On the first day of the 2024 Luxury show, which opened to invited guests on Wednesday at the Venetian, it seemed fitting that the very essence of luxury—is it casual and accessible, or diamond-laden and out of reach?—was up for debate.
John Hardy CEO Jan-Patrick Schmitz discussed the Balinese jewelry brand’s commitment to “laid-back luxury.” At its Vegas booth (Titian 2201–AB), the assortment of new silver and 14k gold jewels included trendy Y-shape necklaces, oversize silver hoops, and textured silver bracelets.
Positioning John Hardy around the notion of attainability makes sense in part because of the “macroeconomic environment and gold prices,” he said. The other, even more salient reason is that newer, younger consumers are seeking “self-expression through jewelry that you can wear every day.
“Our sweet spot is around $1,200 to $1,500,” he added. “It’s serious jewelry, but it’s something you can reward yourself with.”
Meanwhile, Melanie Goldfiner Goldberg, director of marketing and business development at the L.A.-based diamond jewelry brand Rahaminov (Lux 622), echoed the desire among clients for pieces that are “wearable.” At Rahaminov, that translates to high-value styles such as mixed-cut natural diamond tennis necklaces and bracelets, set in what she described as “more casual” yellow gold.
Indeed, on a day when the gold price hit $2,357 per ounce, the increasing cost of gold jewelry did not seem to dampen enthusiasm for the yellow metal.
“We’ve got more appointments this year than we’ve ever had. But we were nervous coming into the show,” said Brecken Farnsworth, co-owner of Parlé (Lux 730), a gemstone jewelry manufacturer in Pocatello, Idaho. “The price of gold is high, but no one’s mentioned it.”
At Luxury, Parlé is focused on promoting its first dedicated men’s collection, including a tray of 14k gold rings set with Australian opal doublets and a 20-inch necklace of boulder opal beads.
The brand also showed a couple of charming spider brooches featuring hexagonal ruby slices, amplifying the growing appreciation for figurative jewels, especially those celebrating the creatures that slither, fly, and crawl among us.
The Sonoma County, Calif.–based designer Jennifer Dawes (Lux 1001A) expanded her 3-year-old Kingdom collection with pieces devoted to the humble fly, the industrious bee, and the symbolic snake.
The snake also made an appearance at San Francisco’s Yael Designs (Lux 412), whose new gold and diamond Vipera pieces “pay homage to the legacy of serpents in jewelry, celebrating their timeless allure and powerful symbolism.”
For Southern California–based Omi Privé (Lux 702), the most timeless and symbolic aspects of jewelry are the stories that emerge from them, said president Niveet Nagpal.
“We’re doing really well with things that are different, collectible, rare,” he said, citing a faceted moonstone ring framed by paraiba pavé (so new it hadn’t even been photographed). “When people love to collect and love things that are rare, just being able to share those stories, it becomes so much more of an emotional connection.”
Perhaps the most spectacular embrace of high-end luxury could be found at Le Vian (Veronese–1), which created what CEO Eddie LeVian called “a ballroom within a ballroom” for its high jewelry, an extensive collection of pieces that retail well above $20,000.
LeVian attributed the emphasis on “enduring luxury” to a reaction to the price warfare and plummeting values unleashed by lab-grown diamonds. “We knew there would be a fallout and a tarnishing of the industry so we decided to reinvent the world of high jewelry,” LeVian said. Coming out of the pandemic, “we went down the road of building a high jewelry collection,” he explained. “And that’s snowballed into a much bigger thing.”
Top: Necklace with 54.31 cts. t.w. mixed fancy yellow diamonds in 18k yellow gold; price on request; Rahaminov (Lux 622)
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