View the post-conference report

MARCH 28, 2014, BASEL
POST REPORT
“The Link Jewelry Talk was a very good
follow-up, in a compact format, to the Link
Summit which I attended last year. It is a
platform for meeting and understanding
industry trends and continuing
conversations, thoughts and ideas into
various facets that matter to the industry.”
SUNJEWELS
“Enjoyed it! Insightful.”
MIGLIO
“A very interesting event and a good occasion.
Great to hear different opinions on the
market and to exchange ideas with people in
different areas. Very happy.”
FOLLIE FOLLIE GROUP
“Very good event. The panelists
were excellent and great to
hear from. The audience was
also very good.”
FIERA DI VICENZA
“A good talk”
VOGUE GIOIELLO
A NOTE FROM THE HOST AND THE ORGANIZER:
Markus Langes-Swarovski
Stephen Dunbar-Johnson
At a thought-provoking LINK Jewelry Talk, a unique blend of panellists shared their thoughts on the jewelry market,
and specifically, the language of jewelry.
If you attended, we hope you enjoyed the LINK Jewelry Talk, and found it a worthwhile evening. And for those of
you who were not able to join us, please take a look at selected highlights online.
Our speakers addressed some of the most challenging issues facing the global jewelry industry: craftsmanship,
technology, the consumer, and emotion. They enlightened us, they inspired us, and for a brief moment, they
brought us together – precisely the aim and mission of LINK: to provide the world’s leading jewelry industry players
with an opportunity to Learn, Imagine, Network and Know.
We now look forward to the future, and to the next LINK event. We hope you do too.
Markus Langes-Swarovski
POST REPORT
Stephen Dunbar-Johnson
02
OUTLINE
The language of jewelry:
Adornment, Acquisition, or Artifact?
Bringing together those who represent the jewelry wearer, the collector, the designer,
the investor and the brand, this discussion examined the range of motivations behind
the desire to possess and wear jewelry.
What does jewelry mean to each of the different players in the world of jewelry?
How is the language of jewelry evolving?
Jewelry as a functional object
Jewelry as art
Jewelry as an investment
Jewelry as a storytelling element
How are the different jewel motivations reflected in the creativity and production of jewelry?
PANEL
Alberto Baldan, CEO, la Rinascente
Carmen Busquets, Investor and Co-Founder, NET-A-PORTER; Founder, CoutureLab
Shaun Leane, Jewelry Designer
Andrea Morante, CEO, Pomellato
Moderated by Rita Clifton, Branding Expert and former Chair, Interbrand
POST REPORT
03
A full house for the LINK Jewelry Talk at Baselworld
THE JEWELRY INDUSTRY
FINDS ITS VOICE
The 2014 LINK Talk at BaselWorld acted, in a serendipitous double
meaning, as a link with the 2013 and 2015 LINK Jewelry Summits
organized by the International New York Times and hosted by Swarovski.
2013 saw the inaugural LINK Jewelry Summit conference, a
two-day production in Vienna, and a convention of similar size
and ambition will be held in 2015. This year the Basel event was
designed to build on what was started in 2013, maintaining and
propagating the debate, discussion and analysis that is common
in other industries through conferences and seminar programmes,
but which seems, strangely, to have been comparatively neglected
when it comes to jewelry.
The event was introduced by its two distinguished hosts, Markus
Langes-Swarovski, Executive Board Member of Swarovski, and
POST REPORT
Stephen Dunbar-Johnson, President, International, The New
York Times Company. Mr. Langes-Swarovski was confident that
although the discussion was on a much smaller scale than the
Summits, there would be no less excitement and insight from the
eloquent and powerful panel. Mr. Dunbar-Johnson spoke of the
long record of conferences organized by the International New York
Times (formerly the International Herald Tribune) for the luxury
industry generally, and expressed both surprise that the 2013
Summit was the first time that the jewelry industry specifically had
been convened, and delight at the Basel event’s “great and rich
cocktail of speakers.”
