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Earlier this week, I spent a few days in Switzerland at the Basel watch and jewelry fair.  If there is ever a show to gain inspiration and feel the pulse of the luxury and high- end market, this is the place!  Exhibitors spend a minimum of $100,000 for the smallest square of space up to well over $25,000,000 for a booth the size of a small apartment complex to exhibit their newest collections.  With an attending audience, waiting to be wowed from all over the globe, world wide exhibitors pull out all the stops to showcase their brand and their take on the newest trends.  To say this is a luxury event is an understatement!  In 3 days, we covered every inch of 4 large expo halls with 2 floors each looking at the latest trends and meeting with old friends.

While part of the reason for this trip is to be inspired and see upcoming trends, in a way it is also for us to run some checks and balance for our own styling that we have already set forth and produced.  One aspect, which makes me very proud- as part of our design team is that some of our ideas from both our past and present collections were on full display from some of the leading and most legendary jewelry houses.  Some of the items, which we have brought in the past have been reinterpreted by these major brands and were being featured as the “hero” images for their marketing.  To a degree, it makes me very happy to know that our ideas may have influenced their collections.  I have always believed, there is very little separating our collections from theirs aside from name and price- points.  When I look at our production, I know the amount of time and effort we put in to the details to produce beautiful jewelry.  From the actual selection and source of the materials to the detail work of casting, stringing, setting or even polishing and finishing!  Our inspiration has always been to offer beautiful quality jewelry to you at more affordable prices so that everyone can enjoy our gems.

For my Mom and I during this trip, this was a major highlight.  The Basel show is known for being the most prestigious exhibit in the world.  While we saw beautiful and extremely limited pearls from jewelry houses who have cemented their own place in history for well deserved reasons, it reinforced my notion that our collections, especially Prestige Pearls, could fit in to the same categories.  At the end of the day, these same historical jewelers and my family share the same sources for our pearls and an unwavering dedication to detail.  I bring this up, because I want you to feel the reassurance that you are getting the same gems that are offered by these major brands with little separating them but price.  However, there is a little twist.  With all due respect, I feel that my family and I represent a deeper degree of personality in our jewelry.  Knowing that the 3 of us have personally selected, matched, and oversaw production of our jewelry adds a more artisan and personal aspect to our pieces.  For my family and I, ultimately it is our love and passion for jewelry which leads us to our hands- on production methods.  However, the underlying factor when looking at the Basel collections is that I want our jewelry to be prized not because of the price that is paid or even the name brand on the piece, but because of the love of beautiful gems.  In the end, beautiful gems are beautiful gems regardless of the producer.  Much like jewelry, individual style varies from person to person, and when it comes to picking your pieces, it should not always be about price or value, but your individual style.

With this in mind, I can’t help but feel as if the show was missing our Prestige Pearl collection.  A collection that celebrates the rarity, organicness, and amazing work of nature.  Yes, we saw some pieces that are comparable to our beautiful Palawan golden South Sea 14mm baroque earrings or one of Robert Wan’s 14mm Tahitian pearl necklaces.  However, knowing that we brought these gems from the best farms in the world and selected them for uncompromising quality to display our interpretation and philosophy on pearls is what I think puts our Prestige collection up there with the best of them.  I hope you are all enjoying our shows today!  Have a great weekend!