10.04.2013 Views

FOR iPad > OPEN IN IBOOKS - CIJintl.com

FOR iPad > OPEN IN IBOOKS - CIJintl.com

FOR iPad > OPEN IN IBOOKS - CIJintl.com

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

COUTURE International Jeweler 286/1 BaselWorld 2009 www.couturejeweler.<strong>com</strong><br />

<strong>IN</strong>TERNATIONAL JEWELER<br />

BASELWORLD 2009


1330 West Avenue - Suite 1102 - Miami Beach FL 33139 - USA - info@operajewels.<strong>com</strong><br />

Distributor USA


1330 West Avenue - Suite 1102 - Miami Beach FL 33139 - USA - info@operajewels.<strong>com</strong><br />

Distributor USA


When a simple gesture reveals great feelings.<br />

Emotions__madE in italy<br />

diamond strings<br />

designed by Carlo Palmiero<br />

in Valenza


www.palmierogioielli.it


Made in Italy and Distributed by Davite & Delucchi - Customer service phone 0039 0131 941731 - patent models - www.davitedelucchi.it<br />

CHARME COLLECTION<br />

MADE <strong>IN</strong> ITALY<br />

VICENZA ROMA MILANO TAORM<strong>IN</strong>A BASILEA NAPOLI LAS VEGAS TOKYO NEW YORK<br />

BAHRA<strong>IN</strong> DUBAI MADRID LONDRA SAN PIETROBURGO DUBL<strong>IN</strong>O ATENE


Davite & Delucchi<br />

Davite & Delucchi interprets the elegance<br />

and charm of the deco crossover ring<br />

in white gold and diamonds.<br />

Designer Fausto Delucchi


E D I T O R ’ S L E T T E R<br />

Mickey, Oscar<br />

and me<br />

Los Angeles is rarely thought of as a hub of the diamond and<br />

jewelry trade, but during one week of the year it matters more<br />

than all the other centers <strong>com</strong>bined. I realized this in February,<br />

when a visit there happened to coincide with Oscar week.<br />

Even though I grew up in LA, the Hollywood of popular<br />

imagination eluded me because I lacked an entree into its<br />

exclusive circles. This time, armed with invites to a few Oscar<br />

gatherings, I had every intention of soaking up the spectacle.<br />

My first stop was Erica Courtney’s 10th annual Oscar party at the W Hotel in Westwood. The designer,<br />

profiled in this issue’s special report on ethical jewelry, has teamed up with the Tanzanite Foundation on<br />

a collection featuring the rare, blue-violet gemstone. It seemed only fitting in this milieu of outsize<br />

personalities that a flawless 525-carat specimen with a rich, velvety sheen was the example on display.<br />

Next up was the Thompson Hotel in Beverly Hills, where H. Stern was hosting a suite. International<br />

Communications Director Andrea Hansen had brought a collection of baubles gorgeous enough to<br />

woo the most snobbish of stylists, the real fashion powers in Hollywood. She showed me vintage cuffs<br />

from headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, an 80-carat diamond necklace worn by pop princess Fergie during<br />

her recent nuptials, and the new Giverny collection, described in this issue’s global brands feature. But<br />

not even these stellar jewels could guarantee H. Stern a coveted red carpet endorsement.<br />

Meanwhile, down the street, at the iconic Beverly Hilton Hotel, another Oscar suite hosted by the PR<br />

firm TMG was in progress. I arrived just in time to watch a crew from the TV show Access Hollywood<br />

tape a segment on Sethi Couture’s ornate diamond jewelry. TMG was hoping to dress Slumdog<br />

Millionaire’s Freida Pinto in something extravagant. (Good luck, I thought; they were hardly the only ones.)<br />

My stay in the mythical Hollywood ended at the Spirit Awards for independent films, a raucous,<br />

irreverent ceremony held on Santa Monica beach on the day before the Oscars. As a guest of Piaget,<br />

a premier sponsor, I sat behind the table occupied by the crew from The Wrestler, including director<br />

Darren Aronofsky, his partner, actress Rachel Weisz, and the star of the film, Mickey Rourke. Every time<br />

the cameras panned to Mickey (which was often, given that he won for best actor and the film won for<br />

best feature), there I was in the background, giggling at my image on the big screens flanking the stage.<br />

When Mickey, a gregarious and gracious if somewhat strange personality, learned we were with the<br />

<strong>com</strong>pany responsible for outfitting him with a luxury watch, he pulled back the sleeve of his silk jacket<br />

and flashed a Piaget Polo in white gold with diamonds. “Is that you?” he asked no one in particular.<br />

The gesture made me wonder what the brand actually meant to him. Like the other celebrities Piaget<br />

dressed that day (Anne Hathaway, Jessica Alba and Alec Baldwin, to name a few), Mickey almost<br />

certainly wore what his stylist had chosen for him after some intense brokering. I doubted his own taste<br />

figured much into the equation. It was a simple but revealing moment. The Oscar dressing game is an<br />

illusion we collectively — and happily, might I add — embrace. Why? Because much of our industry’s<br />

success <strong>com</strong>es down to helping the Hollywood myth sparkle even more seductively.<br />

Victoria Gomelsky<br />

Editor<br />

vgomelsky@couturejeweler.<strong>com</strong>


Italian Jewellery<br />

ANDREOLI s.r.l<br />

Vicolo dei Sarmati 1/A - 15048 Valenza (AL) Italy<br />

tel. +39 0131 946665 - Fax +39 0131 946095<br />

e-mail: andreoli@andreoli-gioielli.<strong>com</strong> - www.andreoli-gioielli.<strong>com</strong><br />

presenti alle fiere - present at the fairs<br />

BASEL Halle 2.2 Stand E90 - LAS VEGAS JCK - NEW YORK - VICENZA Pad. B Stand 661


I N T H I S I S S U E<br />

no 286 - 1/2009<br />

On the cover<br />

14 Global Luxury How are the world’s<br />

leading luxury brands greeting this tumultuous<br />

year? Judging by their bold spring collections, a<br />

lot less conservatively that you might have<br />

guessed.<br />

34 SPECIAL REPORT:<br />

Ethical Jewelry<br />

There’s no denying the zeitgeist: In a world gone<br />

mad for money, one way to promote luxury is to<br />

make sure it’s affiliated with the right ideals.<br />

Designing for a cause 38<br />

42 Tastemakers This issue’s influencers — a<br />

medievalist, a video artist, an artisanal crafts advocate<br />

and a cutting-edge retailer — project pure passion.<br />

Nicole Mackinlay Hahn 42<br />

Tania Machado 44<br />

Liliane Jossua 45<br />

50 Influences Jewelry inspired by the<br />

unlikeliest of icons.<br />

Picchiotti<br />

«A 10 ct. fancy yellow cushion<br />

diamond is the focal point of this<br />

important ring. Belonging to the<br />

Unique Diamond Collection,<br />

the cushion is enhanced by a<br />

special «trellis-workmanship»<br />

where each single diamond is<br />

set in its own box creating an<br />

irregular grate. Typically<br />

Picchiotti, it clearly denotes<br />

Picchiotti’s mastery in working<br />

with calibrated stones.»<br />

Cover Feature on page 12<br />

BaselWorld Hall 2.2 Booth B30<br />

www.picchiotti.it<br />

50<br />

16<br />

36<br />

44<br />

42<br />

19 Couture Spotlight<br />

The good, the green and the<br />

utterly gorgeous is how we’d<br />

characterize our spring jewelry<br />

feature. Not all of the jewels<br />

are green in the philosophical<br />

sense of the word, but that’s<br />

okay. Even if they’re green in<br />

appearance only, just think of<br />

them as spreading the word.<br />

31<br />

24<br />

22


Vicolo dei sarmati, 1/A - 15048 Valenza (AL) - Italy<br />

tel. (+) 39 0131 946665 - fax (+) 39 0131 946095<br />

e-mail: andreoli@andreoli-gioielli.<strong>com</strong> www.andreoli-gioielli.<strong>com</strong><br />

Presenti alle fiere di: BASILEA - NEW YORK - LAS VEGAS (Couture JCK) - HONG KONG (edizione di settembre) - VICENZA - VALENZA


I N T H I S I S S U E<br />

46 Designer Roundup The royals of<br />

Saudi Arabia, collectors of art jewelry, lovers of fine<br />

colored stones and fans of modern Indian style would<br />

applaud our designer fantastic foursome.<br />

52 Couture Practices Online used to be a dirty<br />

word in the fine jewelry sphere, but a coterie of sophisticated<br />

Web entrepreneurs are gradually helping to change that.<br />

52<br />

47<br />

48 56<br />

46<br />

47<br />

D E P A R T M E N T S<br />

Editor’s Letter 06<br />

Marketplace:<br />

Vicenza 48<br />

The First fair in Vicenza<br />

set the stage for a<br />

showdown between<br />

Italian jewelers who side<br />

with trends or tradition.<br />

Advertiser/<br />

Editorial Index 55<br />

Freely<br />

Speaking 56<br />

Under new show<br />

director Liz Hitchcock,<br />

the Couture event<br />

in Las Vegas is<br />

undergoing a subtle<br />

transformation.<br />

The Official<br />

Jewelry Magazine of<br />

Couture 2009<br />

© COUTURE International Jeweler, 25 route des Acacias, CH - 1227 Genève, Switzerland<br />

Tel. +41 22 307 78 37, Fax +41 22 300 37 48, Help desk: jricher@europastar.<strong>com</strong><br />

49


C O V E R S T O R Y<br />

Modern, vibrant<br />

concepts by Picchiotti<br />

Picchiotti needs little or no introduction. Founded in<br />

1967 by Giuseppe Picchiotti in Valenza, Italy, today the<br />

jeweler from the ‘City of Gold’ is renowned worldwide.<br />

12 l Basel 2009 l COUTURE International Jeweler<br />

The latest addition to the vast Royal Star Collection is this<br />

beautiful parure of a necklace and earrings. In 18 carat<br />

white gold, the central stars are enhanced by a cluster of<br />

buff-top square rubies, surrounded by white diamonds and<br />

outlined by a fine line of black rhodium. An innovative, elegant<br />

and sophisticated design.<br />

Picchiotti’s understanding of jewelry and the<br />

industry in general, his long-term <strong>com</strong>mitment<br />

to excellence, sound business ethics and the<br />

rich tradition of artistic excellence <strong>com</strong>bined<br />

with a modern twist, ensures that the family-run<br />

business will enjoy continued success.<br />

Picchiotti’s sophisticated and distinctive jewelry<br />

is created entirely in-house and Giuseppe<br />

Picchiotti himself oversees every aspect of the<br />

design and production process, and yet spends<br />

much of his time searching the world for the<br />

rare stones which highlight his collections.<br />

Often, his travels result in the discovery of<br />

stones of such incredible size, beauty and<br />

uniqueness that they be<strong>com</strong>e the inspiration<br />

for his signature pieces. He is above all a<br />

connoisseur of colored gemstones – which<br />

feature as a highly recognizable trademark in<br />

the Picchiotti collections.


New challenges<br />

With the current challenging economical<br />

environment in mind and an evolution in<br />

consumers’ needs and tastes, Picchiotti has<br />

been gradually introducing new lines inspired by<br />

modern concepts and vibrant fashions that<br />

blend together to give an enduring style with<br />

what is clearly a distinctive motif. These collections<br />

include inventive designs and settings that<br />

have been conceived to be worn as an<br />

‘everyday’ accessory. However, every piece of<br />

jewelry that emerges from the workshops still<br />

reflects the high standards of quality and craftsmanship<br />

associated with Picchiotti and is<br />

ac<strong>com</strong>panied by a certificate of authenticity. In<br />

addition, each and every piece in the exclusive<br />

collections is stamped with the ‘Picchiotti’<br />

signature mark. This seal is the purchaser’s<br />

assurance that the jewelry is a genuine creation<br />

by Picchiotti.<br />

Picchiotti’s jewelry is favored by the fashion<br />

conscious, well-dressed, sophisticated woman,<br />

one who does not like to show off, but who<br />

appreciates the beauty of these finely designed<br />

and treasured pieces of jewelry and is very<br />

much aware of the fine craftsmanship behind<br />

Picchiotti creations.<br />

2009 Collection Highlights<br />

To further enhance the unique elements of its<br />

signature pieces, Picchiotti has made extensive<br />

use of one of the rarest and purest metals to be<br />

found on earth: platinum.<br />

Picchiotti’s signature pieces feature important<br />

diamond, emerald and sapphire necklaces,<br />

earrings and rings enhanced by platinum that<br />

give a classic, yet contemporary look.<br />

These collections are designed as a showcase<br />

for the different cuts of the precious stones<br />

chosen by Picchiotti: exquisite and unique solitaires<br />

as rare and eternal as the platinum in<br />

which they are set. The jewelry is simple yet<br />

unique, modern but still classic, in short, a<br />

genuine reflection of contemporary femininity.<br />

A very refined and elegant brooch, the Feather, is the<br />

expression of Picchiotti’s talent in reproducing the <strong>com</strong>plex<br />

beauty found in nature and giving it life as a piece of jewelry. Of<br />

a sinuous and elegant shape, this 18 carat white gold brooch<br />

features sparkling white diamonds and an elegant, thin line of<br />

buff-top baguette sapphires.<br />

COUTURE International Jeweler l Basel 2009 l 13


G L O B A L L U X U R Y<br />

What recession?<br />

Based on the spring collections from the giants of the<br />

jewelry world, the consensus is clear: No matter how<br />

unpredictably the economy behaves, luxury goes on.<br />

Bulgari<br />

Chances are good that even the casual observer, if asked to<br />

characterize the jewelry made by Bulgari, would describe it as bold,<br />

colorful and utterly recognizable. The firm, founded in Rome by a<br />

Greek immigrant named Sotirios Voulgaris, celebrates its 125th<br />

anniversary this year, cementing its place among the pantheon of<br />

20th century jewelers. The occasion has prompted a return to the<br />

styles that made the house famous: namely, a series of haute joaillerie<br />

pieces, including this cabochon aquamarine and ruby ring, that<br />

<strong>com</strong>bine the finest stones with a bigger-than-life approach to design.<br />

