A beautiful monsoon morning in the heart of Bengaluru, we found ourselves surrounded by unique diamonds and one-of-a-kind pieces flown in from around the world courtesy of Forevermark, the global leaders in the responsible sourcing of diamonds. They had hosted the Forevermark Forum 2019, an exhibit that showcased unique diamond jewellery designed around the world and also brought jewellers together under one roof, to interact and talk jewellery. Right in time for the festive season, we decided to sit down with Federica Imperiali, Head of New Product Development, Forevermark as she took us through the journey of the company and gave us the trend forecast for the winter/festive season.
About Forevermark
Forevermark is a unique diamond brand that promises its consumers a cutting edge and the most beautiful diamond when they invest their money. They believe in going beyond the 4C’s, which is, the colour, cut, clarity and carat. Federica emphasises, “Two diamonds with the same 4Cs are also different and Forevermark, with their restrictive selection process, ensures you get the most beautiful, rare and valuable diamond out of all the other diamonds out there. Forevermark also believes in making meaningful jewellery driven through a powerful emotion. They also promise that the diamonds are sourced responsibly and with the rehabilitation of the environment.”
About Responsible Sourcing
We asked her about the perception we have when it comes to the sourcing of diamonds and the harm that comes to the environment when diamonds are sourced. We have been made to believe that labour is also treated in an unkind manner. All of these beliefs were shattered by Federica and Mr Constantino Papadimitriou, Chief Marketing Officer who shed light on what responsible sourcing really means, “The mines where we procure the diamonds are mainly in Africa and Canada. We replenish the lands where we mine. We also join hands with various environmental initiatives like the migration of animals as well. For example, in Canada, when the Caribou birds migrate across the country, we halt the work on the mines so they can pass through peacefully. Currently, in Africa, we have started an initiative called the ‘Moving Giants’ where we are looking at moving 200 elephants along with their lineage across the country so they have a better and environmentally sound life.”
About Autumn Winter Trends
As we move towards the festive season Federica highlighted a few jewellery trends that will ride the wave for the season. Two that absolutely stood out for us was Culture Fusion and One of a kind. Read on to find out more about what these trends will mean for the festive season.
Culture Fusion
Culture fusion is the celebration of the new interconnected global consumer. It isn’t something that’s transversal but more like an amalgamation of the cultures from two countries. So we are celebrating basically eastern culture meeting western culture.
One of a Kind
This is just the celebration of a woman, the modern woman out there. So apart from the modern setting, we have also played around with pink gold and black gold elements. We’ve played with the colours but kept the silhouettes very modern and unisex.
About Bridal Trends
When it comes to bridal trends, in particular, Federica talks about how the bridal jewellery has also changed face in recent times. While diamond sets are still very popular, the modern bride is looking at procuring a simpler and more linear, classic design which isn’t just something that she would wear at her wedding but also will be used after, “something like a simple tennis line necklace would be more appealing to the woman of today that a heavy-duty set that can just be worn once and not again. From our research, we also found out that women are now looking at designs that are more transformable. For example, a larger set which could then be broken down more separately, like the choker line could be used separately and the central element could be used as a pendant or a brooch. So we are now playing around with these transformable designs and looking into functional jewellery.”
About The New Consumer
We asked Federica to elaborate on how their design language and communication has changed through the years as the consumer has changed. Now the consumer for diamond jewellery isn’t a man buying jewellery for his woman but a woman buying it for herself. Federica said this has been her favourite shift in dynamics and then told us about the Tribute collection they have just recently launched. The stand out feature for this range is that they have on offer, a range of simple and cost-effective diamond rings that could be worn by itself or could be stacked up with various rings from the same collection. This collection gives the woman a lot of pairing and stacking options so her jewellery can look different every single time she wears it.
“Another interesting thing I’ve noticed about the woman self purchasing the jewellery is that they don’t just want a piece of jewellery or a trendy design but they also gravitate towards classic designs that mean something or commemorate an occasion the woman is planning to celebrate. I see this woman buying a pair of simple diamond studs because she just got a promotion and because that is something she would like to celebrate,” she further elaborates.
Parting Notes
We touched lightly on the apprehensions that people still have about purchasing fine jewellery, particularly diamonds, even if it is from an investment perspective. We do come from a culture where fine jewellery is still pretty synonymous with inheritance, or just something that you procure over time. We asked Federica to give us some bullet points about the things that she would say to this apprehensive consumer. “I see the perspective changing slowly, as the self-purchase angle is taking the lead, I do see a small segment of the modern woman looking at diamond jewellery as not just an investment but as a celebration. As Forevermark, we are trying to bring the consumer a promise of them getting the best and most beautiful diamond and the designs that we are making will cater to every kind of consumer, be it someone who is looking for functional pieces or someone who is looking at just a simple half pointer diamond to celebrate an occasion that means something to them. We are trying to lead with the times and be on-trend but also aren’t giving up on the classic design, so even if the trend changes, we will still work towards being relevant and timeless,” she concludes.
