 hours. We are
literally a 24/7 shop.”
At Portero.com, the secret to establishing customer
loyalty is a fanatical devotion to authenticity. Launched
in 2004, the company was one of eBay’s largest
sellers of pre-owned luxury timepieces and handbags
until its founders decided to create their own site in
2007, in part to escape the suspicions that seemed to
taint the online marketplace, said Stephanie Pfair, the
company’s outgoing vice president of merchandising.
“For a long time, online was considered the breeding
ground for counterfeiting and the easiest way for counterfeiters to disseminate their product because it’s anonymous
and accessible,” Pfair said. “Portero was created with the idea
there could be a legitimate secondary market for authentic
luxury products online, giving customers all the benefits of
online — price and value — without fearing counterfeits.”
Even the Place Vendôme luxury brands are getting in on
the game. One-hundred-and-fifty-year-old Boucheron, for
example, recently announced that it was extending its ecommerce operations to the United States.
“Because Boucheron has always underlined elegance with
a touch of audacity, it today turns toward investing in the
Internet and the opening of a new online store,” CEO JeanChristophe Bédos said. “The Web is a modern opportunity to
be present worldwide and an answer to Boucheron’s goal to
take service to its clients one step further.”
A clarion call to other luxury providers to unambiguously
embrace the Web’s possibilities? You bet.
“Look for all types of traditional luxury goods and services
providers to begin to imitate the techniques of these luxury
innovators, or to acquire them,” Pedraza predicts, referring to
sites such as CoutureLab. He even goes so far as to tout
the nascent field of “m-commerce,” or transactions conducted
via mobile devices like iPhones and Blackberries, as the
next big development in luxury marketing.
In other words: e-tailers, start your (search) engines. ■
Tactical moves CoutureLab’s magazine-like approach to content has
made it a hit among the fashion cognoscenti. For estate dealer Beladora,
a commitment to answering calls and emails within 24 hours has helped
convince shoppers that there truly is a person at the other end of the line.
INTERNATIONAL JEWELER
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Fax to COUTURE International Jeweler
F. +41 22 300 3748
or email: [email protected]
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BASELWORLD 2009
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E D ITO R I A L & A D V E RTI S E R S I N D E X
A
Al Coro, 22
Alpilex, 43
Amgad, 33
Amrapali, 22
Anabelle, 26
Andreoli, 7, 9, 33, 49
Angelique de Paris, 22, 25
Atelier Minyon, 23
B
Bardelli, 25
Barneys, 34, 42
BaselWorld, CIII
Basser & Bigio LLC, 27
Blumer, 21
Boaz Kashi, 23
Bochic, 20
Boucheron, 53
Breuning, 11
Brüner, 31, 32
Bulgari, 14
C
Calgaro, 20
Carla Amorim, 25, 29
Cartier, 14
Casato, 23
CC Skye, 23
Celegato Jewels, 33
Chad Allison, 50
Chanel, 15
Chopard, 15, 30
Christine J. Brandt, 32
Commelin, 33
Couture Show, 51, 56
CoutureLab, 52-53
Cresber, 29
D
David Yurman, 23, 31
Davite & Delucchi, 4-5, 29
De Beers, 15
Deakin & Francis, 29
Devta Doolan Jewelry, 20
Diamond in the Rough, 31
Dior, 16
DML for Gold
Expressions, 20
Doris Panos, 30
E, F
EcoArts, 44
Elke Berr, 47
Erica Courtney, 30, 38
Eurostar, 40-41
Fabio Salini, 20
Fred Leighton, 29, 33
G, H, I
Gay Frères, 26
Gianvito Rossi, 29
Gregore Joailliers, 33
Gurhan, 25, 50
H. Stern, 16
Heather Moore, 50
Hellmuth, 27
Hetty Rose, 25
Hoover & Strong, 36
Iberjoya, 55
Idalia, 52
Ilori, 23
Io Sì, 24, 31
Isabel & Canseco, 22
iWood ecodesign, 32
J, K, L
J.W. Currens, 26
Jane Taylor, 27, 30
Janet Deleuse, 25
JJ Number 8 Jewelry, 29
JJ Singh Jewelry, 20
Katy Briscoe, 20
La Nouvelle Bague, 1, 30
Leila Tai Jewelry Design,
24
Liliane Jossua, 45
Liz Hitchcock, 56
Liz Lange for Essentials
Brands, 31
Lori Bonn, 38
Luxury Institute, 52
M, N
Manju Jasty, 47
Marchak, 30
Marco Bicego, 26, 49
Masriera, 25
Mathon Paris, 22, 26
Maya Jewels, 32
Mia Katrin for Jewel
Couture LLC, 22
Michael M, 33
Mikimoto, 16
Mirror/Africa, 42
Monique Péan, 39
Montaigne Market, 45
Nancey Chapman, 22, 30
Net-a-Porter, 52-53
Nice Diamonds, 22
Nicole Mackinlay Hahn, 42
Nina Basharova, 27
Ninetto Terzano, 26
O, P
Oria for Ruff&Cut, 36
Palmiero, 2-3, 33
Paolo Piovan, 25, 49
Patricia Tschetter, 24, 31
Paula Crevoshay, 26-27, 31
Piaget, 17
Picchiotti, CI, 12-13, 48-49
Pieriz, 33
Pippa Small for URTH, 35
Portero, 52-53
R
Rahaminov Diamonds, 25
Ramon, 18
Rhonda Faber Green, 29
Ricardo Basta for PGI, 27
Roberta Porrati, 49
Roberto Coin, 23, 30
Ruff&Cut, 35, 36, 37
S
Sarah Graham, 29
Sartoro, 22, 24
Scheffel Schmuck, 32
Schoeffel, 25
Sethi Couture, 24
Shahpour Jahan, 46
Shana London, 23, 24,
26, 30, 33
Sicis, 27
Stefan Hafner, CII
Stephen Webster for
URTH, 34
Suzanne Syz, 26
T, U
Tamir, 31
Tanagro, 22
