Jeweller – February 2024

Editor’s Desk
Your escape from a world dominated by the superficial
The jewellery industry is under siege. SAMUEL ORD discusses the importance
of deeper examination in an increasingly superficial culture.
The modern world is plagued by superficial
analysis, and the jewellery industry is the
latest in a long line of victims.
What do I mean when I say ‘superficial
analysis’? It is shallow and short-term
thinking that excludes any consideration
of the complexities of life and the depths
of human experience.
Worse, all too often it’s unquestioning,
and ‘facts’ go unchallenged.
We all know the pitfalls of superficial
analysis – we learn them as children.
We are taught never to judge a book by its
cover. We shouldn’t let first impressions
colour our perception of people.
We are also taught that personal
relationships are to be valued over
material possessions and that we
shouldn’t exchange long-term
success for immediate gratification.
Most people would readily concede that
these are virtues worth living by, yet life in
the ‘Information Age’ strikes a remarkable
contrast to this timeless wisdom.
Information overload has become a
serious issue – people experience
difficulty understanding complex issues
and making effective decisions because
they have too many factors to consider.
The tools made possible by the internet
and social media were once heralded for
their ability to improve lives in advanced
societies greatly; however, in many ways,
it’s led to unfulfillment and indignity.
With smartphones and computers, we have
access to a never-ending treasure trove at
our fingertips every day; however, the ability
to deeply analyse and capitalise on this
information is amputated and replaced by
disposable posts on social media defined by
character limits and addictive looping clips.
This is where the jewellery industry
suffers. The addiction to bite-sized
information leads to consumers with
rapidly evolving tastes and preferences –
and retailers are struggling to keep up.
In a global economy, retailers have never
had more jewellery collections and pieces
to offer customers; however, even if the
perfect decision is made, chances are
tastes have changed by the time the
collection reaches the store.
This reliance on immediate gratification also
means consumers have never been more
impatient.
Bespoke and custom-made jewellery
has never been more popular – which
is great news for traditional jewellers
– however, with a skills shortage and a
lack of available bench jewellers, it takes
time to create these pieces – which can
sometimes fly-in-the-face of the ‘want it
now generation’.
Indeed, it would seem to be a great
hypocrisy that consumers desire timeless
jewellery that provides profound emotional
and sentimental importance – and it must
be produced immediately.
Who is to blame?
While everyone must take personal
accountability for how they think and act,
it’s difficult not to blame the media for
perpetuating this attitude.
Wherever you look today, much of
contemporary media - especially ‘social
media’ - is dominated by superficial
analysis designed to provoke an immediate
emotional reaction from the reader that is
forgotten by the next day.
For most ‘movie critics’, the latest film is
either ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Little consideration
is ever given to the broader context of
the film itself – did it build upon previous
works? Was there a breakout performance
for an actor, or did the director showcase
any newfound technical prowess?
It’s a similar story in music. Artists always
build on previous works – did the band
incorporate new sounds or pay tribute to
influences? Don’t get me started on the
lowest of all criticisms in art – “it didn’t sell.”
Regarding superficial analysis, the sports
media is the biggest perpetrator. Any team
that doesn’t win the trophy, cup, or title is
a failure. Only one team can win it all every
year – yet this overbearing reality is always
ignored in favour of the latest ‘hot take’.
The jewellery industry is not exempt from
this kind of thinking. Industry media has a
tendency to accept whatever is said by public
relations staff without question.
Press releases are repeated word-for-word
and presented to readers as ‘news’ without
any attempt to paint a more vivid picture of
We all know
the pitfalls
of superficial
analysis – we
learn them as
children. We are
taught never to
judge a book
by its cover. We
shouldn’t let
first impressions
colour our
perception of
people .
the announcement or event.
Every business and brand is taken at
their word – whatever happened to
‘trust but verify’?
What’s the solution?
This issue has no easy solution because
technological advances cannot be reversed.
The ‘addiction to distraction’ is not going
away anytime soon.
With that said, there’s nothing to stop us from
practising ‘deep work’ while the rest of the
world dwells on shallow analysis.
This year should be defined by your
willingness to ask the questions no
one else is willing to ask. Abandon the
obsession with multi-tasking and the fear
of boredom. Don’t take numbers at face
value – ask why they are the way they are
by weighing every complexity.
With that said, this will be a year of ‘deep
work’ for Jeweller. Namely, it’s time to take
the information uncovered in the 2024 State
of the Industry Report (SOIR) and repeatedly
ask the all-important question – why?
While the SOIR's reception has been
terrific – and the feedback gratefully
accepted – as promised, it raised more
questions than answers.
Over the coming months, Jeweller will
publish a series of addendums addressing
topics and issues raised by the report that
couldn’t be thoroughly explored because of
size and time limitations.
The SOIR provided the latest ‘numbers’ for
many important industry sectors – detailing
the unexpected decline of independent
retailers in Queensland, the collapse of the
Jewellers Association of Australia, and the
rise of ‘online showrooms’ as examples.
And there is more – much, much more.
Documenting these occurrences was just
the beginning – now, the time has come to
ask the harder questions. Very little goes
unchallenged and unquestioned by this
publication.
This work will transform the SOIR from
important to invaluable and provide the
tools to understand today’s economic climate
and prepare for the decade ahead.
SAMUEL ORD
EDITOR
February 2024 | 13