On the runway to success - MCH Group

JEWELLERY PAGE 26
■ NEWS.TRENDS
Solid handmade chains by Schofer.
The new handcrafted semi-solid
chains from Schofer’s prestige
range offer a high level of wearing
comfort. Whether in classic polished
750 gold or platinum with a silky
smooth surface: only the most sophisticated
materials are used and are
exclusively and skilfully processed by
hand at the Pforzheim site. (ahe)
2.1, J01
MyChoice rings by Palido.
This year, New York and St. Tropez
are featured at BASELWORLD at
the stand of the label Palido Fine
Jewels by S. Paukner. The prominent
cities represent possible combinations
for the MyChoice ring collection.
It offers wearers a virtually limitless
chance to indulge their passion for
collecting and varying their jewellery.
Solitaire rings plus pavé and
diamond-set models can be added to
simple rings in yellow, white and rose
gold. The newly launched MyChoice
ring configurator offers initial assistance
over the internet. (ahe) 2.0, J24
Eagle ring with obsidian stone.
The new jewellery items from men’s
fashion label Baldessarini, a
brand of the Pranda Group, represent
the eagle. The powerful elegance of
this bird of prey stands for independence,
determination and freedom.
These attributes have been converted
into powerful designs and forms by
Baldessarini. One particular highlight
is a ring which creates a striking
setting for this king of the skies. The
eagle motif is spot on with its widespread
wings. The ring is made from
925 sterling silver and the volcanic
rock glass, obsidian. (cete) 2.0, G21
BWDN spoke to Nathalie
Guedj, CEO of Carrera y Carrera,
about the market situation
for fine jewellery and her plans
for 2012.
BWDN: Is the economic recovery
in luxury goods also noticeable
at Carrera y Carrera?
Nathalie Guedj: Yes, actually we
have enjoyed two consecutive
excellent years with growth of
over 20 percent. We are recovering
from the large and deep
crisis of 2009. All of the regions
enjoyed a strong and healthy
recovery, the strongest being
Europe and Japan.
BWDN: Which collections have
been most successful in the past
year?
Guedj: Actually our best selling
collections are more or less the
same everywhere: the top three
are an old collection called Circulos
de Fuego which features
SATURDAY. MARCH 10. 2012
Inspired by Spanish culture
Carrera y Carrera presents the Dragon collection at BASELWORLD
Pendant Danza made
of yellow gold
and diamonds.
a dragon (and we expect this
year to be very strong again for
this line, being the ‘Year of the
Dragon’), the Gardenias collection
launched in 2009, inspired
by the sensual flower emblem
from Cuba, and Bambu, another
Asian-inspired collection which
features our sculpture savoirfaire.
Of course, within each collection
some items sell in larger
form, or with longer earrings,
depending on the style of the
country and the customers’ taste,
the top three remain the same,
however.
BWDN: To what extent have the
high gold price and the rising
diamond prices had an effect on
the business of Carrera y Carrera?
Guedj: Well, this is actually an
important question. Of course
we had to increase our prices
strongly in 2011 and we still have
to have another price increase as
soon as possible. But, it is also
true that customers are more
aware than ever of the true value
of gold, so in another way it
helps us convincing the customers
that buying jewellery is not
a bad investment! Everything
is possible, the most important
thing is style, and if we design
a nice collection, whatever the
Nathalie Guedj, CEO of Carrera y Carrera.
technique we use to produce
it, if the end result is beautiful
it does not matter. It is design
and outstanding finishing which
convince the customer that he is
buying a true piece of luxury!
BWDN: What new pieces are
you going to present in Basel
this year?
Guedj: Well, as always we will
be presenting a new collection.