14 l Basel 2009 l COUTURE International Jeweler<br />

CCartier<br />

Cartier’s new Trinity collection, an updated version of an iconic<br />

motif in which bands of pink, white and yellow gold are intertwined,<br />

makes evident the mystical power of threes. You might say the<br />

bands represent friendship, love and fidelity; past, present and<br />

future; or simply a distinct brand of French elegance. But one thing<br />

is certain: Whether it’s the Trinity XXL bracelet, entirely paved with<br />

126 carats of diamonds; a coiled sautoir; or the Trinity Crash ring<br />

shown here, good tidings <strong>com</strong>e in threes.<br />

Katel Riou © Cartier 2009


Chopard<br />

CChanel<br />

Chopard debuted the Happy Diamond line in 1976 as a tuxedo<br />

watch for men but over the past three decades, it’s be<strong>com</strong>e closely<br />

linked to the brand’s jewelry. Featuring free-floating diamonds<br />

sandwiched between thin slices of bezel-set crystal, the collection<br />

wel<strong>com</strong>es yet another variation into its midst with this spring’s<br />

launch of the Teddy Bear pendant in 18-karat rose gold. Set with<br />

three mobile diamonds, the pendant also <strong>com</strong>es in a mini version,<br />

conveniently just in time for Mother’s Day.<br />

Coco Chanel preferred the camellia to the rose — “for its sobriety,<br />

its almost geometrical roundness and the classical arrangement of<br />

its perfectly regular petals” — so it’s no surprise that the house she<br />

built has made the white flower its emblem. Paired with one of<br />

Mademoiselle’s timeless little black dresses and glistening with<br />

diamonds, the camellia, seen here in the Fil de Camelia bracelet, is<br />

a seductive flower, indeed.<br />

De Beers<br />

With the Diamond Trading Co. focusing its marketing message on<br />

the notion of owning “fewer, better things,” it makes sense that its<br />

retail progeny, De Beers, is back to promoting the classics. Simple<br />

studs, bridal basics and straightforward solitaires, as in this selection<br />

of single-stone pendants, will be front and center throughout the<br />

<strong>com</strong>pany’s global network of retail stores this spring, proving that<br />

when times get tough, the tough embrace that which is timeless.<br />

COUTURE International Jeweler l Basel 2009 l 15


G L O B A L L U X U R Y<br />

DDior<br />

That Dior Artistic Director Victoire de Castellane is one of the most<br />

extravagant personalities in Paris goes without saying. Simply look at<br />

her jewels. The former costume designer and descendant of French<br />

aristocracy creates ornate, gem-set pieces — including this Carnivora<br />

Devorus ring from Dior’s new collection of garden-inspired confections,<br />

in yellow gold with diamonds, tsavorite garnets, sapphires,<br />

Paraíba tourmalines and lacquer — that never fail to capture her<br />

motto: “It’s not because it’s real that it has to be boring.”<br />

MMikimoto<br />

16 l Basel 2009 l COUTURE International Jeweler<br />

HH. Stern<br />

Not long ago, baroque pearls were seen as sub-par, mis-shapen<br />

lumps of pearlescence, valued, sure, though not nearly as highly as<br />

their round counterparts. The design renaissance of the 21st century<br />

has squelched that belief and has instead elevated the baroque<br />

pearl from reject to rarefied. Witness the new Baroque Couture<br />

collection from Mikimoto, whose one-of-a-kind jewels, like this<br />

diamond-accented pendant, prove that the distinctive shape<br />

of the baroque pearl is by far its most charming attribute.<br />

Giverny, the village in northern France where Claude Monet kept his<br />

garden, his lilies and his home, lends its name to H. Stern’s new<br />

collection of rose gold leaf-shaped pendants and rings dusted with<br />

beige diamonds. The Brazilian jeweler is sticking to a favorite theme —<br />

the colors, textures and elements found in nature — but has decided<br />

that a global brand needs a global approach to style, promising that<br />

more collections inspired by the world’s gardens are to follow.


TTiffany & Co.<br />

PPiaget<br />

Tiffany & Co. dug into its archives to develop its new Keys<br />

Collection of pendants and charms evoking a time of keepsake<br />

boxes, diaries, steamer trunks and country manors, all the while<br />

channeling the jeweler’s great legacy. Designs of vintage skeleton<br />

keys are rendered in medallion or heart shapes, decorated with<br />

flowers or diamonds, and suspended from fine 18-karat gold,<br />

platinum or silver chains. Designed to be worn alone or layered, the<br />

keys, in Tiffany’s expert hands, are nothing less than talismans.<br />

Piaget celebrates life on the high seas with its new Limelight Paradise<br />

collection, a clever take on the yachting lifestyle. From the coralinspired<br />

diamond pendant at left to a bracelet strung with whimsical<br />

charms such as an 82-carat citrine cut to resemble a pineapple, to<br />

a series of cocktail rings that take their mandate all too literally (one<br />

ring, called “Sex on the Beach,” features a pink tourmaline center<br />

stone accented by a peridot lime), Piaget offers a vicarious escape<br />

to the tropics, even, or perhaps especially, for the deskbound.<br />

VVan Cleef & Arpels<br />

The art of gardening is the ultimate expression of man’s desire to<br />

tame nature, but each culture approaches the task differently. The<br />

French garden is a masterpiece of spatial geometry, while the classic<br />

English version is overflowing and unruly. The Italians emphasize<br />

nature’s relationship to architecture. In the Orient, harmony, balance<br />

and tranquility are key. At Van Cleef & Arpels, the new Les Jardins<br />

collection offers a glorious tour of this sublime garden universe, with<br />

jewels, like these Pavillon d’Or sapphire and diamond earrings from<br />

the Orient series, that speak to the enchanting power of Eden.<br />

COUTURE International Jeweler l Basel 2009 l 17


C O U T U R E S P O T L I G H T<br />

The green<br />

years<br />

When it <strong>com</strong>es to color palettes,<br />

Mother Nature knows best<br />

Green is a paradox. Signifying nature and money to<br />

some, poison and envy to others, it’s a color that has<br />

long projected contradictory images. In this, our first<br />

ever green-themed issue, we attempt to settle the score.<br />

It’s easy to defend green when you see the trend and color<br />

pages that follow. They pay homage to jewelry in gorgeous<br />

shades of green — grass green, mint green, lime green, and,<br />

of course, emerald green — as well as to multihued jewels that<br />

rely on green as the cohesive force keeping all the other<br />

colors together (not unlike Mother Nature herself).<br />

We’ve also included jewelry celebrating green as a philosophy,<br />

a concept and a way of life, be it through its use of<br />

recycled materials, its glorification of botanical forms or its<br />

rendering of animals, from butterflies to frogs. Ultimately, we’d<br />

like to explore the best ways in which to fuse a concern for<br />

the earth’s resources with our industry’s legendary attention<br />

to beauty because soon enough it will be unseemly, if not<br />

impossible, to segregate the two.<br />

Green may indeed be the new black but let’s be clear: Our<br />

love for the old black (not to mention the old white, blue,<br />

orange and yellow, the colors most in vogue this season) has<br />

not wavered. In that spirit, we kick off with a collection of<br />

statement necklaces that look good no matter the color.<br />

COUTURE International Jeweler l Basel 2009 l 19


C O U T U R E S P O T L I G H T<br />

4<br />

3<br />

2<br />

Photo provided by D'Orazio & Associates<br />

20 l Basel 2009 l COUTURE International Jeweler<br />

5<br />

The Necklace<br />

Affair<br />

6 7<br />

Who cares about the dress when<br />

bold and beautiful collars are the<br />

mark of a true fashionista?<br />

1. Necklace in 18-karat gold with carved turquoise bead and turquoise, and ebony and blue<br />

zircon pendant clasp by Katy Briscoe, Houston 2. Bochic abalone shell, diamond and raspberry<br />

tourmaline necklace on Marisa Tomei at the 13th Annual Art Directors Guild Awards,<br />

Beverly Hills, Calif. 3. Necklace in 18-karat gold with green tourmaline by Yvel, Jerusalem<br />

4. Venus necklace with silk cord, shells, corals, pink gold and rubies by Fabio Salini, Rome<br />

5. Soleil necklace in 18-karat gold by Calgaro, Vicenza, Italy 6. Tea<br />

Time one-of-a-kind necklace in 18-karat gold with cabochon-cut<br />

rose quartz, topaz, aquamarine, turquoise, citrine, amethyst<br />

and sapphire by Tous, Barcelona 7. Necklace in 24karat<br />

and 14-karat rose gold with Jasper cabochons<br />

by Devta Doolan, Devta Doolan Jewelry, Portland,<br />

Maine, for the 2009 AGTA Spectrum Awards<br />

8. Disc bib necklace in 18-karat gold by DML for<br />

1<br />

Gold Expressions, Vicenza, Italy 9. Dancing<br />

Elephant tiger’s eye necklace from the Wild Things<br />

collection in fine silver and 22-karat gold vermeil by JJ<br />

Singh Jewelry, Washington, D.C.<br />

9<br />

8<br />

Photo courtesy of AGTA and Robert & Orasa Weldon


E M O T I O N S<br />

I N F I N E J E W E L L E R Y<br />

B E A U T Y I S C R E A T E D B Y<br />

E MOTIONS.<br />

I T C O M E S O U T O F T H E H E A R T<br />

A N D S H I N E S B R I G H T L I K E T H E<br />

S UN.<br />

WWW.BLUMER. DE<br />

Blumer GmbH Manufacturer of fine jewellery Luisenstraße 60 75172 Pforzheim Germany<br />

Tel.: +49(0)7231-1383- 0 Fax: +49(0)7231-1383-290 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<br />

22 l Basel 2009 l COUTURE International Jeweler<br />

3 4<br />

7<br />

2<br />

5<br />

6<br />

1<br />

Photo provided by D’Orazio & Associates<br />

On the Money<br />

There’s no going wrong with jewelry<br />

that evokes both nature and the<br />

bounty of riches it bestows<br />

1. Large teardrop ring in 22-karat gold with emerald and rosecut diamonds by Nancy<br />

Chapman, Houston 2. Cuff and ring in 22-karat yellow gold by Amrapali on Camilla Belle<br />

at the 12th Annual Hollywood Film Festival’s Award Gala Show, Beverly Hills, Calif.<br />

3. Archi ring in platinum with rectangular-cut chrome green tourmaline and diamond<br />

melee by Tanagro, New York 4. Triple-strand emerald necklace in 18-karat gold by<br />

Mia Katrin for Jewel Couture LLC, Fleetwood, N.C. 5. Samoan earrings<br />

in sterling silver and black rhodium with resin by Angelique de Paris,<br />

Allentown, Penn. 6. Heart Breaker pendant in 18-karat white and rose gold<br />

with diamonds and tsavorites by Sartoro, Bangkok 7. Lucky Animals<br />

Grenouille ring in 18-karat gold with peridot by Mathon Paris, Paris<br />

8. Earrings in 18-karat yellow gold with green amethyst and diamonds<br />

by Al Coro, Cologne, Germany 9. Degustateur ring from Arte-<br />

Facto collection in 18-karat gold with emeralds and diamonds<br />

by Isabel & Canseco, Oviedo, Spain 10. Fancy yellowish<br />

green diamond ring in 18-karat white gold with diamond<br />

melee by Nice Diamonds, New York.<br />

10<br />

8<br />

9


12<br />

13<br />

11<br />

14<br />

15 16<br />

17<br />

11. Duo ring in 18-karat gold with emeralds by Yael Sonia, New<br />

York 12. Huge apple green early 20th century vase available through<br />

41 Main Antiques and Collectibles at Vintage & Modern, Inc.<br />

(VandM), New York 13. Earrings in 18-karat gold with tsavorites<br />

and diamonds by Atelier Minyon, Ankara 14. Biodegradable<br />

canvas tote with recycled leather and 18-karat gold plated chain and<br />

leather handles by CC Skye, Los Angeles 15. Huge ring in 18-karat<br />

yellow gold with chrysophrase and diamonds by Boaz Kashi, Tel<br />

Aviv 16. Capri Plus necklace in black rhodium plated gold with<br />

chrysoprase by Roberto Coin, Vicenza, Italy 17. Two ring in 18karat<br />

white gold with hand-carved green jadeite trimmed with cognac<br />

diamonds by tête-à-tête limited, Bangkok 18. Precious Beads<br />

mixed aqua necklace in 18-karat gold with champagne citrine jewel<br />

bead clasp by David Yurman, New York 19. Dolce & Gabbana<br />

Stone sunglasses at Ilori, Cincinnati, Ohio 20. Bracelet in pink gold<br />

with brilliants and prasiolite by Casato, Rome 21. Opal green<br />

handbag by Shana London, London.<br />

21<br />

20<br />

18<br />

19<br />

COUTURE International Jeweler l Basel 2009 l 23


C O U T U R E S P O T L I G H T<br />

3<br />

4<br />

24 l Basel 2009 l COUTURE International Jeweler<br />

5<br />

2<br />

1<br />

Eternal Blooms<br />

Unlike fresh flowers, the jeweled<br />

variety make up in longevity<br />

what they lack in scent<br />

1. Apple blue floral handbag by Shana London, London 2. Paisley Lace pendant in 18-karat<br />

white gold with natural green and white diamonds by Sethi Couture, San Francisco 3. Day<br />

Lily earrings in 18-karat gold with plique a jour transparent enamels, garnet centers and garnet<br />

grape drops by Leila Tai Jewelry Design, New York 4. Leaf earrings in 18-karat white<br />

gold with graduated pink sapphires, tsavorites and diamonds by Sartoro, Bangkok 5. Glacée<br />

bracelet in matte sterling silver by Tous, Barcelona 6. Three-Finger U ring in high-karat gold<br />

with granulation, oxidized silver and purple spinels by Patricia Tschetter, Dallas 7. Dionea<br />

rings in white and yellow gold with white diamonds and sapphires by Io Sì, Valenza, Italy<br />

8. Zorab rubellite tourmaline flower ring in rose gold with diamonds on Scarlett Johansson<br />

at the premiere of her film “He’s Just Not That Into You,” Los Angeles 9. Wilton House necklace<br />

in 18-karat gold with emeralds, pink and white diamonds by Van Cleef & Arpels, Paris.<br />

