Bottom line: For something to be fashionable, women have to want to wear it. Starting with that basic concept, the World Gold Council challenged Italian gold jewelry designers to create new lines for 2004.
After extensive consumer research revealed several themes upon which gold jewelry customers around the world base their purchases, 54 Italian designers and manufacturers of gold jewelry developed the new Gold Expressions collections.
The evolution of the collections, which will be launched around the world in 2004, began last year when the World Gold Council presented the designers with a design brief based on their research findings. The resulting collections address the four motivational categories identified
by the WGC. These prime emotional drivers for women who purchase gold jewelry (or receive it as a gift) are “Gold: For Love,” “Gold: To Glow,” “Gold: To Express Yourself,” and “Gold: To Create an Impression.”
To keep WGC initiatives in step, these themes also correspond with the “Speak Gold” advertising platform initiated in 2003.
This comprehensive initiative also aims to reestablish Italian gold jewelry manufacturers as among the world’s most innovative. The research allows that innovation to be tailored into gold jewelry that’s relevant to target consumers around the world.
Gold for Love: Messages from the Heart. This grouping represents gold jewelry’s ability to symbolize the depth of feeling in a close relationship expressed as love, affection, or friendship. These pieces are especially appropriate as gifts, either to celebrate love or to recognize anniversaries or milestones.
Gold to Glow: A Language of Inner Confidence. This category focuses on the sensuality of gold and its ability to encourage an inner confidence or radiance. It’s often inspired by nature—with shapes and surface textures aiming to convey sensuality—or by gold’s rich history (for example, gold leaf motifs that date back to Etruscan civilizations).
Gold to Express Yourself: Individuality With Flair. These collections focus on fresh and innovative designs that allow each woman to define her individual sense of fashion. Influences range from modern pop graphics to 18th-century Venetian lace patterns.
Gold to Create an Impression: A Celebration of Success. This group focuses on gold as a symbol to celebrate achievement and progress. Especially prominent are the strong hues of yellow gold with interesting finishes. Potent symbols like the snake and eagle are important, and larger pieces—huge hoops and large floral motifs, for example—are prevalent.