It is inspired by Spanish culture
as well as history. And this year
it is about art, life and passion
for life. It is about what makes
Adding sparkle to the face
As we enter yet another era for ears, detachable earrings announce their presence
Earrings, ear-motifs, ear-studs,
jewellery for the ears; the names
are multiple and the shapes and
sizes even more so. As opposed
to other jewellery categories −
rings, necklaces and charms −
that have been continuously
popular for the last 4.000 years,
earrings are bound to follow
hairstyles. However, during the
past twenty years, earrings have
reigned supreme on the red carpet,
being the signature choice
of many an actress, since the earrings
are sure to add a little more
sparkle to a glamorous head shot.
Pure aesthetics
As such, earrings are purely worn
for their aesthetics. They are of
no practical use (as opposed to
a signet ring, which was used
to seal letters), nor
are they weighted
down by emotional
ties (such
as a wedding
band); and as
opposed to
Gypsy earrings by de
Grisogono. The earrings can be modified and
worn with one, two or three rings.
Swarovski crystal blue earrings –
as stilettos or studs, the choice
is up to the individual.
necklaces having served as
signs of dignity and office
of old-times, the earring
is a most frivolous jewellery
category, solely
worn to accentuate a
woman’s beauty. As
our attention is naturally centred
on the face, earrings assume
a most privileged place in the
jewellery boxes of many females.
And as any jewellery-infatuated
woman may testify, there is also
an almost sensual pleasure in
the pair of dangling earrings,
which follow the movement
of the head.
Girandole earrings accentuate
both width and
length (as usual seen
with three pendant
drops), while the pendeloque
earrings are all
about length (8 cm long earrings
have been seen from time
to time). In the 1930s the world
of earrings was revolutionized
with clip-on systems, so pierc-
ing could be avoided if
a woman so desired (and
the weight of an earring
could be equally distributed
across the earlobe).
With clips, the aesthetics
of earrings become more
centred and less dangling;
rosettes and spirals were
popular motifs, perhaps
as a reaction after
the Art Deco period’s
accentuation of long vertical
lines, where long stilettos had
been de rigeur of the day. But
the short hair-dos of the 1920s,
‘a la garçonne’, made earrings
the prime choice of jewellery for
liberated women, dancing and
partying out on the town, for the
first time in decorative history.
An era for ears
On the jewellery agenda, the
1930s were an era of multifunctional
creations. Earrings could
be bought with matching pendants,
so that any woman could
vary the decoration of her earrings,
but strictly speaking this
invention dates back to the 18th
century. In the 1980s, earrings
underwent a revival, comparable
our life so full of emotion. It
is the art that is the most universal
in the world, that each
culture, each civilization have
celebrated: music. And of course
it is one of the symbol of Spain:
the classic Spanish guitar: ‘La
Guitarra Latina’! We have played
around the theme, and coming
from music we got quickly to the
dance, of course! So let’s say that
this year we will sing and dance
in Basel to give us strength and
energy to achieve another excellent
year! At Carrera y Carrera we
do believe that art and jewellery
must make us dream.
BWDN: How do you assess the
chances and expectations of Carrera
y Carrera in 2012?
Guedj: If we keep delivering the
utmost quality in jewellery as we
always have done, I believe there
is a lot of growth potential for
Carrera y Carrera. Our unique
style, which makes us so different
from any other jewellery you
can find in the market, makes us
very desirable. And even more
so these days, where people are
increasingly looking for products
which express their own personality,
and not only just a brand
image.
Interview by Axel Henselder ■
with the 1920s and 1930s. A possible
explanation was the ‘coolness’
of earrings when compared
to rings (which usually come
with an emotional tie or obligation
of some sort); perhaps the
‘cool-factor’ appealed to the business
women of the decade who
‘dressed for success’.
In accordance with the rest of
the fashion scene these years,
almost anything goes with earrings.
And detachable earrings
make for great value; wear the
earring in its smallest looking
version during the day − hook
on a selection of pendants for
evening-wear. When a woman
has acquired the ear-studs part
of the creations, the number of
exchangeable pendants to accompany
the rest is infinite, and so
are the opportunities for her to
increase her collection. (nh) ■
Winter Frost
earrings by
Ole Lynggaard,
made of 18 karat
white gold with
242 brilliants.