6<br />

Photo provided by D'Orazio & Associates<br />

8<br />

7<br />

9


18<br />

17<br />

10<br />

19<br />

10. Iris rings in 18-karat gold with diamonds,<br />

sapphires, garnets and tsvaorites by Paolo<br />

Piovan, Padua, Italy 11. Primavera Colore<br />

ceramic tile by Bardelli, Milan 12. Daisy<br />

Chain necklace in 18-karat rose, white and<br />

yellow gold with pink, blue and yellow<br />

sapphires by Janet Deleuse, San<br />

Francisco 13. One-of-a-kind necklace with<br />

antique 17th century Satsuma vignettes<br />

(porcelain-like material hand-painted with<br />

enamel) framed in pure 24-karat gold by<br />

Gurhan, New York 14. Flower ring in 18karat<br />

yellow gold with pear-shaped reddish<br />

brown opaque natural fancy color diamonds<br />

and white melee by Rahaminov<br />

Diamonds, Los Angeles 15. Art Nouveau<br />

earrings in 18-karat yellow gold with brilliantcut<br />

diamonds and fired enamel by<br />

Masriera, Barcelona 16. Kimi shoes with<br />

luxury kimono fabric by Hetty Rose, Milan<br />

17. Botanicals Orchid brooches in sterling<br />

silver with enamel and CZ by Angelique de<br />

Paris, Allentown, Pa. 18. Florada Orchid<br />

earrings in 18-karat yellow gold by Carla<br />

Amorim, São Paulo, Brazil 19. Couture<br />

Collection Fleur d’Amour rings in 18-karat<br />

white and rose gold with Tahitian and South<br />

Sea cultured pearls, diamonds and/or<br />

sapphires by Schoeffel, Stuttgart, Germany.<br />

11<br />

16<br />

12<br />

13<br />

14<br />

15<br />

COUTURE International Jeweler l Basel 2009 l 25


C O U T U R E S P O T L I G H T<br />

6<br />

7<br />

5<br />

26 l Basel 2009 l COUTURE International Jeweler<br />

8<br />

9<br />

Eden’s<br />

Bouquet<br />

Mimicking nature, these<br />

technicolor jewels use<br />

green as their glue<br />

1. Bijou de Création pendant in white gold with pink tourmaline, peridot<br />

and diamonds by Gay Frères, Annemasse, France 2. Kiss Me-Love<br />

Me earrings in white gold with rock crystal, agate, amethyst, coral and<br />

diamonds by Suzanne Syz, Geneva 3. Kaleidoscope X2 ring in platinum<br />

with crystal surrounding diamonds, amethysts, aquamarines, fire<br />

opals, topaz, citrines, garnets and tourmalines by J.W. Currens, New<br />

York, for the 2009 AGTA Spectrum Awards 4. Pop crystal<br />

handbag by Shana London, London 5. Earrings in 18-karat gold<br />

with opal drops, tourmaline and peridot by Paula Crevoshay,<br />

Albuquerque, N.M. 6. Tricot bracelet in 18-karat gold with Tahitain<br />

pearls, emeralds and white diamonds by Utopia, Milan 7. Lucky<br />

Animals turtle ring in 18-karat white gold with opal, diamonds and<br />

colored stones by Mathon Paris, Paris 8. Baroque necklace in 22karat<br />

gold with pink tourmaline, aquamarine, peridot and golden beryl<br />

by Anabelle, Palm Desert, Calif. 9. Mulitcolor pendant in pink gold<br />

with diamonds and colored stones by Ninetto Terzano, Valenza,<br />

Italy 10. Jaipur necklace in yellow gold with prism-cut colored stones<br />

by Marco Bicego, Trissino, Italy.<br />

4<br />

10<br />

3<br />

1<br />

2<br />

Photo courtesy of AGTA and Robert & Orasa Weldon


18<br />

17<br />

11<br />

Photo provided by D'Orazio & Associates<br />

11. Vine bracelet in 18-karat gold with tsavorites, amethysts, rubies,<br />

diamonds and moonstones by Paula Crevoshay, Albuquerque,<br />

N.M. 12. Platinum earrings with pink tourmalines, teal blue green<br />

tourmaline briolettes and diamonds by Ricardo Basta for<br />

PGI, Los Angeles 13. Colibrì Mosaic by Sicis, Milan<br />

14. Boulder opal and emerald ring in 18-karat gold by Jane<br />

Taylor, Amherst, Mass. 15. Cufflinks in 22-karat and 18-karat<br />

gold with bi-color watermelon tourmaline slices by Jack Bigio,<br />

Basser & Bigio LLC, New York, for the 2009 AGTA Spectrum Awards<br />

16. Pod bracelets in reclaimed silver with various semiprecious stones by<br />

Nina Basharova, New York 17. Dim Sum rings with lemon quartz and citrine on<br />

gold-plated silver with hand-knotted green jade silk by tête-à-tête limited, Bangkok<br />

18. Croco cuffs and ring in 18-karat gold with diamonds by Hellmuth on Rihanna at<br />

the Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Party, Los Angeles 19. Nymphéa ring in 18-karat gold with<br />

tsavorites, pink sapphires and diamonds by Van Cleef & Arpels, Paris.<br />

19<br />

16<br />

12<br />

13<br />

14<br />

15<br />

COUTURE International Jeweler l Basel 2009 l 27


C O U T U R E S P O T L I G H T<br />

5<br />

Moonstruck<br />

Great whites abound in<br />

this season’s dreamy<br />

selection of jewels<br />

1. White Bakelite bangle with diamonds, rubies and pearl lions in 14karat<br />

gold and silver by Bochic, New York 2. Rose-cut diamond<br />

earrings and matching bracelet by Amrapali on Freida Pinto at the<br />

14th Annual VH1 Critics’ Choice Awards, Santa Monica, Calif.<br />

3. White agate and gold ring by Idalia.<strong>com</strong>, New York 4. Chain<br />

bracelet in 18-karat gold with pearls by Schofer, Pforzheim, Germany<br />

5. Flagship Collection platinum bracelet with rose gold fleur de lis set<br />

in white pearlescent enamel, accented with diamonds by Beaudry,<br />

Los Angeles 6. African Scent necklace in pink gold with warthog teeth<br />

and leopard pattern pavé-set brown, black and white diamonds by<br />

Fabio Salini, Rome 7. Chic Chic earrings in white gold with pearls<br />

and diamonds by Stefan Hafner, Valenza, Italy 8. Moonstone ring<br />

in platinum with diamonds by Stephen Russell for PGI, New York<br />

9. Plastic white handbag by Shana London, London.<br />

28 l Basel 2009 l COUTURE International Jeweler<br />

6<br />

9<br />

8<br />

7<br />

4 3<br />

Photo provided by D’Orazio & Associates<br />

2<br />

1


1<br />

2<br />

3<br />

Photo by Getty Images<br />

10<br />

Fade to Black<br />

Black is back with a vengeance,<br />

which begs the question:<br />

Did it ever leave?<br />

1. Sara pendant in 18-karat black gold with diamonds by Cresber, Córdoba, Spain 2. Platinum<br />

and diamond cuff bracelet from the 1940s and platinum bracelet from the 1930s, both by<br />

Fred Leighton, on Liv Tyler at the 2008 Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute<br />

Annual Gala, New York 3. Diamond and onyx ring in 18-karat gold by Davite & Delucchi,<br />

Valenza, Italy 4. Cuba Libre earrings in 18-karat gold with diamonds and black quartz by<br />

Carla Amorim, São Paulo, Brazil 5. Black Flowers tile by Viva, Sassuolo, Italy 6. Sandals<br />

by Gianvito Rossi, Milan 7. Juliet Flower ring in 18-karat white gold with black onyx and<br />

diamonds by Rhonda Faber Green, Los Angeles 8. Jacaranda Pod earrings in 18-karat<br />

gold with diamonds by Sarah Graham, San Francisco 9. Hematite and diamond cufflinks<br />

in white gold by Deakin & Francis, Birmingham, England 10. Pure Pyramid diamond<br />

bracelet in 18-karat white gold with diamonds and onyx by JJ Number 8 Jewelry,<br />

Orange County, Calif.<br />

9<br />

4 5<br />

COUTURE International Jeweler l Basel 2009 l 29<br />

6<br />

7<br />

8


C O U T U R E S P O T L I G H T<br />

Stuck on Blue<br />

From topaz to turquoise,<br />

some stones are guaranteed<br />

to make a lasting impression<br />

1. Concerto bracelet in white gold with sapphires by Roberto Coin,<br />

Vicenza, Italy 2. Twinkle Twinkle Gem Drop earrings in 18-karat gold with<br />

aquamarine by Jane Taylor, Amherst, Mass. 3. Ring in 18-karat yellow<br />

gold with a chalcedony cabochon, turquoise cabochons and diamonds by<br />

Erica Courtney, Los Angeles, for the 2009 AGTA Spectrum Awards<br />

4. Byzantine turquoise ring in 24-karat gold by Doris Panos, New York<br />

5. Samarcanda bracelet in white gold with enamel, diamonds, blue<br />

sapphires and blue chalcedony by La Nouvelle Bague, Florence, Italy<br />

6. Chopard diamond bracelet and earrings on Kate Winslet at the<br />

SAG Awards, Hollywood, Calif. 7. Blue and white Korean or Chinese<br />

ceramic Dragon vase available through Vintage Views Consignment and<br />

Consulting at Vintage & Modern, Inc. (VandM), New York<br />

8. Angel handbag with blue and white Swarovski crystals by Shana<br />

London, London 9. Nuage de Palekh ring in 18-karat gold with<br />

diamonds and blue lacquer by Marchak, Paris 10. Double strand<br />

turquoise drop necklace by Nancey Chapman, Houston.<br />

30 l Basel 2009 l COUTURE International Jeweler<br />

10<br />

1<br />

9<br />

2<br />

4<br />

5<br />

8<br />

Photo courtesy of AGTA and Robert & Orasa Weldon<br />

Photo by Getty Images<br />

3<br />

6<br />

7


3<br />

2<br />

1<br />

Agent Orange<br />

&<br />

Yellow Fever<br />

Let the sunshine in with<br />

a jewel in one of the<br />

year’s hot new hues<br />

1. Precious Bead flat-faceted lemon citrine necklace with 18-karat gold sculpted<br />

cable disks by David Yurman, New York 2. Champagne Bubbles earrings in 18karat<br />

yellow gold with 27.76 carats of natural rough diamonds and micro pavé<br />

diamond accents by Diamond in the Rough on Alicia Keys at the Vanity Fair<br />

Academy Awards Party, Los Angeles 3. Ring in 22-karat gold and sterling silver<br />

with orange sapphire and gold granulation leaves by Patricia Tschetter, Dallas<br />

4. Mid-century table lamps by Vintage and Modern Inc. (V&M), New York<br />

5. Undivided Holiness brooch in 18-karat gold, silver, copper and bronze with<br />

yellow and black treated diamonds by Yehuda Kassif, Tel Aviv 6. Sunburst<br />

brooch and pendant in 18-karat white and yellow gold with mandarin garnet and<br />

diamonds by Tamir, New York 7. Dreamcatcher earrings in 18-karat gold with<br />

citrine by Io Sì, Valenza, Italy 8. Harvest Angel butterfly pendant from Beyond<br />

Color collection in 18-karat gold with rose quartz, pink tourmaline, rhodolite garnet<br />

and moonstone by Paula Crevoshay, Albuquerque, N.M. 9. Marlena yellow<br />

handbag by Liz Lange for Essentials Brands, New York. 10. Ring in 18karat<br />

gold with cognac quartz and diamonds by Brüner, São Paulo, Brazil.<br />

10<br />

9<br />

4<br />

5<br />

6<br />

7<br />

COUTURE International Jeweler l Basel 2009 l 31<br />

8


C O U T U R E S P O T L I G H T<br />

3<br />

2<br />

1<br />

32 l Basel 2009 l COUTURE International Jeweler<br />

4<br />

Rhapsody<br />

in Wood<br />

Jewelry fashioned from<br />

exotic woods is the<br />

epitome of eco-chic<br />

1. Lacquered Chinese cabinet by Vintage & Modern, Inc.<br />

(VandM), New York 2. Enlightened unique ebony cuff with Swarovski<br />

gems by Christine J. Brandt, New York 3. Necklace in 18-karat<br />

gold with wood and diamonds by Brüner, São Paulo 4. Wood necklace<br />

in 18-karat yellow gold and walnut wood by Tous, Barcelona<br />

5. Sunday in the Jungle Running Zebra bracelet in ebony wood and<br />

18-karat gold with micro mosaic natural color stones by Maya<br />

Jewels, New York 6. Sheaok wood earrings in rose gold with faceted<br />

salmon colored tourmaline by Scheffel Schmuck, Munich, Germany<br />

7. Antler armchair in the Continental style available through Nina<br />

Gris<strong>com</strong> at Vintage & Modern, Inc. (VandM), New York<br />

8. Amaranth wood ring in red gold with amethyst by Scheffel<br />

Schmuck, Munich, Germany 9. Sunday in the Jungle butterfly<br />

perfume pendant in 18-karat gold with a carved tiger shell butterfly and<br />

a purple heart wood bottle with ebony wood and diamonds by Maya<br />

Jewels, New York 10. Sunglasses in sapele pommele wood by<br />

iWood ecodesign, Louisville, Ky.<br />

10<br />

5<br />

6<br />

7<br />

8<br />

9


8<br />

4<br />

2<br />

Frog photo courtesy of AGTA and Robert & Orasa Weldon Photo by Getty Images<br />

1<br />

7<br />

3<br />

9 10<br />

5<br />

5<br />

6<br />

Still Life<br />

Whether they fly, crawl or<br />

jump, critters that glitter<br />

are whimsical works of art<br />

1. Adam & Eve gold aqua handbag by Shana London, London<br />

2. Chameleon brooch in 18-karat gold with colored stones by Palmiero,<br />

Valenza, Italy 3. Frogs in gold with brilliants and precious stones by Pieriz,<br />

Naples, Italy 4. Vintage platinum and 75-carat diamond cuff bracelet by<br />

Fred Leighton on Sarah Jessica Parker at the world premiere of her<br />

film “Sex and the City,” London 5. Frog brooch in 18-karat white and yellow<br />

gold with opals, moonstones and pink sapphires by Gregore Morin, Gregore<br />

Joailliers, Santa Barbara, Calif., for the 2009 AGTA Spectrum Awards<br />

6. Papillon brooch in black and white enamel on yellow gold by<br />

Commelin, Paris 7. Butterfly brooch in platinum with natural color<br />

diamonds by Amgad, New York 8. Dreaming in Color one-of-a-kind<br />

butterfly ring in 18-karat white gold with uncut rose colored diamonds and<br />

pavé diamonds by Michael M, Los Angeles 9. Brooch in white gold<br />

with diamonds and emeralds by Andreoli, Valenza, Italy 10. Tribal<br />

Energy pin in silver by Celegato Jewels, Vicenza, Italy.<br />

COUTURE International Jeweler l Basel 2009 l 33


SPECIAL REPORT<br />

ETHICAL JEWELRY<br />

34 l Basel 2009 l COUTURE International Jeweler<br />

Style and<br />

In the world of fine jewelry, doing good and looking<br />

>> Victoria Gomelsky<br />

Climate change is almost what the bomb was when I was a kid in<br />

the ’50s,” Simon Doonan, creative director of Barneys New York,<br />

says when he walks onto the stage for the final presentation of<br />

the 10th annual New York Fashion Conference. This year’s theme?<br />

“Green: Sustainability, Significance and Style.”<br />

Launching into a hilarious anecdote about his youth in Great Britain,<br />

Doonan brings three days of panel discussions about weighty issues of<br />

ecological and social import to a spirited, if irreverent, close. The gathering<br />

has covered everything from the scourge of “dirty gold” to the<br />

future of green fashion, and while the messages have been meaningful,<br />

the energy in the room has, as with any extended event, gradually been<br />

sapped from the room.<br />

Doonan does his best to enliven the audience. In recalling his initial<br />

resistance to decorating Barneys’ windows with an earth-friendly green<br />

theme for the 2007 holiday season, he cuts right to the chase:<br />

“Let’s face it — it can be a bit earnest at times,” Doonan says, referring to<br />

the by-now obligatory need for <strong>com</strong>panies to tout their green credentials.<br />