04
L-R: Rita Clifton, Andrea Morante, Shaun Leane, Carmen Busquets, Alberto Baldan
It was a powerful panel indeed that gathered to discuss the overall
theme: “The Language of Jewelry: Adornment, Acquisition, or
Artifact?” Hosted by Rita Clifton, former chief executive and chair
of Interbrand and one of the world’s leading branding experts, the
speaker line-up brought together the finest business and creative
minds in an industry which is changing at dizzying speed. Carmen
Busquets, the visionary nonpareil of luxury online retailing, whose
sale of her stake in Net-a-Porter to Richemont for £350m has
spurred her new ventures such as CoutureLab and now GiftLab;
Andrea Morante, renowned for hiring Tom Ford when he was at
Gucci and now CEO of Italian jewelry brand Pomellato, where he
masterminded last year’s sale of a majority stake in the company
to giant luxury brand portfolio holder Kering; Alberto Baldan, CEO
of premium Italian department store chain la Rinascente; and
renowned artist-designer-craftsman jeweller Shaun Leane, longtime collaborator of Alexander McQueen, whose eponymous studio
has been hailed as the origin of jewelry’s “antiques of the future.”
(Matthew Girling, jewelry auctioneer par excellence, CEO Europe
& Head of Jewelry at Bonhams, was sadly kept in London by fog at
the airport and was unable to join.)
The professed aim of the discussion was to uncover the emotional,
psychological, social, cultural and commercial factors at work that
motivate people to desire, wear, collect and invest in jewelry. The
key themes that emerged and to which the debate returned were:
brand and its adoption, to a greater or lesser extent, in the different
sectors of the industry – design, manufacture and distribution;
the changing nature of the jewelry consumer and the increasing
significance of men in this market; the impact of online retailing
for high-value luxury items; and the search for innovation in the
experience of buying jewelry that would go at least some way to
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A STORY ALWAYS COMES WITH
A BELOVED PIECE OF JEWELRY.
IT’S A CONVERSATION STARTER.
Carmen Busquets
reflect the value – in both personal and financial terms – of the
product itself.
Ms. Clifton started by putting the key question from the talk’s title
to each of her distinguished panel in turn: “What language does
jewelry speak to you?” Alberto Baldan was decisive and emphatic:
“The language of jewelry is the language of the customer.” He went
on to describe the changes in customer profile for jewelry at la
Rinascente; “50 percent of luxury jewelry items are bought as gifts,
and 70 percent of those buyers are men. In fact, the percentage of
05
men buying jewelry overall has risen from ten to 22 percent.” For
Sig. Baldan, it became apparent the language of la Rinascente
itself is the driving factor in any transaction; 50 percent of his
customers are tourists, looking for the authentic experience of not
just general Italian luxury products, but even those from the specific
city where a given store is located.
Shaun Leane turned the question round, preferring to describe
the language in which his own studio’s work speaks: “It’s how it
makes you feel,” he said. “Our language is refined and delicate yet
powerful. It has the subtlety and strength to reflect the power of a
woman, yet retain her femininity. Jewelry is the finishing touch, the
statement that she makes.”
Carmen Busquets mused that for her, “Jewelry is a gift to myself.
When we acquire it, we acquire a story to tell – a story always
comes with a beloved piece of jewelry. It’s a conversation starter.”
For Andrea Morante, “at least one of the languages” of jewelry
affords “the privilege of talking exclusively to women. When we
design, when we create, when we advertise – we have women in
mind. We have to understand their mindset, their motivation.”
WHEN WE DESIGN,
WHEN WE CREATE,
WHEN WE ADVERTISE
– WE HAVE WOMEN
IN MIND.
Andrea Morante
Observing that she can feel the emotion
that goes into Mr. Leane’s work, Ms. Clifton
commented that perhaps the experience of
buying jewelry fell short in emotional terms
from the process of designing, creating,
and wearing it. Sig. Baldan’s response
was to explain the “global” experience of
la Rinascente, where the luxury customer
is very much attuned to the place – the
container, if you like – of the whole
shopping journey.
Ms. Clifton’s next question, to Shaun Leane, was one familiar
to many creatives: “Where do you get your ideas from?” Mr.
