When Fine Meets Fashion

For the women of today, jewellery is a strong statement and a way of expressing themselves. While there is an audience for luxury, fine jewellery, there is a slow but steady demand for jewellery that is minimalist with elements of fine jewellery in them and is relatively pocket-friendly. Net-A-Porter smartly coined the term ‘demi-fine’ for this type of jewellery but it also goes by the name semifine or accessible luxury jewellery. The demi-fine category blurs the line between fine jewellery and fashion jewellery, allowing the consumers to afford luxury that is wearable on a daily basis. The wearability factor of course is making this category popular amongst young women across the board. By Kavita Parab

Female self-purchasing is on the rise the last few years. De Beers Group has identified “the selfpurchase trend as one of the clearest opportunities for future growth” in its 2016 Diamond Insight Report. As far as jewellery is concerned, women are moving away from ‘keep it in the safe’ to ‘I can buy my own jewellery’, which has resulted in new jewellery styles and trends and this is the same reason why affordable luxury jewellery has come into existence. So, it is not a surprise why more and more jewellery brands are catering to this category. Accessible luxury jewellery is usually crafted in 9K, 10K, or 14K gold or in sterling silver or with gold plating(known as vermeil). These jewellery pieces also use semi-precious gemstones like moonstone, labradorite, quartz, topaz, lapis lazuli, as well as Swarovski stones. The results are accessible prices, innovative designs and a quality product that can be easily incorporated into one’s everyday looks. Though the trend is also known as semi-fine or affordable or accessible luxury jewellery, we would like to stick to the term demi-fine jewellery.

So, what makes demi-fine popular?
The most important factor for accessible or demi-fine jewellery is its affordability. Talking about the factors that contribute to its popularity, Suhani Parekh, Creative Director, Misho says, “The problem with fine jewellery is that it doesn’t allow for the kind of playful experimentation that costume jewellery does, not to mention the fact that it is expensive. Cheap costume jewellery has a different set of problems; it doesn’t tend to stay in good condition for long and often, once broken or tarnished, it’s next to impossible to fix. There is however a third option, one that fit’s right in the middle of the fashion food chain. Demi-fine jewellery falls under the bracket of ‘affordable luxury’, it’s easy to incorporate into your daily wardrobe, it won’t fall apart like the cheap, street stuff, it’s not seasonal, and you can have it easily fixed or re-polished. If you invest in the right piece, you might just have a heirloom in hand.”

of the factors responsible in pushing the jewellery manufacturers/designers towards finding alternative ways to make jewellery affordable and accessible. Other than this, the trend of wearing minimalist jewellery has also helped in popularizing the trend of accessible luxury jewellery. Jewellery designer Mrinalini Chandra points out that the trend is quite popular in India as well. She says, “Demi-fine jewellery has found a sweet spot amongst consumers since it reflects the sensibilities of the modern fashion forward Indian women. Also, a lot of social influencers like fashion bloggers, celebrities, and stylists are opting for demi- fine jewellery therefore influencing the market.”

It’s not just the average working women but even the likes of Meghan Markle, now the Duchess of Sussex, are fans of demifine jewellery. On her royal visit to Scotland with her then husband-to-be Prince Harry, she was sporting a £45 Missoma Interstellar Ring, made from 18K gold vermeil with a stone inset. She has been spotted wearing the Missoma stackable rings which sums up the style of demi-fine– it’s simple, beautiful and affordable.

Demi-fine caters to the discerning generation of millennials, and this jewellery trend certainly is slowly finding its audience in India as well. Talking about the trend,Pooja Roy Yadav, Founder,Nimai, a multi-artist concept jewellery brand said, “I think the whole concept of demi jewellery is more prominent in the West. In India, we are just waking up to the possibility of wearing jewellery that’s of premium quality and well-made and that is not necessarily fine. We are still taking time in understanding precious, artificial and designer; awareness is at the nascent stage here in the country. The whole category of demi-jewellery, that’s how I would like to call it, is definitely catching up. That’s the reason why brands like Nimai exist. Demi is jewellery that’s designer and premium but it’s not necessarily gold or diamond. It is impeccably polished, well-made jewellery.”