“We added some style, humor and a bit of glamour in there,” he<br />

continues, describing his own cheeky approach to the theme: windows<br />

populated by elves clad in recycled Metro cards and a “Rudolph the<br />

Recycling Reindeer” display made entirely of recycled aluminum cans.<br />

“You don’t have to be earnest and super-crunchy. That’s the vibe I got<br />

from people on the street. They were grateful that we’d married those<br />

two concepts.”<br />

By poking fun at the clichés of the green movement while simultaneously<br />

honoring it, Doonan makes a strong case for luxury goods that are<br />

at once stylish and socially responsible.<br />

The high-end jewelry industry has had a similar awakening. Over the<br />

past three to five years, the selection of high-ticket jewelry described as<br />

either green, sustainable, ethical, fair trade, fair made, charitable, causebased<br />

or “conscient luxury” has increased exponentially. The degree of<br />

green chatter in the jewelry business, famous for its conservatism and<br />

insularity, is today so great that it’s be<strong>com</strong>e abundantly clear even the<br />

old-timers have embraced the zeitgeist.<br />

Civic style URTH brand jewelry, including the pieces on this page designed by Stephen<br />

Webster and the leaf pendants on the opposite page by Pippa Small, uses “ethical gold”<br />

sourced from <strong>com</strong>munities – including the one pictured at left in Tipuani, Bolivia – that are<br />

expected to meet the firm’s fundamental values or agree to conform to them. In return, they<br />

receive a portion of profits to improve their quality of life and mining practices. Ruff&Cut, a<br />

New York-based jeweler that uses diamonds mined in Sierra Leone, takes a similar approach,<br />

channeling its profits to local organizations such as the Muddy Lotus Primary School.<br />

Tipuani <strong>com</strong>munity photo provided by Urth Solutions


sensibility<br />

good don’t have to be mutually exclusive<br />

Muddy Lotus Primary School photo provided by Ruff&Cut<br />

But what does being “green” truly mean in a business that lacks a<br />

shared understanding of fair trade, not to mention an officially sanctioned<br />

third-party process to certify its products as such? One way to<br />

understand the movement is by looking at it as the industry’s collective<br />

effort to develop smarter, more efficient and sustainable practices to<br />

source and produce its goods. And one case to study, in particular, is that<br />

of Tiffany & Co., the iconic American retailer that has, in many respects,<br />

set the tone for how the luxury jewelry business addresses its <strong>com</strong>mitment<br />

to social and environmental responsibility.<br />

“I’m not about to tell you we’ve painted the blue box green, but sustainability<br />

is good business,” Michael Kowalski, Tiffany chairman and CEO,<br />

says at the outset of the Green conference. “We sell objects that matter,<br />

things that last: the very antithesis of excess. We owe it to our customers<br />

and to the earth itself.”<br />

The <strong>com</strong>pany’s initiation into the realm of corporate responsibility<br />

came in 1995, years before the movement came into vogue, when it<br />

opposed the development of the New World Gold Mine outside of<br />

Yellowstone National Park, a project Kowalski described as “a reputational<br />

disaster in waiting.”<br />

Then came the conflict diamonds crisis, a period of time in the late<br />

1990s when stones mined in African war zones were sold to finance<br />

ongoing conflicts. It was a high-profile publicity nightmare, not exclusive<br />

to Tiffany but damaging all the same. “We were unprepared,” Kowalski<br />

says. “However, to the industry’s credit, there was quick mobilization. We<br />

became strong and vocal advocates for the Kimberley Process, and the<br />

result has been an effective control system.”<br />

In 2001, Tiffany’s refusal to be implicated in other consumer confidence-threatening<br />

issues led it “to move beyond industrywide structure<br />

and take control of our own supply chain,” Kowalski says.<br />

Not only did the firm create its own diamond unit, Laurelton Diamonds,<br />

it also advised vendors that it would be scrutinizing their sourcing<br />

methods. By 2004, Tiffany had discontinued the sale of two precious<br />

resources: Burmese rubies, banned by the U.S. government because of<br />

human rights abuses in that country, and coral, whose conservation environmentalists<br />

say is critical to protecting the health of the oceans.<br />

Aided by the four-year-old Council for Responsible Jewellery<br />

Practices, a worldwide diamond and gold jewelry supply chain initiative<br />

of which Tiffany was a founding member, the <strong>com</strong>pany has also tackled<br />

the issue of “dirty gold,” a term for gold mined through practices that<br />

wreck the environment.<br />

COUTURE International Jeweler l Basel 2009 l 35


Photo provided by Ruff&Cut<br />

SPECIAL REPORT<br />

ETHICAL JEWELRY<br />

According to the nonprofit No Dirty Gold, founded in 2004 by human<br />

rights groups Oxfam America and Earthworks, the production of one<br />

gold ring generates up to 20 tons of waste, including toxic cyanide and<br />

mercury runoff. In the most egregious cases, gold mining also destroys<br />

landscapes and displaces <strong>com</strong>munities, impacting mostly indigenous<br />

peoples in countries such as Ghana, Indonesia and Peru.<br />

While a <strong>com</strong>pany the size of Tiffany is expected — and can afford — to<br />

be a model of corporate righteousness (by sourcing the majority of its<br />

gold and silver from a single U.S. mine that upholds its considerable<br />

standards), scores of smaller jewelers have turned to recycled or<br />

reclaimed gold to assure their customers that they, too, have<br />

confronted the industry’s inconvenient truths.<br />

“When I saw the No Dirty Gold Web site, I was shocked by<br />

how much devastation there is in metals mining,” says Toby<br />

Pomeroy, a boutique designer based in Oregon. “I thought, ‘I can’t do<br />

it, I can’t contribute to this kind of destruction.’”<br />

In 2005, Pomeroy asked Hoover & Strong, the largest metals refiner<br />

in the United States, if they would set aside their scrap gold and silver<br />

for him to recycle. Since that encounter, interest in the <strong>com</strong>pany’s<br />

reclaimed metals program has spawned a brand of its own: Harmony<br />

Metals and Gems, which consists of 100 percent recycled precious<br />

metals paired with conflict-free diamonds and fair trade gemstones.<br />

For Pomeroy, it all boils down to a single point: “How can we bring<br />

ethics to an industry that has operated without accountability?”<br />

Company benefits The Medallion bracelet by Tracy Matthews Design, Star earrings by<br />

Ruff&Cut, Boulder Cluster ring by Todd Reed and Large Lotus ring by Oria for Ruff&Cut all<br />

use diamonds provided by Ruff&Cut, as part of its effort to promote “socially responsible<br />

luxury.” Transparency and beneficiation, or the re-investment of profits in the <strong>com</strong>munities<br />

where the diamonds are sourced (such as the one the Sierra Leonean diggers in the photo<br />

above call home) is at the core of the <strong>com</strong>pany’s philosophy.<br />

36 l Basel 2009 l COUTURE International Jeweler


SPECIAL REPORT<br />

TOPIC<br />

The good news is that thanks to the jewelry trade’s newfound environmentalist<br />

zeal, that question no longer prompts an un<strong>com</strong>fortable silence.<br />

Not everyone, however, agrees on the best approach. Take Urth Solution,<br />

for example. The Beverly Hills, Calif.-based <strong>com</strong>pany’s URTH brand<br />

jewels, a chic selection of designer pieces made by the likes of Pippa<br />

Small and Stephen Webster, are made from gold mined by artisanal and<br />

small-scale miners in Bolivia and Madagascar. In exchange for their gold,<br />

Urth pledges to ensure “a fair price while providing much needed<br />

resources, skills, education and technology through programs funded by<br />

the sale of URTH products.”<br />

“We have an independent minerals and sustainability expert to<br />

develop a set of standards with a more attainable entry point based<br />

on the values of our <strong>com</strong>pany: dignity, peace, development, <strong>com</strong>munity,<br />

ecology, family, health and justice,” co-founder Meyghan Hill says.<br />

“So, for example, we will purchase from a <strong>com</strong>munity that mines using<br />

mercury if, through our reinvestment program funded by the profits of<br />

URTH jewelry, they will participate in a mercury management and<br />

reduction course.”<br />

Urth’s marketing materials, which describe the business as a “marriage<br />

of luxury and altruism,” reflect a sensibility that has only recently be<strong>com</strong>e<br />

if not quite <strong>com</strong>monplace then certainly not unique in the trade. Another<br />

example of the effort to help consumers effect change with their jewelry<br />

purchases <strong>com</strong>es by way of Ruff&Cut, a two-year-old jewelry <strong>com</strong>pany<br />

based in New York specializing in rough diamonds sourced from Sierra<br />

Leone, the country most ravaged by blood diamonds.<br />

“Our goal is to create an invisible cord that ties the land and the people<br />

who bear the stones to those who wear them with singular conscience<br />

— a spiritual cat’s cradle, if you like, of beauty & rawness, of source &<br />

provenance, and of purity & distinction, all draw-stringed together,” states<br />

the <strong>com</strong>pany’s core philosophy.<br />

To that end, explains founder and CEO Wade Watson, Ruff&Cut sells<br />

not only its own brand of jewelry featuring Sierra Leonean diamonds but<br />

also pieces designed by Todd Reed, Me&Ro and Tracy Matthews. On the<br />

Web site, concerned customers will find explicit remarks about where the<br />

materials have been sourced and how much money from their sale will<br />

go to nonprofit partners.<br />

Watson is operating on the conviction that even, or perhaps<br />

especially, in a down market, jewelry that promotes lofty ideals<br />

gives consumers an extra incentive to buy. Yet given the dismal<br />

realities of the marketplace, he and his fellow activist jewelers are<br />

equal parts sanguine and concerned about their prospects.<br />

“As a whole, I don’t really think the industry gets it yet,” Watson says.<br />

“In the end it will be driven by the consumer and their desire to make the<br />

world a better place.” ■<br />

FPO Caption Old The goldNavaratna, Oregon goldsmith or nine Toby Pomeroy had an epiphany in 2005, when he learned about<br />

gemstone, turtle brooch the No at Dirty left Gold pays campaign, homage to formed a a year prior to put an end to irresponsible gold mining<br />

traditional Hindu belief practices that the that world wreak rests havoc atop the on the environment and devastate <strong>com</strong>munities. Consequently,<br />

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<br />

gems that decorate the shell reclaimed, are fashioned as in in this an pendant astrologi- and cuff bracelet.<br />

COUTURE International Jeweler l Basel l Basel 2009 2009 l 37<br />

l 5


SPECIAL REPORT<br />

ETHICAL JEWELRY<br />

Cause and effect<br />

These four jewelers have made social responsibility a cornerstone of their work<br />

Blue streak Erica Courtney’s 18-karat<br />

gold, diamond and tanzanite earrings<br />

and Tanzanite Aurora necklace with pink<br />

sapphires were the product of her partnership<br />

with the Tanzanite Foundation.<br />

Lori Bonn<br />

Erica Courtney<br />

One of the many things that struck designer Erica<br />

Courtney on her trip to Tanzania last summer was the<br />

local Maasai tradition of wearing red and blue together.<br />

In the bright sunlight, they looked violet, much like the color<br />

of tanzanite, the gemstone discovered there in 1967.<br />

“Of course they have worn these colors long before tanzanite<br />

was discovered, but it’s as if the Maasai were telling us that the<br />

tanzanite was in the earth by the way they dress,” Courtney says. “I thought that was<br />

very poetic in a way, since the tanzanite find has given them so much opportunity:<br />

money, schools, roads, jobs, tourists buying their wares.”<br />

Courtney saw those opportunities first-hand thanks to her collaboration with the<br />

Tanzanite Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection and promotion<br />

of tanzanite. Upon her return to Los Angeles in September, Courtney arranged for 10<br />

percent of the proceeds from the month’s sales at her Robertson Boulevard retail store<br />

to go to the Community Uplift Program, set up by the foundation to help sustain medical<br />

clinics, <strong>com</strong>munity centers and educational programs in the area where tanzanite is mined.<br />

“I personally have plans on financially helping two schools and visiting every year to<br />

spend time with them,” Courtney says. “My heart has been absolutely stolen!” ■<br />

A few years ago, jewelry designer Lori Bonn attended a luncheon in<br />

San Francisco to raise money for the indigenous people living in the<br />

Amazon rainforest. At the end of the fundraiser, the hostess made<br />

an announcement: The entire event, she said, had been staged<br />

with a net-zero impact on the planet, thanks to a clever approach to carbon offsetting.<br />

“It was an epiphany for me because, until then, I couldn’t find anything green that<br />

wasn’t also ‘granola,’” Bonn said, recalling the gathering as ultra-sophisticated, in stark<br />

contrast to the “crunchy” aesthetic she had previously associated with green activism. “It<br />

didn’t occur to me that you could be stylish and socially responsible at the same time.”<br />

Although the Oakland, Calif.-based designer had always endeavored to ensure her<br />

jewelry, most of it produced in Bali, was manufactured under progressive<br />

standards, the luncheon proved to be a turning point. She now<br />

promotes her collections, including the Chrysalis line of recycled silver<br />

and speckled chalcedony jewels, under the “Clear Conscience” label,<br />

an umbrella term meant to convey that her jewels “tread lightly on the<br />

planet while respecting every person along the supply chain.” ■<br />

38 l Basel 2009 l COUTURE International Jeweler<br />

All clear Lori Bonn’s Chrysalis collection,<br />

including this Kaleidoscope cuff<br />

bracelet with smoky quartz, citrine and<br />

white quartz and Round Dot ring with<br />

polka dot chalcedony, is designed to be<br />

worn with a “clear conscience.”