Leane quoted a wide range of inspirations from the natural world,
literature, art and poetry, but it was when he was describing his
‘Tear-Catcher’ collaboration with artist Sam Taylor-Wood, a ring
accompanied by a beautifully crafted set of glass vials, that he got
to the heart of the matter: “It’s human emotion. We build emotions
in jewelry by building a relationship with the customer; we come
to understand their colorways, their memories, their families; we
create for them something that we know they will connect with.”
POST REPORT
Top: Andrea Morante
Bottom: Audience at the
LINK Jewelry Talk
This led neatly to Ms. Clifton’s question
for Carmen Busquets, who as a pioneer
of online retailing for luxury fashion items,
would have insight into how consumers
bought jewelry online. “Jewelry goes
with fashion more and more,” was Ms.
Busquets’ answer. “The internet is the place
for the next great retail interface. It can
deliver multi-sensory experiences, it’s a
great place for telling stories. You can show
06
BECAUSE WE ARE
NOT DEPENDENT
ON THE CHINESE
MARKET, THAT GIVES
US FREEDOM AND A
LOT OF POTENTIAL.
Andrea Morante
Shuan Leane and Carmen Busquets
video, make cultural references; it can be more exciting and better
on the net than actually having someone there in person.”
The big commercial question was, of course: “What do you see as
the single most powerful trend in jewelry today?” All three business
minds spoke with one voice: “Brand.”
“More and more jewelry is branded now,” said Sig. Morante. “The
mega trend is bringing in brands, both specific to jewelry, and also
all the big players in fashion will try and get into it.”
“Brand portfolio” owner Sig. Baldan emphasised the importance
of finding the brands that speak to his new Asian and Russian
customers, while Ms. Busquets added the grail of “exclusivity,”
explaining that, under the influence of younger consumers, jewelry
was becoming more “tribal, like tattoos.” Shaun Leane, the creator
of a very powerful brand himself, sees those same younger people
experimenting with jewelry worn on hitherto unadorned parts of the
body, and brought the brand issue into personal and psychological
relief by equating the self expression that creators and wearers of
jewelry seek with their own “personal brand.”
Questions from the floor led to more discussion of the role of men
in buying jewelry, and indeed the role of jewelry when it is bought
by men: “There is a bigger demand for men’s jewelry,” explained
Shaun Leane, “but it is slower than women’s. When a man buys
a piece of jewelry, that’s it. He’ll wear it for years. But we always
return to the watch as the man’s best toy – watches are jewelry for
men.”
A question about the Chinese market brought the evening to a
thought-provoking close. “Our Chinese customers are growing in
number by 40-45 percent per annum,’ explained Sig. Baldan; to
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which Sig. Morante, in typically provocative mode, answered: “Our
experience tells us that for us, the Chinese are not relevant. You
can take that as a positive or a negative. It’s negative because
if we were more balanced, we would expose ourselves to this
enormous and growing market. But at the same time, it’s positive.
Because we are not dependent on the Chinese market, that gives
us freedom and a lot of potential. The Chinese are not interested
in Pomellato because they are more interested in statements, and
Pomellato is understated. We know that the Chinese consumer is
changing rapidly, and as soon as they know that traditional brands
are not necessarily the right thing to go for, then that will turn into
an opportunity not only for our brands but also for a host of brands
not yet known in China.”
A fitting observation to top off a fascinating, stimulating and
challenging evening. No one would disagree that the LINK Talk had
achieved its aims as expressed in each letter of the title: Learn,
Imagine, Network and Know. The industry is already holding its
breath for the next Summit in Vienna in 2015.
07
Rita Clifton, one of the world’s
leading branding experts
AN INTERVIEW WITH
RITA
CLIFTON
POST REPORT
WHAT DOES JEWELRY MEAN
TO YOU PERSONALLY?
I’m not a big jewelry wearer, although one
of my daughters is. I recently asked myself
why this is, and realized there have been
phases when I have been more interested
in jewelry. It was at moments where I
either changed my makeup, my hair or my
clothing designer – favourite moments of
change or renewal. That is interesting in
its own right because these are personal
moments when you can get someone into a
market if they’re not already there.
WHAT DEFINES THE WAY BRANDS
WORK IN THE JEWELRY MARKET?