Is it the price or design?
Of course, price is one of the reasons why demi-fine is popular, but that’s not the only factor that makes this jewellery trend widely admired. Price consideration comes at the beginning but design is equally important for the buyers. In a regular set-up, designers usually design and then a particular jewellery piece is manufactured. However, in case of demifine jewellery, firstly the designers/manufacturers fix a price tag and then work backwards. Gold/ silver, gold plating, stones, weight and everything else is decided on the basis of the price tag. Pandora, a leader in the affordable jewellery segment and the largest producer of jewellery worldwide in terms of pieces crafted, produces more than 91 million pieces of hand-made, quality jewellery a year. Prices start at £20 for charms, and £30 for rings. *The brand has been successful because of their integrated business model. They own and operate full value chain from design and raw material sourcing through to production, distribution, marketing and retail (*Pandora Annual Report, 2017).

the emergence of brands like DNA Jewels who offer jewellery that’s crafted in silver and is catering to brides who want accessible fine jewellery for their D-day. “We are trying to bridge the gap between luxury jewellery and imitation jewellery. We are offering handmade, silver jewellery, which is affordable. We use 22K silver, best quality American diamonds and semi-precious stones. We target people who would want to wear something that looks like an exact replica of real diamond jewellery but who do not want the risk of travelling with expensive real diamond jewellery. We are trying to create a semi-fine jewellery market for brides,” said Anup Shah, Founder, DNA Jewels.

What’s the future like?

As shoppers are changing their buying habits and have more options in luxury to choose from, it’s obvious that high-end jewellery brands are finding it difficult to lure younger consumers. Now-a-days, consumers don’t buy jewellery only for occasions like engagement and marriage. With the rise in women self-purchasers, there is a need to create jewellery that could be bought for other milestones such as friendship anniversary, promotion, etc. Also, women who have purchasing power do not wait for special occasions to buy jewellery but prefer to buy it to express their individuality. They might not be interested in spending huge amounts of money, yet they would be looking for something classy and affordable.

“India has a potential market for demi-fine jewellery since the younger generation sees jewellery as a medium of self-expression rather than a status symbol. Also, since demi-fine tastefully blends fashion-forward aesthetic with the enduring qualities found in fine jewellery, a potential customer is All this time, Indians looked at jewellery as a symbol of security, especially gold is looked at as an investment. But millennials don’t buy jewellery for status or for keeping it and passing it to the future generation rather they want to make fashion statement through jewellery that’s impeccably made, has finish and is affordable and not necessarily gold.”

“Having said that gold is gold and traditional jewellery market would always be there. No one can take their demand away,” she adds. For millennials, jewellery is also about ‘now’ moments rather than ‘forever’. These buyers are seeking options that won’t cause a big hole in their pockets and at the same time it will be stylish and fine. “The consumer mindset is shifting. Next generation doesn’t look at jewellery as an investment. They look at it as a piece of jewellery that’s an accessory. Also, owing to the latest development in the diamond industry, consumers are skeptical about investing in natural diamonds. In such times, semi-fine is an apt option as it doesn’t burn their pockets,” says Anup.

What’s Trending?

Minimal contemporary jewellery in this category is quite popular with the working women of India. Stacking rings, bracelets with charms, chokers, letters (initials) based which shows personalization says Mrinalini while Suhani points out that statement earrings, large hoops, stackable rings and minimal chains are currently in demand.

While classic singlet rings and pearl earrings have been in demand, there are brands like Misho whose designs are characterized by clean architectural lines and simple, geometric shapes. Their modern minimalism with a tribal twist is inspired by its namesake, the curved, slender, single edged blade. It gives the impression of pierced ears to the wearer.

Large hoops and statement earrings in gold and rose gold plating are quite popular with consumers looking for uniqueness and personalization. Brands like Missoma offers versatility and interchangeable pieces, by creating mix and match studs and collectable pendants and charms, enabling their jewellery to be a unique expression of individual style.

Demi-fine jewellery that’s little out of the ordinary, include brands like Catbird, who have been a trendsetter when it comes to ring stacking, knuckle rings, delicate necklaces, and whole-hand bracelet chains. Another brand known for its quirky personalization is Monica Vinader. Astley Clarke is also known for its timeless classics jewellery. Its clever use of stones and settings looks far more expensive than the price tag.