Jaipur photos by Victoria Gomelsky<br />

>><br />

Monique Péan<br />

The kings<br />

FPO deck here, the artisans of Gem Palace<br />

have created<br />

Todd Reed<br />

Motorized rickshaws, mopeds, hand-drawn carts and cows<br />

dominate the relentless traffic on Jaipur’s dusty M.I. Road,<br />

except for the block that houses the esteemed Gem Palace,<br />

where tour buses are a conspicuous and everyday presence.<br />

Todd The Reed retail began store—a experimenting Jaipur institution with raw since diamonds 1852, in when the early the<br />

1990s, maharaja long who before ruled the the idea city, of “socially capital of responsible India’s Rajasthan jewelry” entered province,<br />

the appointed trade’s the lexicon. Kasliwal Fast family forward crown 15 years, jewelers—conjures and not only have images rawof<br />

diamonds such fabulousness be<strong>com</strong>e among Reed’s visitors much-admired that it is now (and a regular much-mimicked) stop on the<br />

trademark, tourist circuit, the like industry the pink-honey<strong>com</strong>bed has finally <strong>com</strong>e Palace around of to the Winds idea of and<br />

sourcing hilltop Amber responsibly. Fort. Credit That, goes however, to eighth-generation doesn’t mean Munnu the Boulder, Kasliwal,<br />

Colo.-based the creative designer genius behind is doing Gem things Palace’s differently. treasure trove, and his<br />

brothers, “I always Sudhir called and it ‘right Sanjay, relationship,’ who manage which the means retail and doing wholesale things for ends the of right the reasons business<br />

along regardless with their of the cousins, out<strong>com</strong>e,” Ajay Reed and Pappu says. “It’s Kasliwal. always Even something the ninth my generation customers is cared represented,<br />

about, my in the style form — and of Munnu’s I don’t mean son, my Siddharth, aesthetic who style recently but my social joined style, the business. my civic style.” Under<br />

the It family’s helps that careful Reed stewardship, has worked Gem with Palace a single earns diamond as much supplier respect for 12 from years, contemporary a sixth-<br />

jewel-lovers generation family as it did business under in the New maharajas’ York that patronage. buys rough from eco-friendly locations and<br />

can “It’s trace the mother its sources. lode,” Last confirms year, he a partnered well-groomed with Ruff&Cut, American the woman, New cooing York <strong>com</strong>pany over a pair thatof<br />

carnelian builds designer earrings jewelry and matching collections ring around on a diamonds sunny December mined in Sierra afternoon. Leone, She’s channeling a media<br />

buyer a portion from of Maryland profits to on <strong>com</strong>munity a two-week organizations holiday with based her husband there. It’s in a far Rajasthan. cry from A Reed’s visit to<br />

Gem early days, Palace when and the hilltop language Amber to define Fort. these Credit ideas goes didn’t to exist, eighth-generation but, as they say, Munnu better<br />

late than never. “Maybe this is the time in jewelry when change happens,” he says. ■<br />

FPO Caption Jaipur is called the “Pink City” because of the pink stucco walls that surround its carefully<br />

Ruff planned loveold Todd quarter, Reed built prefers by ruler raw Jai diamonds Singh in because 1727. The they Hawa have Mahal, a less processed or Palace of aesthetic the Winds, that’s top more left,<br />

is in one line of with its enduring his eco-friendly icons. Lying lifestyle. just This outside necklace the old is made city, on with traffic-choked 18-karat recycled M.I. Road, gold Gem and Palace silver; raw is a<br />

retail diamond store-cum-tourist cubes, macles, magnet, octahedrons; regularly natural besieged color by rose-cut jewelry diamonds; lovers who and have white <strong>com</strong>e rose-cut to see diamonds, designer FPO while<br />

the cuff bracelet features 18-karat yellow gold, silver, raw diamond cubes and colored brilliants.<br />

COUTURE International Jeweler l Basel<br />

2009 l 3<br />

SPECIAL REPORT<br />

TOPIC<br />

When her younger sister passed away unexpectedly in 2005,<br />

Monique Péan, then a banker with Goldman Sachs, turned to jewelry<br />

as a form of therapy. Today, the <strong>com</strong>pany she founded in her sister’s<br />

memory is at the forefront of a growing movement to help<br />

consumers effect change with their purchases.<br />

“The whole idea behind my collection was to <strong>com</strong>bine my love for art, business and<br />

philanthropy,” Péan says. “My father worked in development growing up, so I had the privilege<br />

of traveling to over 40 countries. And I felt indigenous art and culture is so rich, but<br />

it had never been at the forefront of the luxury market.”<br />

The fall 2007 Bering collection, featuring smooth shards of fossilized walrus, caribou<br />

and wooly mammoth ivory sourced from the Alaskan Inupiaq and Yup’ik tribes living in<br />

the Arctic Circle and set in 100 percent recycled gold, was the product of her freshman<br />

effort. Ten percent of proceeds are directed to the Alaska House, a gallery in Fairbanks<br />

dedicated to preserving and promoting Alaska native arts.<br />

Péan’s second collection, called Charity Water after the New York nonprofit of the<br />

same name, features chunky stones designed to evoke clean or contaminated drinking<br />

water, thereby drawing attention to the 1.1 billion people who live without access to safe<br />

drinking water. Each sale provides clean drinking water to 10 people for 20 years. ■<br />

Sure things Every element in Monique Péan’s collection has been ethically sourced. From top, this hemimorphite<br />

and recycled yellow gold necklace includes 4 carats of “conflict- and devastation-free diamonds”<br />

on a sustainably gathered stingray cord while the Mzibia agate necklace features fossilized woolly mammoth<br />

ivory set in 18-karat recycled yellow gold with a conflict- and devastation-free diamond clasp.


360°<br />

360°<br />

Eurostar<br />

Brilliant Opportunity<br />

The world is clearly a different place. But there is still only a<br />

millimetre of difference between a challenge and an opportunity<br />

– the ordinary and the extraordinary.<br />

Eurostar’s precision calibrated diamonds and ideal cut hearts<br />

and arrows diamonds open up a world of brilliant opportunity,<br />

their fi nest facets meticulously crafted to the highest possible<br />

standards, where even 0.05 millimetre embodies a world of<br />

difference.<br />

Eurostar’s passion for diamonds, dedication to partnership, and<br />

excellence of quality know no <strong>com</strong>promise.<br />

However much the world may change, every one of our 10,000<br />

professionals maintains a 360° focus on manufacturing the<br />

world’s fi nest diamonds.


Keeping true to our values has earned us the trust of the<br />

world’s most prestigious watch and jewellery brands, along with<br />

the accolade of being named Belgium’s #1 value-adding diamond<br />

<strong>com</strong>pany for six consecutive years. To explore and develop<br />

brilliant partnership opportunities with the potential to light up<br />

your future, visit eurostardiamond.<strong>com</strong>.<br />

Eurostar, Trusted by the World’s Most Prestigious Watch &<br />

Jewellery Brands<br />

Eurostar @ BASELWORLD 2009: Hall of Visions 2.1, Stand A62<br />

EUROSTAR Diamond Traders N.V.<br />

Antwerp | Dubai | Gaborone | Hong Kong | Mumbai | New York | Shanghai


Photo by James Ryang<br />

TASTEMAKERS<br />

NICOLE MACK<strong>IN</strong>LAY HAHN<br />

The poetry behind<br />

the purchase<br />

Using her lyrical style of video art, Nicole Mackinlay<br />

Hahn puts an original spin on conscious consumerism<br />

Imagine picking up an Ethiopian silk purse at the trendiest luxury boutique<br />

in town and focusing not on the purse but on a 30-second video showing<br />

the Malagasy man who helped make its raw silk, as he chases his friend<br />

around their village, waving a silkworm on a stick.<br />

“I want people to be more emotionally attached to where their things<br />

<strong>com</strong>e from,” says Nicole Mackinlay Hahn, a video artist whose Reap What<br />

You Sew project goes a long way in establishing such a connection.<br />

Using documentary-style footage shot in Africa and then distilled into an<br />

interactive video piece called Mirror/Africa (which includes the silkworm clip<br />

described above), Reap What You Sew offers a fascinating glimpse into<br />

the supply chain that connects African <strong>com</strong>munities to the American<br />

consumers who buy the fashions they produce.<br />

Mackinlay Hahn, an ac<strong>com</strong>plished video artist,<br />

launched the project in 2005, when the Edun<br />

clothing <strong>com</strong>pany took her to Lesotho to shoot<br />

footage they hoped to use in “an advocacy video<br />

to tell their brand story.”<br />

“It was my weird initiation into fashion,” Mackinlay<br />

Hahn recalls. “I could not believe how many people<br />

touched one garment of clothing.”<br />

The trip marked the beginning of her love affair<br />

with the continent. She has since returned five<br />

times. On those trips, she traced more designer<br />

goods back through the supply chain — including<br />

fashion from Duro Olowu, beauty products<br />

from Philip B and jewelry by Devon Paige<br />

McCleary — making sure that at least some of<br />

their <strong>com</strong>ponents were sourced or produced<br />

in Africa.<br />

Mackinlay Hahn then created hundreds of<br />

30-second video clips that play through an interactive and transparent<br />

domelike sculpture that she installed as a temporary public art project at<br />

Barneys New York in May 2008 and hopes to bring to additional retail<br />

venues this year. When consumers pick up one of the items she tracked, a<br />

special bamboo tag prompts them to scan it at the nearby installation.<br />

Depending on where the item originated or was produced, they see clips of<br />

Madagascar, Kenya, Lesotho, Mali, Uganda, Tunisia, Ghana or South Africa.<br />

Mirror images Nicole Mackinlay Hahn’s crystal ball-like sculpture plays clips from Mirror/<br />

Africa, the video footage that lies at the heart of her ambitious Reap What You Sew project.<br />

It’s an interactive exploration of the supply chain linking <strong>com</strong>munities in Africa, such as the<br />

one pictured at right, to the American consumers who buy the goods they produce.<br />

42 l Basel 2009 l COUTURE International Jeweler<br />

Mackinlay Hahn says she was driven to<br />

create the project — and the feature-length<br />

documentary film it inspired, due to premiere<br />

in 2010 — after recognizing she could harness<br />

the Web’s interactive and touch-screen technology<br />

to convey information “way beyond<br />

[what could be contained in] the tag.”<br />

She stresses that her work isn’t intended<br />

to preach but to delight, inspire and celebrate.<br />

More poetic than information-driven,<br />

the videos suggest that “you still need entertainment<br />

value in order to get an emotional<br />

reaction in a transactional environment.”<br />

One sign that she has succeeded appears<br />

in a clip that could end up in the documentary,<br />

which Mackinlay Hahn has structured around<br />

the experiences of consumers using the<br />

installation. A middle-aged Barneys shopper<br />

is shown watching one of the videos. “I like to<br />

know that my consumerism isn’t hurting<br />

someone else,” says the woman, making Reap<br />

What You Sew’s point, exactly. ■


Alpilex Diamond<br />

MFG. BVBA<br />

PELIKAANSTRAAT 78, Room 604-605, Box 140<br />

2018 ANTWERPEN - BELGIUM<br />

Tel. (32)(3) 233 91 60 - Fax (32) (3) 225 12 81<br />

E-mail: alpilex@pandora.be<br />

YOUR WISH IS OUR DESIRE<br />

WHATEVER SHAPE OR QUALITY YOU WANT,<br />

WHEREVER, WHENEVER AND AT MOST ATTRACTIVE PRICES<br />

ASK <strong>FOR</strong> OUR FREE DIAMOND PRICELIST<br />

ALPILEX DIAMOND MFG. BVBA<br />

PELIKAANSTRAAT 78, Room 604-605, Box 140<br />

2018 ANTWERPEN - BELGIUM<br />

Tel. (32)(3) 233 91 60 - Fax (32) (3) 225 12 81<br />

E-mail: alpilex@pandora.be


TASTEMAKERS<br />

TANIA MACHADO<br />

44 l Basel 2009 l COUTURE International Jeweler<br />

Craft master<br />

Under Tania Machado’s stewardship, Brazilian artisans<br />

are bringing their eco-friendly designs to the world<br />

Jewelers may know Minas Gerais as the Brazilian state where the bulk<br />

of the country’s precious stones are mined (the name, in fact, translates<br />

to “General Mines”) but the region is also rich with talented artisans who<br />

have taken advantage of local materials to produce a range of arts and<br />

crafts distinguished by their respect for the earth.<br />

In 2001, Tania Machado recognized the need to promote these crafts —<br />

mostly home décor items made from seeds, ceramic, glass, fiber, wood,<br />

paper, soapstone and ironwork — to an international audience, thereby<br />

generating in<strong>com</strong>e for poor families while encouraging recycling and environmentalism.<br />

Thus, the EcoArts program was born.<br />

As an offshoot of a Brazilian nonprofit called Instituto Centro CAPE,<br />

which helps prepare artisans to sell their work abroad, EcoArts represents<br />

a collective of eight artisans, whose products are sold bearing a seal — IQS,<br />

or Sustainable Quality Institute — guaranteeing they are socially fair,<br />

ecologically correct and economically viable.<br />

“Today, the whole world is worried about the environment, and recycling<br />

is well-respected by everyone,” says Machado, who is based in<br />

Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais. “But in the case that the<br />

improvement of the economic situation of poor people is attached to the<br />

product’s good price, it’s even better.”<br />

Among the artisans in the EcoArts stable is Maria Diniz. She uses coffee<br />

husks and grounds, rice husks and cardboard boxes to make decorative<br />

bowls. Leonardo Bueno makes furniture and household items by recycling<br />

the wood from shipping pallets, while Cristina Duarte recycles raw glass to<br />

fashion unique works of glass art.<br />

In 2007, the program to which they belong exported more than $2 million<br />

of artistic handicrafts to the United States. (A similar program exists in<br />

Europe and is managed by a Lisbon-based <strong>com</strong>pany, Vitória Regia.)<br />

The Brazilian government has been instrumental in nurturing EcoArts,<br />

whose existence is made possible through a collaboration between several<br />

organizations, including APEX, Brazil’s trade and investment promotion<br />

agency, and the Central Mão de Minas, a nonprofit aimed at helping artisans<br />

navigate the <strong>com</strong>plicated world of exporting. Despite the economic<br />

downturn, Machado is optimistic that EcoArts will continue to thrive.<br />

“We believe we have enormous growing potential,” she says. “There are 8.5<br />

million artisans in Brazil. In the state of Minas Gerais there are 500,000, and<br />

only about 300 are currently exporting products to the USA. But in order to<br />

proceed we must continue looking for buyers. It’s necessary to adapt products,<br />

improve some of the technological processes for customs and trade<br />

barriers, and continue showing the creative work of the Brazilian people.” ■<br />

Reduce, reuse, recycle The EcoArts collective promotes the work of Brazilian artisans who<br />

work with different recycled materials. Márcio Ferreira, for example, uses scrap iron to make his<br />

signature ants, while other artists work with glass, shown here in a delicate petal-like sculpture,<br />

or banana or coconut fibers, used to make decorative bowls.