It’s an unusual picture. At most levels, and
with the exception of some of the world’s
best known brands – Cartier, Tiffany,
Fabergé – there can be a blur between the
manufacturing brand, the retailing brand
and the designer brand. What interests
08
me at the moment is the way that jewelry
is presented and merchandised feels very
same-y. If you covered up the fascias of
the jewelry shops in a premium mall, it
would be difficult to really recognize where
you are, because the experience of a lot
of jewelry retailers and brands tends not
to be distinctive. You need to be distinctive
in how you talk to customers, in creating
the experience of customers relating to
you, to the collections and to the pieces
themselves.
WHAT DOES ONLINE FASHION
RETAILING HAVE TO TEACH THE
JEWELRY MARKET?
People said that fashion retailing, especially
at the luxury end, would not work online. It
took so many luxury brands years to accept
that online is really happening. Net-a-Porter
broke that mould, and it happened quickly
after that. Most markets are now amenable
to online experience, but Net-a-Porter
blended retail, media and editorial in a way
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THERE’S ALL SORTS OF POTENTIAL FOR
GROWING THE JEWELRY MARKET, BUT IT
NEEDS A DIFFERENT MINDSET ABOUT HOW
TO ENGAGE PEOPLE.
that could be very powerful for jewelry.
There are real people modelling clothes in
Net-a-Porter; you could have real people
showing how what jewelry would work with
what outfit, making suggestions – this can
be done extremely well online, you can’t
always have the right knowledge or people
instore. There’s all sorts of potential for
growing the jewelry market, but it needs
a different mindset about how to engage
people.
IS THE “LANGUAGE OF JEWELRY”
EVOLVING, AND IF SO, HOW?
It’s evolving subtly, and in some cases a lot
of people are not noticing. It’s a gorgeous
market that could be taken to a lot more
people with better and more innovative
marketing and retailing, and in that sense
there is still a way to go to renew the way
jewelry reaches the market. There’s a lot
of room for innovation on this front. The
people are passionate about the pieces,
the brands, the craftsmanship, and this is
why it needs a strong experience at retail.
I’ve always felt as I got more interested and
engaged in jewelry, I need someone giving
me personal style advice on a new look or a
new feel. An ideal for me is if someone else
is in the mix, making suggestions. I’m not
sure that personal styling element is used
as much as it might be in the jewelry sector.
Plus you have to have the right people to
use and be identified with your brand.
09
AN INTERVIEW WITH
ALBERTO
BALDAN
WHAT DOES THE LANGUAGE OF
JEWELRY MEAN TO YOU, AND TO
LA RINASCENTE?
My experience is that the language of
jewelry is the language of the la Rinascente
customer. They are involved in a mix of
luxury brands, just like the store itself. They
come to this location exclusively for type
of product. There is a social element; they
meet, have coffee. But it is the brands they
are here for.
Alberto Baldan, CEO of Italy’s leading premium department store chain
TELL US ABOUT YOUR CUSTOMER
FOR LUXURY ITEMS, PARTICULARLY
JEWELRY.
50 percent of our customers are tourists.
I have 10 million visitors, and 4.8 million
customers. They come because Italy is the
most important country for luxury products
– fashion, design, and particularly jewelry.
Customers come to Italy to see jewelry and
get the whole la Rinascente experience.
Women make up 60 percent of my
customers and men 40 percent. And 50
percent of the luxury jewelry sold in the
WHAT ARE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT
MOVES IN THE JEWELRY MARKET
FOR YOU?
Well, sales of jewelry to men have
increased from 10 percent to 22 percent
in the last five years, so there is a major
cultural shift. And overall, jewelry sales in
the stores have risen from 9 percent of
our total revenues to 12 percent, which
indicates the wider accessibility of jewelry
and also a greater readiness of people to
spend money on jewelry.
Then in the last 10 years, what we might
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stores is bought as a gift. Out of that, 70
percent of all jewelry items bought as gifts
are bought by men.
call ‘travel retail’ – the tourist factor –
has increased dramatically. 58 percent
of our overseas customers are Russian
and 28 percent are Chinese, but the
Chinese element is growing by 40–45
percent a year.
WHAT IS YOUR ONLINE STRATEGY?