Tête-à-tête limited, 23, 27
The Fifth Season, CIV
Tiffany & Co., 17, 35
Toby Pomeroy, 36, 37
Todd Reed for Ruff&Cut,
36, 39
Tous, 20, 24, 32
Tracy Matthews Design
for Ruff&Cut, 36
URTH, 34, 37
Utopia, 26
V, W, Y, Z
Van Cleef & Arpels, 17,
24, 27
Vicenza Fiera, 48-49
Vintage & Modern, Inc.,
23, 30, 31, 32
Viva, 29
Vivre, 52-53
Yael Sonia, 23
Yehuda Kassif, 31
Yvel, 20, 48-49
Zorab, 24
9-13
SEPTIEMBRE/
SEPTEMBER
2009
Salón Internacional de la Joyería,
Platería, Relojería e Industrias Afines
International Jewellery, Silverware,
Watch and Auxiliary Industries Exhibition
ORGANIZA / ORGANISED BY
LINEA IFEMA / IFEMA CALL CENTRE
www.iberjoya.ifema.es
LLAMADAS DESDE ESPAÑA / CALLS FROM SPAIN
INFOIFEMA
902 22 15 15
EXPOSITORES / EXHIBITORS
902 22 16 16
LLAMADAS INTERNACIONALES (34) 91 722 30 00
INTERNATIONAL CALLS
[email protected]
FREELY SPEAKING
LIZ HITCHCOCK
who have been loyal to the event since its inception. This year,
Couture has attracted so many more top retailers that we’ve
introduced the VIP program, which is the next top 300 retailers.
Couture redux
Show director Liz Hitchcock is giving the Americas’
premier jewelry event a subtle makeover
COUTURE International Jeweler, for those who haven’t read
the fine print, is the official publication of the Couture show, the
annual gathering of jewelry’s crème de la crème at the Wynn in
Las Vegas during market week. The six-day event, beginning
this year on May 28, has reigned as the single best networking
opportunity for the American high-end jewelry community
since 1994, when the Couture Jewellery Collection &
Conference, as it was then known, made its debut in California
before moving to Arizona. The show’s relocation to Las Vegas
in 2005 ushered in a period of change. This year, Group Show
Director Liz Hitchcock, new to Nielsen, Couture’s parent
company, promises another dynamic event, including a greater
focus on international exhibitors, a new take on the show’s
popular design competition and an expanded retailer program.
COUTURE International Jeweler: Can you give us a little
back story on Couture? Liz Hitchcock: It began as an event
where North American retailers would meet and greet and
network. As it grew with the popularity of U.S. designers, it
became world-renowned. Because of the year’s turbulence,
we’ve received a great deal of attention from the international
community, which thinks that no other event around the world
will have the same concentration of high-level designers.
CIJ: How will this year’s show be different from years past?
LH: We’ve expanded our retailer program. It’s always been
catered to the “Cornerstone Retailers,” the top 100 retailers
CIJ: Why was it important to do that? LH: What’s most attractive about that next level of retailer is they’re actively seeking
brands and designers and are more open in terms of their
sourcing than perhaps the Cornerstone Retailers, who have
long-term relationships with the major brands. So this is us
making sure we recognize and host them in a certain way.
CIJ: How will the design awards be handled? LH: This will be
the 14th year of the Couture Design Awards [popularly known
as the Town & Country Awards]. We’re expanding the program,
enhancing the format, including celebrities and planning a great
evening of entertainment. We’re hoping to add a few more
categories and sponsors. They’ll be bigger and better than ever.
CIJ: You’ve talked about bringing more international retailers
to the show. How are you reaching out to them? LH: We have
a lot of internal Nielsen resources that we’re tapping into. We’ve
launched five international Web sites in the past seven months,
all in the specific language of the markets they serve: Brazil,
Latin America, China, Russia and India. We have the widest
global reach of any other business-to-business company in the
jewelry industry, bar none.
CIJ: Do you expect Couture to evolve into an international
event that happens to be in America, or will the focus always
be on its roots here? LH: The focus of the retailers will always
be toward the Americas. But we’ve always enjoyed international attendance because Las Vegas is fun, the Wynn is a
world-class venue and we promote worldwide. We’d like to
continue to grow the international participation of fine jewelry
and watches. If you’re the exclusive carrier of a designer known
in luxury circles, that’s something that differentiates you and
gives people a reason to buy from you. Our hope is to give our
retailers a better opportunity to find those brands.
One stop shop Couture is known for putting a cross-section of the world’s
finest designers under one roof. For more info, visit www.couture09.com.
BASELWORLD
THE WATCH AND JEWELLERY SHOW
MARCH 26 – APRIL 2, 2009
WHERE BUSINESS BEGINS AND TRENDS ARE CREATED
WWW. BASELWORLD.COM
Afrika Collection

international jeweler - CIJ Jewellery Magazine

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