The girl from Paris<br />

In 2005, Liliane Jossua set a precedent by opening the<br />

first multibrand retail shop on tony Avenue Montaigne<br />

Avenue Montaigne, in the 8th arrondisement of Paris, is arguably the<br />

world’s most illustrious shopping street. A mecca for high-fashion<br />

devotees, it’s lined with grand facades bearing the names of prestige<br />

brands with a global following: Valentino, Gucci, Chanel and Dior, to<br />

name but a few.<br />

So sought after are the goods on Avenue Montaigne that in December,<br />

thieves stole diamond necklaces, gem-studded rings and luxury watches<br />

worth $108 million from the Harry Winston salon in one of the most ambitious<br />

— and successful — heists in history.<br />

Yet the street’s monobrand domination can feel a bit monotonous. This<br />

explains why the ultra-chic Montaigne Market, the street’s first multibrand<br />

emporium, has a distinct edge.<br />

Opened in 2005, the store boasts a high-low mix of designer merchandise<br />

that calls to mind the well-edited closet of a very stylish friend. This<br />

season’s new acquisitions include Elizabeth & James, the sophomore<br />

collection from Ashley and Mary Kate Olsen; retro-fabulous designs from<br />

Halston, the icon of 70s style; and the moody, phantasmagorical jewels of<br />

Fendi scion Delfina Delettrez.<br />

But these are merely the tip of the iceberg; co-founder Liliane Jossua has<br />

excellent and varied taste, which <strong>com</strong>es through in the store’s assorted<br />

collection of jewelry. Besides Delettrez, Aurélie Bidermann, Repossi, Garrard,<br />

and John Isaac, a vintage Rolex dealer, are among the collections on display.<br />

Fashion formula Liliane Jossua has perfected a buying strategy for Montaigne Market, the<br />

first multibrand boutique to open on Paris’s grand shopping street. Accessories, in the form of<br />

colorful Lanvin handbags, outrageous Brian Atwood platforms and très interesting jewels from<br />

TASTEMAKERS<br />

LILIANE JOSSUA<br />

A Parisian who studied fashion at Esmod in<br />

Paris, Jossua moved to Saint Barth with her<br />

family 16 years ago. It was there that she cut<br />

her teeth at retail with her first store, Calypso.<br />

“When my oldest daughter was 10 we<br />

decided to go back home to Paris and then<br />

it was time to open something here,” she<br />

recalls. “We thought Avenue Montaigne was<br />

an amazing place for its history and we<br />

could find there the same customer I was<br />

used to working with in Saint Barth.”<br />

Montaigne Market’s white wall, lacquer,<br />

and leather interior, designed by architect<br />

Johannes Zingerle, is the perfect showcase<br />

for Jossua’s myriad finds. Supported by her<br />

business partner, Alain Celhay, she makes<br />

all the buying decisions, gravitating to<br />

designers such as Alaia, Givenchy,<br />

Alexander McQueen and Balmain. Readyto-wear<br />

constitutes about 60 percent of the<br />

store’s inventory; the rest is made up with<br />

accessories, from Lanvin handbags to<br />

Gianvito Rossi heels.<br />

“When you buy one of those it’s a clever<br />

choice,” she says. “You will keep the clothes<br />

and wear them again next season mixed<br />

with new ones. Time is not anymore to<br />

spend for eccentric and expensive things<br />

you’ll wear once.” ■<br />

the likes of Fendi scion Delfina Delettrez, make up 40 percent of the store’s merchandise. Photo provided by Montaigne Market<br />

COUTURE International Jeweler l Basel 2009 l 45


DESIGNER ROUNDUP<br />

SHAHPOUR JAHAN<br />

Royal engagements<br />

Pleasing princesses is jeweler Shahpour Jahan’s specialty<br />

Not long ago, Shahpour Jahan, a jeweler based in<br />

Geneva, took an order from a young Saudi princess<br />

who wanted a necklace “she could wear every day.”<br />

A diamond-laden jewel anchored by a 9.5-carat fancy pink<br />

pear-shaped stone is what he created for her.<br />

With clientele drawn from the royal families of the Persian<br />

Gulf, the Jahan family business, a seventh-generation affair<br />

that dates back to Tehran in the 1800s, has a different relationship<br />

with its customers than do most jewelers.<br />

“A person has a doctor, a lawyer, and we consider ourselves<br />

an advisor,” Shahpour, the <strong>com</strong>pany’s creative director, says.<br />

“We give them a service. We take their old jewelry that has<br />

no value, and we update it.”<br />

When there is a major wedding, it’s not just the bride who<br />

is expected to shine. Mothers and grandmothers are also<br />

draped in jewels and will often bring their old pieces into<br />

one of the <strong>com</strong>pany’s three boutiques in Geneva, Riyadh or<br />

Jeddah to get a fresh re-working. A Jahan design album<br />

with a collection of dull photos documenting these quintessentially<br />

1980s jewels (so passé looking they might as well<br />

be in neon) is a testament to this. Shahpour then re-imagines<br />

the pieces, sometimes as stylish scarf necklaces or as<br />

long cascades of stones.<br />

The emphasis, it’s clear, is on the latter. “The real value to<br />

us as jewelers is in the stones,” Shahpour says. “Like land,<br />

antiques, paintings, the point is you have jewelry that will look<br />

good years from now. It’s not supposed to be like fashion.”<br />

From a floral collar of sapphire and diamond roses to the<br />

suite of almond-sized Colombian emeralds about to be set<br />

into a diamond and white gold parure, the classic jewels<br />

46 l Basel 2009 l COUTURE International Jeweler<br />

that are Jahan’s bread and butter begin at 200,000 Swiss<br />

francs (about $175,000 at current exchange rates) and top<br />

out around 2 million Swiss francs.<br />

Jahan’s singular <strong>com</strong>mitment to providing a traditional,<br />

albeit modernized, selection of jewels to customers who<br />

have patronized the store for decades has placed it in a<br />

good position to ride out the current economic downturn.<br />

Based in Geneva since 1980, when Shahpour’s father began<br />

using Swiss workshops to manufacture the jewelry he sold<br />

in Iran, the <strong>com</strong>pany has a reputation for creating sumptuous<br />

parures of the highest quality.<br />

“Of course you feel it,” Shahpour says of the credit crunch.<br />

“But high-level pieces like that always keep their value. If<br />

people are getting married, we are good.”<br />

In order to ac<strong>com</strong>modate the gift-buying proliclivities of<br />

clients who hail from the Gulf region, the <strong>com</strong>pany also<br />

stocks a reasonably priced selection of glam watches and<br />

perfumes, all on display in the Geneva boutique.<br />

Situated in a prime location on the city’s famed Rue du<br />

Rhône, the store opened in 1995 and was expanded and<br />

renovated two years ago into a stylish black-and-white<br />

showroom of 200 square meters. Neighbors include practically<br />

every major luxury name in the watch and jewelry<br />

business, but that doesn’t faze Shahpour.<br />

“We like that we have <strong>com</strong>petitors,” he says. “When you<br />

go into a garden, you don’t just want to see roses.” ■<br />

Bridal boom Shahpour Jahan, the seventh generation of the Jahan<br />

family business, has what many would consider the perfect plan to ride<br />

out this year’s economic turbulence: If the royal familes of the Persian Gulf<br />

who make up his clientele continue to get married, “we are good,” he says.


Mad about hue<br />

Elke Berr evolved as a designer when<br />

she succumbed to her love of color<br />

Trained as a gemologist nearly two<br />

decades ago, Elke Berr began<br />

her designing career making<br />

tried-and-true styles featuring precious<br />

stones, such as rubies, sapphires and<br />

emeralds, in classic yet predictable<br />

settings. “The value was given by the<br />

stone itself, while the design was not<br />

the central interest of the jewel,” she<br />

says. Fast-forward 20 years, and Berr’s work is anything<br />

but conventional. It includes a slew of precious and<br />

semiprecious pieces in special cuts like the<br />

bubble-cut, mirror-cut, wave-cut and ice-cube cut.<br />

Read on to discover her creative turning point.<br />

Who: Elke Fechner-Berr, Elke Berr Creations,<br />

Genève Age: 44 Home base: Geneva, Switzerland<br />

What: Feminine, trendy jewelry with colored<br />

gemstones in 18-karat gold Where to buy: Best<br />

The namesake<br />

If you believe in omens, former banker<br />

Manju Jasty is living her destiny<br />

Born in the Indian state<br />

of Andhra Pradesh and<br />

raised in the suburbs of<br />

New York City, designer Manju<br />

Jasty spent her childhood summers<br />

touring Indian holy sites such as<br />

Tirupati, where a famous golden idol<br />

enchanted her. After college, she<br />

pursued investment banking, until she<br />

could no longer deny her fascination with gems and jewels,<br />

nor, perhaps, her destiny: Manju’s first name is derived from<br />

the Sanskrit word for “jewel box.”<br />

Who: Manju Jasty Age: 33 Home base: New York City<br />

What: Manju Jasty Fine Jewels Where to buy: Barneys<br />

New York or by appointment at www.manjujasty.<strong>com</strong><br />

Philosophy: Wearing fine jewelry should be a physical<br />

jewelry shops in<br />

Switzerland, Paris,<br />

Monaco, Munich, Milan,<br />

Kiev, Dubai, Doha and Jeddah<br />

Philosophy: A passion for gems, life and women who know<br />

what they want. My jewelry should be their favorite piece<br />

and make them look different, happy and passionate about<br />

life, at reasonable prices. Inspiration: Unusual stones and Girard<br />

cuts, and traveling. I capture the colors, trends and people Sarah<br />

in different countries. Gemstone preferences: Stones with by<br />

effects, like star rubies, moonstones, black star diopside and<br />

quartz in all colors, cut in unusual shapes. Design epiphany:<br />

At a certain point, coinciding with my son Raphaël’s birth<br />

photographed<br />

seven years ago, I felt a drive to create jewelry for everyday<br />

ring<br />

wear, for myself and for a passionate, trendy woman, and I<br />

started designing with semiprecious stones and pearls.<br />

Dream clients: The ones who take the risk to promote Lepoultier;<br />

a new name and stand behind me Breakthrough<br />

Rudy<br />

moment: One year ago, I started to sell in Ukraine by<br />

and the Middle East Training: I was a gemologist<br />

and gemstone dealer before launching my own<br />

collections. Retail price range: $800–$50,000 ■<br />

photographed<br />

A heart for stones Seven years ago, gemologist Elke Berr began<br />

creating designer pieces like this necklace strung with lemon quartz<br />

drops and ring featuring a wave-cut smoky quartz. Necklace<br />

pleasure as well as a source of joy. Inspiration: All things<br />

beautiful, from the shapes of the Taj Mahal to the shape of a<br />

calla lily. Gemstone preferences: Diamonds: a simple<br />

and elegant statement, but a statement nonetheless.<br />

Design epiphany: When my mom gave me permission<br />

to deconstruct a necklace and earrings I had<br />

inherited and I realized I could refashion it into something<br />

I would use and thoroughly enjoy wearing.<br />

Dream clients: Julianne Moore and<br />

Charlize Theron Breakthrough<br />

moment: Meeting Julie Gilhart<br />

(fashion director of Barneys) the<br />

day I resigned from banking. I ran<br />

into her a few months later, at which<br />

point she admired my earrings (of my own<br />

design) and suggested I schedule an appointment<br />

with her office. Training: Design is self-taught;<br />

construction I learned by working with<br />

artisans in India. Retail price range:<br />

$4,000–$150,000 ■<br />

Homage to India Manju Jasty’s Indian heritage<br />

is reflected in these bell-shaped earrings<br />

and carved emerald necklace.<br />

DESIGNER ROUNDUP<br />

ELKE BERR AND MANJU JASTY


MARKETPLACE<br />

VICENZA<br />

Brave new world<br />

At the First fair in Vicenza, the Italians were split on whether the secret<br />

to their long-term success lies in promoting classic jewelry or fashion<br />

Veterans of the international trade fair circuit know<br />

there are two kinds of exhibitors at the First show,<br />

held every January, in Vicenza: Those who produce<br />

eminently chic, if fleeting, fashion jewelry and those for<br />

whom “made in Italy” is a battle cry for pieces that stand the<br />

test of time.<br />

As business philosophies, they couldn’t be more different,<br />

yet for the 1,700 <strong>com</strong>panies that showcased their newest<br />

merchandise at the goldsmith fair in mid-January, these two<br />

approaches represent flip sides of the same Italian coin.<br />

The first approach is, arguably, the one that defines Italian<br />

merchandise in the greater context of the global jewelry<br />

scene, and the First fair is, naturally, where the trendiest of<br />

such trendy merchandise makes its debut. This year, the<br />

pieces most in vogue included those featuring black and<br />

white gemstones in matte and polished forms, ornate bib<br />

necklaces best suited to women with statuesque features<br />

(not to mention long necks), variations on the traditional<br />

diamond tennis bracelet using a mix of semiprecious<br />

stones and varying shapes, and a heavy dose of jewels<br />

evoking feathers, animals and leaves.<br />

“Our industry is getting closer to the models and rhythms<br />

of fashion and is observing that trends of fashion and style<br />

merge with trends in our own sector,” Domenico Girardi, the<br />

48 l Basel 2009 l COUTURE International Jeweler<br />

fair’s new general director, said at a press conference. “It<br />

will be necessary to innovate more quickly, to speed up, and<br />

the business models will be different.”<br />

Girardi’s fellow organizers are, it seems, in full agreement.<br />

Witness the show’s new Glam Room, unveiled at the Choice<br />

event in September and enhanced for the 2009 gathering.<br />

The pavilion of 26 exhibitors is dedicated to jewels that<br />

<strong>com</strong>bine precious materials with alternative elements, such<br />