It’s simple. Our strategy is that la
Rinascente is the destination, and since
business increased by seven percent last
year, it is still working! You have to go in
person. It’s possible to see products on
the internet, but we want people to come
in-store. The language of la Rinascente as
the destination point relies not only on the
product but on the store itself.
10
Based in London’s
jewelry heartland, Hatton
Garden, Shaun Leane
fuses tradition with a
modern design approach
AN INTERVIEW WITH
SHAUN LEANE
HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERISE
ShAun LEAnE’S LAnguAgE Of
JEWELRY?
Refined, delicate, but balanced with a
powerful, confident style. I use the term
“subtle strength.” I want to create pieces
that reflect the power of a woman and her
femininity. We decorate pieces with flowers,
for example, or soft pearls, but we create a
strong silhouette. That is the more powerful
side. It’s a fine balance. We recognise the
language of the women that wear Shaun
POST REPORT
Leane; they are successful, powerful
women in leadership roles. They want to
wear something that portrays that, but they
also want to portray themselves as women
with a gentle side. We have a different
approach to other jewellers – that balance
for us is really important.
WOULD YOU SAY YOU HAD THAT IDEA
OF YOUR WORK FROM THE BEGINNING
OR ONCE YOU GOT YOUR OWN
STUDIO?
It developed when I started working
with Alexander McQueen. When I was
training I worked with a company that
produced beautiful diamond pieces for
the high-end jewellers in Bond Street.
The craftsmanship, the classic design
and wealth of materials, the size of the
diamonds – that was the defining feature
of the pieces. I believe that we have
a different approach, where we reflect
power in shape, style and silhouette.
When I started working with McQueen,
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THEY’RE RE-LIVING
THAT MOMENT OF
JOY OR GRIEF; IT’S
NOT THE CARATS OR
THE COST. JEWELRY
IS EMOTION AND
WHAT IT BRINGS TO
OUR LIVES.
the way he structured his clothes with a
powerful silhouette influenced me. I liked
a refined, delicate form and decoration,
but a powerful silhouette. This is where I
discovered my identity.
A JEWELLER IS THREE THINGS: A
CRAFTSMAN, A DESIGNER AND AN
ARTIST. WHICH DO YOU PRIMARILY
SEE YOURSELF AS?
Hmm, difficult question. Of course there’s
an element of all three, but first and
foremost I see myself as a craftsman. As
for the old debate about whether jewelry
is art, I see pieces sometimes as small,
personalised sculptures. We take inspiration
from art, from poetry, from elements of
POST REPORT
Andrea Morante
and Shaun Leane in
conversation at the
LINK Jewelry Talk
nature, and put our interpretations into a
sculpture which is jewelry. But one of the
most important things for me has been my
craft, which has helped me translate my
ideas. I always return to that. Simply and
plainly, I am a jeweller – just that.
WHAT IS DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY LIKELY
TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE DESIGN OF
JEWELRY?
I always believe that we should look back
at past, respect the old techniques and
craftsmanship, but you have to use modern
technology, and if you can fuse the two
you’re achieving a much more beautiful
product. We use computer aided design –
we were the first jewelry company to buy
what is now known as a 3D printer, a rapid
prototyping machine, and the third company
of any sort in the UK to buy one. We have
a traditional atelier, where we practise all
the goldsmithing skills and methods, then
another all-digital department for CAD
design. Modern technology speeds up the
process, and we use it for proportion
and composition, to get forms. We use it
as a canvas for the craftspeople to fine tune
by hand.
It’S CLEAR thAt EmOtIOn dRIvES
YOUR WORK. DO YOU INJECT IT FROM
YOUR PERSONALITY OR DOES IT
COME FROM AN ORIGINAL IDEA?
You can see this from a number of angles.
Yes, I do inject my own emotions into
my work, but emotional inspiration and
influence comes from elsewhere as well,
for example I have always been fascinated
and inspired by Victorian mourning jewelry.
The celebration of the birth or death of
a loved one as a memoir, a memory,
fascinated me. We try and inject that
timeless, romantic element into our work.
If you compliment someone’s jewelry they
will start telling you a story. They’re re-living
that moment of joy or grief; it’s not the
carats or the cost. Jewelry is emotion and
what it brings to our lives.
12
MEMORIES
POST REPORT
13
AN INTERVIEW WITH
CARMEN
BUSQUETS
WHAT LANGUAGE DOES JEWELRY
SPEAK TO YOU?
The language of creativity and individuality
– jewelry always has a story to tell. I always
joke that I wear lots of jewelry because I am
shy and it gives me a point of conversation
– jewelry always says something about us
but also the person who is appreciating it.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT JEWELRY THAT
FASCINATES YOU?
You can express your creative individuality
with it and you can send a message to
someone with it too, as a gift.
WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT FOR
YOU – JEWELRY AS ADORNMENT, AS
INVESTMENT OR AS ARTIFACT?
For me jewelry is a little bit of all three,
but definitely adornment. This is the area
that most interests me as it highlights
individual style. Jewelry adds another layer
to expressing individuality through fashion.
But it’s definitely an investment too. I always
joke that I have enough jewelry to get me a
plane ticket or a long boat ride back home,
should there be trouble, or a war.
DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL CONSUMER,
AND WHAT LANGUAGE YOU THINK THE
JEWELRY THAT YOU SELL SPEAKS TO
HER OR HIM.
My customer is like me – they want
originality, quality and individuality above
anything else.
ASSUMING YOUR MODEL CUSTOMER
IS A WOMAN, AND GIVEN THAT NOW
MORE MEN ARE BUYING JEWELRY,
WHAT LANGUAGE DOES JEWELRY
SPEAK TO MEN, AND HOW DO MEN
RELATE TO JEWELRY DIFFERENTLY
FROM WOMEN?
POST REPORT
Men like to hear the story behind the
craftsmanship more than women usually, I
guess this relates to their inherent interest
in watches and mechanical things, so they
tend to ask more questions about how it’s
made, what material, or what stone. But
if they are buying for a woman, then their
questions start to be more complex: her
style is like such-and-such…would she like
it, would she use it, etc. They want to make
sure that the piece is worth their money, but
also they really want to make sure that they
buy the right thing for their women. When
they don’t ask many questions, we assume
they either know her very well or just don’t
care much.
WHAT TREND CAN YOU SEE IN THE
FUTURE FOR LUXURY JEWELRY?
More creativity, individuality, a more
bespoke approach, more intercultural
exchange, authenticity, transparency, a
more intelligent way of trading. An exciting
shift towards the unknown in creativity – big
brands and small brands are being more
comfortable with technology and the many
different outcomes that the internet and
social media can bring us.
DO YOU THINK YOU CAN BETTER
CONVEY THE STORIES BEHIND
JEWELRY ON A SCREEN THAN IN A
STORE?
Well online you have videos and tools to
show not only the story of the designer,
but also the story of the craftsmanship
behind the piece. You also have audio,
pictures, and you can zoom in to see
details of jewelry to levels that the human
eye cannot see. All this brings transparency
and authenticity to the experience, and it
educates both consumers and salespeople
about the product.
Carmen Busquets, online retail visionary
YOU ARE A COMMITTED MEDITATOR
WITH A HIGHLY DEVELOPED SPIRITUAL
AWARENESS. HOW DO YOU BALANCE
THIS WITH YOUR LIFE IN BUSINESS,
WHICH IS AFTER ALL THE PURSUIT OF
WEALTH AND PROFIT?
Spirituality and mind discipline is “who I
really am.” I am free and strong to face
anything precisely because of the strength
I get from my commitment to my spirituality
and learning. My courage for the quest for
the unknown comes from this. Everything
else about me that people can see and talk
about, is just “what I do” in order to make
sure I keep learning and make money
from the lessons that come from having
my own companies and by supporting
amazing teams, entrepreneurs and ideas.
I guess you can call it a modern-day monk,
with a personal life and a job. Contrary to
what people think, worldly success and
spirituality are not mutually exclusive.
14
AN INTERVIEW WITH
ANDREA
MORANTE
Andrea Morante is CEO of Pomellato, the Kering-owned Italian jewelry house famed for its colors, stones and craftsmanship
YOUR VERY CONSIDERABLE
REPUTATION IS FROM THE WORLD
OF CORPORATE BANKING AND
INTERNATIONAL FINANCE. WHAT
ATTRACTED YOU TO BECOME CEO OF
A JEWELRY COMPANY?