as wood, glass, ceramic, ebony, Perspex and steel.<br />

By 2010, noted Girardi, the Glam Room “will be<strong>com</strong>e an<br />

independent pavilion where we celebrate the conjugation<br />

between fashion and jewelry.”<br />

Yet the notion of jewelry as accessory is at odds with the<br />

way many of Vicenza’s finest exhibitors see their work.<br />

In discussing his <strong>com</strong>pany’s plans for Baselworld, for<br />

example, Umberto Picchiotti, of the Valenza-based manufacturer,<br />

said: “We will concentrate on more valuable pieces<br />

and won’t do as much fashion or design collections. We<br />

never did.”<br />

Likewise, Isaac Levy, founder of Yvel, the Israeli pearl<br />

jewelry manufacturer, said he would focus his merchandise<br />

Glam slam The entrance to the Vicenza fair’s new Glam Room, which<br />

General Director Domenico Girardi describes as “an independent pavilion<br />

where we celebrate the conjugation between fashion and jewelry.”<br />

Photo by LaPresse provided by Vicenza Fiera


on higher-ticket items that required<br />

the same amount of effort to sell as<br />

lower priced goods. He also noted<br />

that his global marketing strategy<br />

hinged on finding “pockets of wealth”<br />

rather than conquering entirely<br />

new markets — a reflection of how<br />

thoroughly globalized our world has<br />

be<strong>com</strong>e: affluent consumers are invariably<br />

jet-setters, meaning their wealth<br />

is as mobile as their high-tech phones.<br />

“You cannot target a country today,”<br />

Levy said. “You have to focus on a group<br />

of people. For example, we don’t sell in<br />

Belgium, but we sold to a group of Belgians.<br />

We have a couple of wealthy people in<br />

Kuwait and Dubai. It’s about targeting the<br />

right customer.”<br />

At the First fair, however, it was clear the<br />

Italians were struggling to define, or even<br />

recognize, who that might be.<br />

“We’re still trying to understand what to do,”<br />

said a woman at the Andreoli booth. “I think<br />

everybody’s in crisis. We haven’t seen any<br />

Americans. The first day was noticeably quiet,<br />

and it’s supposed to be the strongest.”<br />

Export statistics tell an equally disheartening<br />

story. According to figures released by Italy’s<br />

National Statistics Institute, the value of<br />

jewelry and gold exports for the first three<br />

quarters of 2008 fell by 5.54 percent<br />

<strong>com</strong>pared to the same period in 2007. “The<br />

data is linked to the strongly negative<br />

performance of the month of August<br />

(-71%), but partially balanced by<br />

the good performance registered<br />

in the month of September,”<br />

according to the Institute’s statement.<br />

One of the report’s bright spots<br />

affirmed that the United Arab<br />

Emirates is now Italy’s chief export market,<br />

with a 16.4 percent share representing a<br />

14.56 percent increase from 2007 to 2008<br />

— numbers that squared<br />

perfectly with sentiment on the<br />

show floor.<br />

“Abu Dhabi,” Picchiotti said,<br />

referring to the capital of the UAE, “seems<br />

to be the next hot place.” ■<br />

New Italian style<br />

While black was ubiquitous<br />

in Vicenza this year, the<br />

selection wasn’t as somber<br />

as you might think.<br />

First things first Clockwise from top: Roberta<br />

Porrati’s Ibiza ring with black diamonds and pearls;<br />

Marco Bicego’s resplendent Jaipur bib necklace;<br />

Palmiero’s graceful green Feather ring; Paolo<br />

Piovan’s seductive snake necklace; Picchiotti’s<br />

white diamonds and buff-top baguette sapphires<br />

feather brooch; and Picchiotti’s classic emerald<br />

earrings reflect the diversity of designs found at<br />

the First fair in Vicenza. The big question? Should<br />

Italian jewelers focus on fashion jewelry, Italy’s<br />

traditional strong suit, or timeless designs that<br />

transcend fashion to ensure their success during<br />

what promises to be a challenging year?<br />

COUTURE International Jeweler l Basel 2009 l 49


I N F L U E N C E S<br />

50 l Basel 2009 l COUTURE International Jeweler<br />

<strong>com</strong>petitions<br />

Winning brew<br />

A quirky contest inspires designers to re-imagine an<br />

unglamorous deli cup as a coveted piece of jewelry<br />

New York City has no shortage of icons. There’s the Statue of Liberty, of<br />

course, and the yellow taxicab, the Empire State Building and Times<br />

Square. One symbol that rarely gets its due, however, is the blue-andwhite<br />

Greek paper coffee cup — the one emblazoned with the words<br />

“We Are Happy to Serve You” — used by diners and coffee vendors<br />

across the five boroughs.<br />

A number of enterprising designers who exhibit at the Couture show<br />

have done much to change that. In the NY Couture Jewelry Designer<br />

Challenge, held earlier this year at the JA New York show, they were<br />

asked to transform the instantly recognizable cup into a unique piece<br />

of wearable jewelry. They responded with a wealth of unconventional<br />

styles that were voted on by the Couture <strong>com</strong>munity and displayed at<br />

the show, thereby elevating an unglamorous deli cup to its rightful place<br />

among the Big Apple’s more celebrated trademarks.<br />

Chad Allison designed the winning piece, a diamond and sapphire<br />

pendant incorporating the cup’s distinctive Greek border motif into a<br />

subtle tribute to a vintage only-in-New-York aesthetic. The other jewels<br />

also reflected just a hint of coffee inspiration. One clever designer,<br />

however, took the mandate rather literally.<br />

“Use this and you don’t burn your fingers with the hot coffee,” said<br />

runner-up Heather Moore of her gold coffee cup holder that transforms<br />

into a bangle and armband. “When you’re done with your drink, put your<br />

cup in the recycling bin, slip the pieces on your wrist and you’re stylin’<br />

for the day!”<br />

Hold the sugar New Yorkers love their coffee, so they’re sure to love these coffee-inspired<br />

jewels. Clockwise from bottom: Chad Allison’s winning pendant features diamonds and blue<br />

sapphires in 18-karat white gold. Gurhan’s pendant is set in his trademark 24-karat gold.<br />

Heather Moore’s coffee cup holder/bangle (shown with and without coffee) is, without<br />

doubt, the contest’s most clever submission, while Vibes’s pearl necklace, in a more subtle<br />

approach to the design brief, includes a mere hint of the cup’s iconic motif.


MAY 28 - JUNE 2 / 09 · WYNN HOTEL LAS VEGAS<br />

MORE THAN 200 OF THE WORLD’S LEAD<strong>IN</strong>G JEWELRY AND TIMEPIECE DESIGNERS<br />

AND BRANDS ONLY COME TO ONE DEST<strong>IN</strong>ATION…COUTURE 2009!<br />

Get exclusive access to the perfect blend of internationally renowned design icons and emerging stars as you<br />

<strong>com</strong>fortably savor the exquisite ambiance only made possible by Couture at the magnificent, 5-Star Wynn Resorts.<br />

Couture 2009 will be your oasis during Las Vegas Jewelery Market Week.<br />

The Couture <strong>com</strong>munity awaits your arrival to the most exciting and exclusive jewelry event of 2009.<br />

Confirm your registration today at:<br />

WWW.COUTURE09.COM<br />

EXCLUSIVELY <strong>FOR</strong> QUALIFIED JEWELRY RETAILERS


COUTURE PRACTICES<br />

ONL<strong>IN</strong>E LUXURY<br />

Online luxury, reconsidered<br />

A fresh crop of sophisticated Web. 2.0 sites are courting the high end with renewed vigor<br />

The luxury industry’s experience with the Internet should<br />

be counted in dog years: For every seven years of<br />

Web-based progress in other fields, luxury providers<br />

have inched along by just one.<br />

Look, for example, to the online jewelry market, and you’ll<br />

find that for most of its lifespan it’s been the domain of<br />

schlock merchants, con artists and loose stone dealers<br />

eager to dispense with the fripperies of romance in favor of<br />

promoting goods at bargain-basement prices.<br />

Just consider this quote from Jim Schultz, founder of<br />

DirtCheapDiamonds.<strong>com</strong>, which appeared in an article in<br />

COUTURE’s sister magazine, National Jeweler, seven years<br />

ago: “DirtCheap is doing so well because we have a practical<br />

attitude,” he said. “We don’t romance the stone. Because we’re<br />

not face-to-face with a customer talking about a stone, we’re<br />

just looking at the facts. I think people appreciate our candor.”<br />

While it’s true that price — and, more meaningfully, value —<br />

continues to be critical to the allure of buying luxury products<br />

online, the notion that e-tailers eschew story, tradition and<br />

a <strong>com</strong>mitment to service has gone away as surely as<br />

Facebook has replaced Friendster in the social networking<br />

sphere. These days, the Internet is, without doubt, home to<br />

the jewelry industry’s most promising action.<br />

“[We’ve made] the empirical case directly from the voice<br />

of the wealthy consumer for luxury brands to make their<br />

Web sites the centerpiece of their online and offline strategies<br />

since 2006,” says Milton Pedraza, CEO of the New<br />

York-based Luxury Institute. “Nevertheless, the traditional<br />

luxury industry has been slow to adopt Web 2.0.”<br />

52 l Basel 2009 l COUTURE International Jeweler<br />

The term “Web 2.0” refers to changing trends in the use<br />

of Internet technology and design that strive to enhance<br />

creativity, <strong>com</strong>munications, secure information sharing,<br />

collaboration and functionality.<br />

Pedraza notes, “Innovators such as Gilt, Ideeli, A Small<br />

World, Portero, Vivre, CoutureLab and several off-the-radar<br />

players such as Bespoke Global, are gaining traction online<br />

via membership models, global <strong>com</strong>munities, and by aggregating<br />

categories of bespoke luxury designers and<br />

producers in one-stop-shop destinations.”<br />

This phenomenon is bound to grow. In light of the<br />

faltering global economy, more old-school jewelry merchants<br />

are adopting Internet-only policies, thereby ducking the<br />

enormous expenses associated with running brick-andmortar<br />

operations.<br />

“We’ve got Madison Avenue products with the value only<br />

an online store can offer,” says Pinny Kaufman, a New York<br />

diamond wholesaler who recently launched Idalia.<strong>com</strong>, a<br />

luxury fashion jewelry site aimed at female self-purchasers.<br />

“I don’t feel anyone’s targeting this niche. The industry standards<br />

are mall-type Web sites.”<br />

For guidance, Kaufman studied the Web’s luxury visionaries,<br />

Net-a-Porter and Vivre, two sites that established, early on,<br />

reputations for expertly curating collections of high-end<br />

designer goods, from fashion to accessories to home décor<br />

The real deal Plenty of Web consumers are wary of shopping online due<br />

to questions of authenticity. To battle the thriving online knock-off market,<br />

Portero.<strong>com</strong> carefully vets its products to guarantee their genuineness. At<br />

Idalia.<strong>com</strong>, the focus is value: “Madison Avenue products” at online prices.


items, that appealed to discerning shoppers precisely<br />

because they fused the experience of browsing a luxury<br />

print catalog with the Web’s user-friendly technologies.<br />

“The two together blend to form a potent mix that’s hard<br />

to resist,” wrote The Luxe Chronicles in a February 2008<br />

blog post praising both Net-a-Porter and Vivre. “I’ve often<br />

<strong>com</strong>pared shopping on these sites to shopping directly<br />

from the pages of your favorite print magazine, only better.”<br />

More recently, CoutureLab, a next-generation version of<br />

Net-a-Porter (given that its owner, Carmen Busquets, was<br />

one of the latter’s original backers), has charmed luxury<br />

consumers with its chic selection of one-of-a-kind and<br />

limited-edition designer merchandise, sourced from around<br />

the world. No small part of the two-year-old site’s appeal lies<br />

in its crisp photography, stylish layout and engaging content,<br />

like the bios describing each designer represented on the<br />

site — including jewelers such as France’s Lydia Courteille,<br />

Spain’s Vicente Gracia and Kenya’s Carolyn Roumeguere.<br />

For purposes of Web site marketing and search engine<br />

optimization (“SEO” in Web 2.0 lingo), the content quotient<br />

is key — a fact that Beladora, a two-year-old estate jewelry<br />

site based in Beverly Hills and affiliated with estate dealer<br />

Kazanjian Bros., has used to its advantage.<br />

“We’re creating content that makes our site useful and<br />

helps the Google rankings,” says CEO Nancy Revy, adding<br />

that a flexible approach to pricing (read: no triple-key markups)<br />

and reliable customer service are the site’s strong suits.<br />

“What’s amazing about this business is the amount of<br />

trust you build up with people who have never heard of<br />

you,” Revy says. “How do you instill confidence online? We<br />

respond to every e-mail and call within 24 hours. We are<br />

literally a 24/7 shop.”<br />

At Portero.<strong>com</strong>, the secret to establishing customer<br />

loyalty is a fanatical devotion to authenticity. Launched<br />

in 2004, the <strong>com</strong>pany was one of eBay’s largest<br />

sellers of pre-owned luxury timepieces and handbags<br />

until its founders decided to create their own site in<br />

2007, in part to escape the suspicions that seemed to<br />

taint the online marketplace, said Stephanie Pfair, the<br />

<strong>com</strong>pany’s outgoing vice president of merchandising.<br />

“For a long time, online was considered the breeding<br />

ground for counterfeiting and the easiest way for counterfeiters<br />

to disseminate their product because it’s anonymous<br />

and accessible,” Pfair said. “Portero was created with the idea<br />

there could be a legitimate secondary market for authentic<br />

luxury products online, giving customers all the benefits of<br />

online — price and value — without fearing counterfeits.”<br />

Even the Place Vendôme luxury brands are getting in on<br />

the game. One-hundred-and-fifty-year-old Boucheron, for<br />

example, recently announced that it was extending its e<strong>com</strong>merce<br />

operations to the United States.<br />

“Because Boucheron has always underlined elegance with<br />

a touch of audacity, it today turns toward investing in the<br />

Internet and the opening of a new online store,” CEO Jean-<br />

Christophe Bédos said. “The Web is a modern opportunity to<br />

be present worldwide and an answer to Boucheron’s goal to<br />

take service to its clients one step further.”<br />

A clarion call to other luxury providers to unambiguously<br />

embrace the Web’s possibilities? You bet.<br />

“Look for all types of traditional luxury goods and services<br />

providers to begin to imitate the techniques of these luxury<br />

innovators, or to acquire them,” Pedraza predicts, referring to<br />

sites such as CoutureLab. He even goes so far as to tout<br />

the nascent field of “m-<strong>com</strong>merce,” or transactions conducted<br />

via mobile devices like iPhones and Blackberries, as the<br />

next big development in luxury marketing.<br />

In other words: e-tailers, start your (search) engines. ■<br />

Tactical moves CoutureLab’s magazine-like approach to content has<br />

made it a hit among the fashion cognoscenti. For estate dealer Beladora,<br />

a <strong>com</strong>mitment to answering calls and emails within 24 hours has helped<br />

convince shoppers that there truly is a person at the other end of the line.<br />

COUTURE International Jeweler l Basel 2009 l 53


<strong>IN</strong>TERNATIONAL JEWELER<br />

BASELWORLD 2009<br />

Subscription Order Form 2008-2009<br />

Fax to COUTURE International Jeweler<br />

F. +41 22 300 3748<br />

or email: jricher@europastar.<strong>com</strong><br />

Mailing address:<br />

COMPANY..................................................................................................<br />

NAME.................................................... TITLE...........................................<br />

ADDRESS..................................................................................................<br />

ZIP CODE.............................. TOWN......................................................<br />

COUNTRY..................................................................................................<br />

PHONE................................... EMAIL.......................................................<br />

FAX........................................... WEBSITE................................................<br />

TYPE OF BUS<strong>IN</strong>ESS (Retail, Distribution, Manufacture, other).................<br />

.......................................................................................................................<br />

PRODUCT CATEGORY.........................................................................<br />

BRAND(S)..................................................................................................<br />

COUNTRY YOU BUY FROM OR SELL TO.....................................<br />

.......................................................................................................................<br />

EXIBITION(S)............................................................................................<br />

Subscription rates for 1 year, 4 issues, by priority mail worldwide<br />

CHF 100 EUR 65 US$ 100<br />

Yearly subscription is effective upon receipt of payment only by:<br />

CREDIT CARD Visa Amex Eurocard/Mastercard<br />

CARD HOLDER NAME.......................................................................................<br />

CARD No.................................................................. EXP. DATE..........................<br />

SAFETY CODE last 3 or 4-digits number on front or back of card<br />

.....................................................................................................................................<br />

CARD HOLDER ADDRESS (if different from mailing address)<br />

.....................................................................................................................................<br />

.....................................................................................................................................<br />

.....................................................................................................................................<br />

Signature: Date:<br />

COUTURE International Jeweler - VNU Business Media SA<br />

Rte des Acacias 25 - CH-1227 Geneva - Switzerland<br />

Tel. +41 22 307 78 37 - Fax +41 22 300 37 48<br />

Managing Director Philippe Maillard<br />

Editor-in-Chief Victoria Gomelsky • vgomelsky@couturejeweler.<strong>com</strong><br />

Contributing Editors Claire Adler, Ruth J. Katz, Randi Molofsky,<br />

Antonella Scorta, Melissa Shepherd, Nina Van Sant<br />

Group Creative Director Michael Strong<br />

Designer Sarah Edgar<br />

Editorial Production Manager Stephen E. Weightman<br />

Sales Manager/International/EMEA<br />

Caitlin Hume • caitlin.hume@nielsen.<strong>com</strong> • TEL +44.207.420.6150<br />

Sales Manager/Italy Alessandra Arati • aarati@studioarati.it • TEL +39.024.851.7853<br />

Sales Manager/Spain Carles Sapena, Grup Star Barcelona • csapena@europastar.es<br />

Sales Manager/Asia Maggie Tong • maggietong@couturejeweler.<strong>com</strong> • TEL +852. 9658.1830<br />

Sales Manager/India Bhupal Potdar • bhupal.potdar@media-scope.<strong>com</strong> • TEL +91.98211.51035<br />

Advertising & Production Manager<br />

Laurence Chatenoud • lchatenoud@couturejeweler.<strong>com</strong><br />

TEL +41.22.307.7843 • FAX +41.22.300.3748<br />

Marketing Manager Nathalie Glattfelder • nglattfelder@europastar.<strong>com</strong><br />

Circulation Jocelyne Bailly • jbailly@europastar.<strong>com</strong><br />

Subscriptions Subscriptions, address changes and single-copy requests:<br />

COUTURE International Jeweler, Rte des Acacias 25, CH-1227 Geneva, Switzerland<br />

TEL +41.22.307.7837 • FAX +41 22.300.3748 • jricher@europastar.<strong>com</strong><br />

Accounting<br />

Business Manager Catherine Giloux • TEL +41 22.307.7848 • cgiloux@europastar.<strong>com</strong><br />

Credit Manager Alexandra Montandon • TEL +41 22.307.7847 • amontandon@europastar.<strong>com</strong><br />

International Headquarters<br />

COUTURE International Jeweler, Rte des Acacias 25, PO Box 1355, CH-1211 Geneva 26, Switzerland<br />

NIELSEN JEWELRY GROUP<br />

Group Vice President Bailey Beeken • bailey.beeken@nielsen.<strong>com</strong><br />

Group Show Director, Couture Liz Hitchcock • liz.hitchcock@nielsen.<strong>com</strong><br />

Group Publishing Director Chris Casey • ccasey@couturejeweler.<strong>com</strong><br />

Editorial Director Whitney Sielaff • wsielaff@couturejeweler.<strong>com</strong><br />

COUTURE International Jeweler • Europa Star Watches • National Jeweler<br />

JA New York • Couture 2008<br />

Couturejeweler.<strong>com</strong> Group Brand Manager<br />

Claude Hemmerich • claude.hemmerich@nielsen.<strong>com</strong><br />

Nielsen Retail Group<br />

Senior Vice President, Retail David Loechner<br />

Vice President, Digital Strategy John Lerner<br />

Vice President, Manufacturing & Distribution Jennifer Grego<br />

Vice President, Audience Marketing Joanne Wheatley<br />

Vice President, Marketing Services Drew DeSarle<br />

Nielsen Business Media<br />

President Greg Farrar<br />

Senior Vice President, Human Resources Michael Alicea<br />

Senior Vice President, Marketing Mark Hosbein<br />

Senior Vice President, Finance Sloane Googin<br />

Senior Vice President, Media & Entertainment Gerry Byrne<br />

Senior Vice President, Brand Media & Corporate Development Sabrina Crow<br />

Senior Vice N President, Retail David Loechner<br />

Senior Vice President, Building & Design Joe Randall<br />

Senior Vice President, Central Services Mary Kay Sustek<br />

Vice President, Licensing Howard Appelbaum<br />

Vice President, Manufacturing & Distribution Jennifer Grego<br />

Vice President, Audience Marketing Joanne Wheatley<br />

Printed in Geneva by SRO-KUNDIG<br />

© Copyright 2009 by COUTURE Interntional Jeweler<br />

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form<br />

without the written permission of COUTURE International Jeweler


E D ITO R IAL & ADVE RTI S E R S I N D EX<br />

A<br />

Al Coro, 22<br />

Alpilex, 43<br />

Amgad, 33<br />

Amrapali, 22<br />

Anabelle, 26<br />

Andreoli, 7, 9, 33, 49<br />

Angelique de Paris, 22, 25<br />

Atelier Minyon, 23<br />

B<br />

Bardelli, 25<br />

Barneys, 34, 42<br />

BaselWorld, CIII<br />

Basser & Bigio LLC, 27<br />

Blumer, 21<br />

Boaz Kashi, 23<br />

Bochic, 20<br />

Boucheron, 53<br />

Breuning, 11<br />

Brüner, 31, 32<br />

Bulgari, 14<br />

C<br />

Calgaro, 20<br />

Carla Amorim, 25, 29<br />

Cartier, 14<br />

Casato, 23<br />

CC Skye, 23<br />

Celegato Jewels, 33<br />

Chad Allison, 50<br />

Chanel, 15<br />

Chopard, 15, 30<br />

Christine J. Brandt, 32<br />

Commelin, 33<br />

Couture Show, 51, 56<br />

CoutureLab, 52-53<br />

Cresber, 29<br />

D<br />

David Yurman, 23, 31<br />

Davite & Delucchi, 4-5, 29<br />

De Beers, 15<br />

Deakin & Francis, 29<br />

Devta Doolan Jewelry, 20<br />

Diamond in the Rough, 31<br />

Dior, 16<br />

DML for Gold<br />

Expressions, 20<br />

Doris Panos, 30<br />

E, F<br />

EcoArts, 44<br />

Elke Berr, 47<br />

Erica Courtney, 30, 38<br />

Eurostar, 40-41<br />

Fabio Salini, 20<br />

Fred Leighton, 29, 33<br />

G, H, I<br />

Gay Frères, 26<br />

Gianvito Rossi, 29<br />

Gregore Joailliers, 33<br />

Gurhan, 25, 50<br />

H. Stern, 16<br />

Heather Moore, 50<br />

Hellmuth, 27<br />

Hetty Rose, 25<br />

Hoover & Strong, 36<br />

Iberjoya, 55<br />

Idalia, 52<br />

Ilori, 23<br />

Io Sì, 24, 31<br />

Isabel & Canseco, 22<br />

iWood ecodesign, 32<br />

J, K, L<br />

J.W. Currens, 26<br />

Jane Taylor, 27, 30<br />

Janet Deleuse, 25<br />

JJ Number 8 Jewelry, 29<br />

JJ Singh Jewelry, 20<br />

Katy Briscoe, 20<br />

La Nouvelle Bague, 1, 30<br />

Leila Tai Jewelry Design,<br />

24<br />

Liliane Jossua, 45<br />

Liz Hitchcock, 56<br />

Liz Lange for Essentials<br />

Brands, 31<br />

Lori Bonn, 38<br />

Luxury Institute, 52<br />

M, N<br />

Manju Jasty, 47<br />

Marchak, 30<br />

Marco Bicego, 26, 49<br />

Masriera, 25<br />

Mathon Paris, 22, 26<br />

Maya Jewels, 32<br />

Mia Katrin for Jewel<br />

Couture LLC, 22<br />

Michael M, 33<br />

Mikimoto, 16<br />

Mirror/Africa, 42<br />

Monique Péan, 39<br />

Montaigne Market, 45<br />

Nancey Chapman, 22, 30<br />

Net-a-Porter, 52-53<br />

Nice Diamonds, 22<br />

Nicole Mackinlay Hahn, 42<br />

Nina Basharova, 27<br />

Ninetto Terzano, 26<br />

O, P<br />

Oria for Ruff&Cut, 36<br />

Palmiero, 2-3, 33<br />

Paolo Piovan, 25, 49<br />

Patricia Tschetter, 24, 31<br />

Paula Crevoshay, 26-27, 31<br />

Piaget, 17<br />

Picchiotti, CI, 12-13, 48-49<br />

Pieriz, 33<br />

Pippa Small for URTH, 35<br />

Portero, 52-53<br />

R<br />

Rahaminov Diamonds, 25<br />

Ramon, 18<br />

Rhonda Faber Green, 29<br />

Ricardo Basta for PGI, 27<br />

Roberta Porrati, 49<br />

Roberto Coin, 23, 30<br />

Ruff&Cut, 35, 36, 37<br />

S<br />

Sarah Graham, 29<br />

Sartoro, 22, 24<br />

Scheffel Schmuck, 32<br />

Schoeffel, 25<br />

Sethi Couture, 24<br />

Shahpour Jahan, 46<br />

Shana London, 23, 24,<br />

26, 30, 33<br />

Sicis, 27<br />

Stefan Hafner, CII<br />

Stephen Webster for<br />

URTH, 34<br />

Suzanne Syz, 26<br />

T, U<br />

Tamir, 31<br />

Tanagro, 22<br />

Tête-à-tête limited, 23, 27<br />

The Fifth Season, CIV<br />

Tiffany & Co., 17, 35<br />

Toby Pomeroy, 36, 37<br />

Todd Reed for Ruff&Cut,<br />

36, 39<br />

Tous, 20, 24, 32<br />

Tracy Matthews Design<br />

for Ruff&Cut, 36<br />

URTH, 34, 37<br />

Utopia, 26<br />

V, W, Y, Z<br />

Van Cleef & Arpels, 17,<br />

24, 27<br />

Vicenza Fiera, 48-49<br />

Vintage & Modern, Inc.,<br />

23, 30, 31, 32<br />

Viva, 29<br />

Vivre, 52-53<br />

Yael Sonia, 23<br />

Yehuda Kassif, 31<br />

Yvel, 20, 48-49<br />

Zorab, 24<br />

Salón Internacional de la Joyería,<br />

Platería, Relojería e Industrias Afines<br />

International Jewellery, Silverware,<br />

Watch and Auxiliary Industries Exhibition<br />

www.iberjoya.ifema.es<br />

9-13<br />

SEPTIEMBRE/<br />

SEPTEMBER<br />

2009<br />

ORGANIZA / ORGANISED BY<br />

L<strong>IN</strong>EA IFEMA / IFEMA CALL CENTRE<br />

LLAMADAS DESDE ESPAÑA / CALLS FROM SPA<strong>IN</strong><br />

<strong>IN</strong>FOIFEMA 902 22 15 15<br />

EXPOSITORES / EXHIBITORS 902 22 16 16<br />

LLAMADAS <strong>IN</strong>TERNACIONALES (34) 91 722 30 00<br />

<strong>IN</strong>TERNATIONAL CALLS<br />

iberjoya@ifema.es


FREELY SPEAK<strong>IN</strong>G<br />

LIZ HITCHCOCK<br />

Couture redux<br />

Show director Liz Hitchcock is giving the Americas’<br />

premier jewelry event a subtle makeover<br />

COUTURE International Jeweler, for those who haven’t read<br />

the fine print, is the official publication of the Couture show, the<br />

annual gathering of jewelry’s crème de la crème at the Wynn in<br />

Las Vegas during market week. The six-day event, beginning<br />

this year on May 28, has reigned as the single best networking<br />

opportunity for the American high-end jewelry <strong>com</strong>munity<br />

since 1994, when the Couture Jewellery Collection &<br />

Conference, as it was then known, made its debut in California<br />

before moving to Arizona. The show’s relocation to Las Vegas<br />

in 2005 ushered in a period of change. This year, Group Show<br />

Director Liz Hitchcock, new to Nielsen, Couture’s parent<br />

<strong>com</strong>pany, promises another dynamic event, including a greater<br />

focus on international exhibitors, a new take on the show’s<br />

popular design <strong>com</strong>petition and an expanded retailer program.<br />

COUTURE International Jeweler: Can you give us a little<br />

back story on Couture? Liz Hitchcock: It began as an event<br />

where North American retailers would meet and greet and<br />

network. As it grew with the popularity of U.S. designers, it<br />

became world-renowned. Because of the year’s turbulence,<br />

we’ve received a great deal of attention from the international<br />

<strong>com</strong>munity, which thinks that no other event around the world<br />

will have the same concentration of high-level designers.<br />

CIJ: How will this year’s show be different from years past?<br />

LH: We’ve expanded our retailer program. It’s always been<br />

catered to the “Cornerstone Retailers,” the top 100 retailers<br />

56 l Basel 2009 l COUTURE International Jeweler<br />

who have been loyal to the event since its inception. This year,<br />

Couture has attracted so many more top retailers that we’ve<br />

introduced the VIP program, which is the next top 300 retailers.<br />

CIJ: Why was it important to do that? LH: What’s most attractive<br />

about that next level of retailer is they’re actively seeking<br />

brands and designers and are more open in terms of their<br />

sourcing than perhaps the Cornerstone Retailers, who have<br />

long-term relationships with the major brands. So this is us<br />

making sure we recognize and host them in a certain way.<br />

CIJ: How will the design awards be handled? LH: This will be<br />

the 14th year of the Couture Design Awards [popularly known<br />

as the Town & Country Awards]. We’re expanding the program,<br />

enhancing the format, including celebrities and planning a great<br />

evening of entertainment. We’re hoping to add a few more<br />

categories and sponsors. They’ll be bigger and better than ever.<br />

CIJ: You’ve talked about bringing more international retailers<br />

to the show. How are you reaching out to them? LH: We have<br />

a lot of internal Nielsen resources that we’re tapping into. We’ve<br />

launched five international Web sites in the past seven months,<br />

all in the specific language of the markets they serve: Brazil,<br />

Latin America, China, Russia and India. We have the widest<br />

global reach of any other business-to-business <strong>com</strong>pany in the<br />

jewelry industry, bar none.<br />

CIJ: Do you expect Couture to evolve into an international<br />

event that happens to be in America, or will the focus always<br />

be on its roots here? LH: The focus of the retailers will always<br />

be toward the Americas. But we’ve always enjoyed international<br />

attendance because Las Vegas is fun, the Wynn is a<br />

world-class venue and we promote worldwide. We’d like to<br />

continue to grow the international participation of fine jewelry<br />

and watches. If you’re the exclusive carrier of a designer known<br />

in luxury circles, that’s something that differentiates you and<br />

gives people a reason to buy from you. Our hope is to give our<br />

retailers a better opportunity to find those brands.<br />

One stop shop Couture is known for putting a cross-section of the world’s<br />

finest designers under one roof. For more info, visit www.couture09.<strong>com</strong>.


BASELWORLD<br />

THE WATCH AND JEWELLERY SHOW<br />

MARCH 26 – APRIL 2, 2009<br />

WHERE BUS<strong>IN</strong>ESS BEG<strong>IN</strong>S AND TRENDS ARE CREATED<br />

WWW.BASELWORLD.COM


Afrika Collection

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!