While my professional experience has
been mostly spent working in the field of
corporate finance, I was always particularly
intrigued by the luxury industry. In the early
nineties, I masterminded and executed
the acquisition of Gucci by Investcorp
which, still today, ranks as one of the most
successful transactions in the luxury sector.
THE TITLE OF THE DISCUSSION WAS
“THE LANGUAGE OF JEWELRY:
ADORNMENT, ACQUISITION OR
POST REPORT
ARTIFACT?” TWO QUESTIONS ARISE
FROM THIS: DOES JEWELRY SPEAK TO
YOU PERSONALLY, AND IF SO, IN WHAT
LANGUAGE? AND: HOW WOULD YOU
ChARACtERISE POmELLAtO’S Own
JEWELRY LANGUAGE?
Pomellato’s language can be best
characterized as the language of
innovation within the jewelry industry.
Innovation when it came to breaking
with the past by introducing the concept
of prêt-à-porter jewelry. Innovation in
materials when we pioneered the usage of
coloured semi-precious stones, or when
we launched a totally new jewelry brand,
Dodo, which turned into one of the most
successful jewelry stories in Italy in the last
20 years.
THE MOST
IMPORTANT
DEVELOPMENT
WILL BE
REPRESENTED
BY THE SWITCH
FROM PURCHASING
NON-BRANDED
TO BRANDED
JEWELRY.
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DIGITAL
TECHNOLOGY
IS ALREADY
A “MUST”
TODAY AS A
MEANS TO
ENHANCE AND
COMPLETE YOUR
JEWELRY SALES
OFFER AND
PRESENTATION.
DO YOUR CUSTOMERS BUY
POMELLATO AS ADORNMENT,
ACQUISITION OR ARTIFACT?
Our customers buy Pomellato jewelry as an
understated and elegant adornment which
they also enjoy collecting.
WHAT IS THE SINGLE MOST
IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT YOU ARE
SEEING IN THE JEWELRY INDUSTRY,
AND HOW WILL IT SHAPE THE
InduStRy’S futuRE?
The most important development will be
represented by the switch from purchasing
non-branded to branded jewelry. When this
will happen in a more forceful way, it will be
transformational for the industry.
APART FROM COMPUTER-BASED
DESIGN TECHNIQUES, WHERE,
IF AT ALL, DO YOU SEE DIGITAL
tEChnOLOgy’S InfLuEnCE In thE
INDUSTRY?
Digital technology is already a “must” today
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as a means to enhance and complete your
jewelry sales offer and presentation. If you
do not embrace digital, you will simply be
left behind. But then, you have to know how
to best embrace it.
THE DISCUSSION TOUCHED ON THE
POINT THAT ALTHOUGH THE JEWELRY
INDUSTRY EMBRACES INNOVATION
IN DESIGN AND PRODUCTION, THE
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AT RETAIL
COULD BE MUCH IMPROVED. HOW DO
YOU THINK THIS MIGHT BE DONE?
The retail customer experience can always
be improved. The three key magic words
could be: (a) become more user-friendly, (b)
be more digital and (c) make sure that the
post-purchasing service is as elegant as
your design.
PROVOCATIVELY, YOU ANSWERED A
QUESTION ABOUT CHINA BY SAYING
THAT FORTUNATELY, POMELLATO IS
NOT DEPENDENT ON THE CHINESE
MARKET, AND CHINESE CONSUMERS
ARE NOT INTERESTED IN POMELLATO
BECAUSE “THEY WANT STATEMENTS”
AND POMELLATO IS “UNDERSTATED.”
DOES THIS MEAN THAT OPENING
YOUR THIRD STORE IN SHANGHAI WAS
A MISTAKE? OR ARE YOU PLANNING
TO ADJUST YOUR PRODUCT
RANGE TO ATTRACT THE CHINESE
CONSUMER?
Good question! The Chinese consumers
are, in many respects, relatively new clients
within the jewelry sector. Especially if they
purchase in or travel from what are called
second and third tier cities in China. As a
consequence (and as it has been the case
for other nationalities) these new customers
prefer acquiring well-established brands
that also portray an element of status. This
has already partially started to change in
cities like Shanghai and Beijing, and these
are the only two cities where you can find a
Pomellato boutique and a Pomellato piece
of jewelry.
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MEMORIES
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LEARN
WHAT IT IS
Learn about the critical factors that are shaping the global
jewelry industry and driving the evolution of consumer behavior.
Follow the creative trends that continually adapt in response to
changing demand, and find out about the resulting opportunities
unfolding across the world‘s markets.
GEARING UP FOR THE
LINK JEWELRY SUMMIT 2015
After the unequivocal success of the LINK Jewelry Summit
in April 2013, attended by 300 of the international jewelry
industry’s key movers and shakers, the next one is set to take
place in Vienna in March 2015, just before Baselworld. One
thing everyone learned from the 2013 experience is that they
can expect a gathering of truly exceptional individuals with the
collective ability to make a difference. There will be plenty of
sparks and surprises from forthright speakers not known to hold
back when it comes to making their opinions heard.
Join us as a premium link partner
The goal of the International New York Times and Swarovski
is to broaden the Summit’s sponsorship base. This strong
network of long-term partners is fully committed to the pursuit
of knowledge, promotion of powerful ideas, and discussion of
the big issues facing our industry. There are many advantages
to becoming a LINK partner: You join a select and limited group
in a first-ever global debate, which is playing a key role in the
critical conversations that shape our industry.
IMAGINE
GETTING INSPIRED
Think the unthinkable. Break through boundaries. Unleash your
creativity, and voice what you believe. Immerse yourself in an
exchange of ideas with other inspirational leaders, creative
thinkers, and incisive intellects. Enjoy a conversation in an
atmosphere of trust with a common objective. Imagine how
strong we can be if we are smart together.
NETWORK
WITH YOUR INDUSTRY PEERS
Network with the brightest commercial and creative brains, the
most influential leaders, and the most charismatic speakers from
the worldwide jewelry industry.
KNOW
WHAT WILL BE
Know the direction of the road ahead – it's essential to getting
there. Identify milestones to gauge progress along the way.
Together with world jewelry industry’s most visionary leaders,
map out a plan for the future of the sector.
Contributing in this way is affirmative and rewarding—a bit
like underwriting the future of our industry. To find out how to
become a LINK partner and help keep the debate going, please
get in touch with the following contacts:
For current sponsors:
Amber Smart
asmart@nytimes.com
Direct line: +44 20 7061 3524
For new sponsors:
Achilles Tsaltas
atsaltas@nytimes.com
Direct line: +44 20 7061 3542
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18
PRESS INQUIRIES
Swarovski is the world’s leading producer of precision-cut crystal. Founded
in 1895 by Daniel Swarovski, the company is family-owned and run by fifth generation
family members, with a presence in 120 countries.
Throughout its long history, Swarovski has been the designers’ choice across
fashion, jewelry, and accessories, as well as interiors, lighting, and architecture.
Leading the way with groundbreaking innovations, Swarovski has raised the bar
with its industrial research and development.
SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS is the premium brand for the finest crystal elements
manufactured by Swarovski. The designers’ choice since the founding of the
company in 1895, the brand provides creative talents from fashion, jewelry,
and accessories, as well as interiors, lighting, and architecture, with a palette of
inspiration and on-trend innovation.
For press enquiries, contact Katharina Pretzl at:
katharina.pretzl@swarovski.com
For general enquiries, email link.jewelrysummit@swarovski.com
organized by
The International New York Times (formerly the International Herald Tribune) has
been organizing market-leading events for over thirty years. Conference agendas are
developed with input from the newspaper’s award-winning
editorial team and in consultation with industry experts and respected partner
organizations, around balanced, thought-provoking, and intellectually rigorous formats.
Distinguished speakers have included heads of government, CEOs,
senior policy-makers, leading academics and global thought-leaders.
For press enquiries, contact Vicky Taylor at:
vtaylor@nytimes.com
Tel: +44 (0) 2070 613 520
Text: Aidan Walker
Design: Marcus Ludewig
© International New York Times and Swarovski, 2014
www.linkjewelrysummit.com
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