Classic reproduction and innovative experience, what new attempts will the international jewelry brands make at the CIIE?
It is not only about sharing the new consumption and business model innovation trends at home and abroad, but also about sharing the long-standing cultural assets. For jewelry brands and groups that embody exquisite craftsmanship and classic marks, the role of industry events is obvious.
Under the overall downward trend of the macro environment, the 7th China International Import Expo still showed a "spillover effect". This year, the 360,000 square meters of exhibition booths at the CIIE brought together 3,496 international companies from 129 countries and regions. Among them, major jewelry brands such as Cartier, Bulgari, Tiffany, Boucheron, Pomellato, Qeelin, Swarovski, etc. gathered at the exhibition site, continuing their craftsmanship while also bringing more first-time new products and unique cultural experiences.
01
Facing the Chinese market
The CIIE has become a window for cultural innovation for international jewelry brands
In recent years, facing the huge consumer group, the international luxury industry has paid more and more attention to the Chinese market. More and more luxury brands have gone out of the circle through differentiated and localized marketing to narrow the distance with domestic consumers.
At this CIIE, major hard luxury jewelry brands took the exploration of brand value, such as the dissemination of craftsmanship aesthetics, as a starting point, paid attention to China's unique cultural resources, and focused on the aesthetic and consumption value orientation of the Chinese market, fully demonstrating the sincerity of equal dialogue and the inexhaustible innovation ability of brands or groups.
The Bulgari exhibition hall specially exhibited art works in collaboration with Chinese artists. In the Bulgari exhibition hall at the CIIE, the artwork "Zhulong" created by visual artist Wu Jianan uses the ancient Chinese snake-bodied creator god "Zhulong" in "Classic of Mountains and Seas" as the main image, and uses modern cutting, inlay aesthetics and gold and silver coating techniques to form an intricate structure and effect. Previously, the work was unveiled in many cultural and art centers around the world as part of the Bulgari "Serpenti Factory" art project global tour, and met with guests at this CIIE.
The highly representative Bulgari Serpenti high-end jewelry and high-end watch series were also presented on site. The magnificent gemstones complemented each other harmoniously, showing the brand's bold style, and the magnificent design fully demonstrated Bulgari's exquisite craftsmanship.
In addition, Bulgari set up interactive installations on site, inviting guests to experience the endless craftsmanship legend vividly presented by Bulgari. Among them, the "Serpenti Infinito" VR installation provides the audience with a virtual reality experience, giving life to the brand's iconic symbol, the snake, reflecting infinite changes and rebirth. Guests can appreciate the evolution of Serpenti's timeless design, witness its constant pursuit of innovation and art, and reflect the spirit of the times. At the same time, through the interactive screen installation, guests can also participate in the "Beyond Time" interactive experience to appreciate the brand's rich and timeless heritage in the field of watchmaking.
Qeelin, which has always been good at integrating traditional oriental culture with modern aesthetics, took the theme of "Craftsmanship Unfolds, Clouds Rise and Gather East and West" at this year's CIIE. The exhibition area was cleverly connected by hundreds of undulating transparent columns to form a poetic landscape screen. The four series of exquisite products brought by Qeelin also vividly interpreted the Chinese elements in the brand DNA.
In addition to the brand's classic Wulu series and the "Wulu Diamond" series inlaid with rare diamonds, Qeelin also presented the "Dunhuang Bo Bo" series inspired by the flying fairies in the Dunhuang murals, and the "Bamboo" high-end jewelry series that cleverly uses cutting and inlaying jade techniques.
02
Cultural experience needs are improving
Inheritance and craftsmanship "shine" at the CIIE
Today, consumers pay more attention to value preservation and multi-scenario usage value. Their understanding of a "high-quality lifestyle" has become more three-dimensional and diverse as their luxury "qualifications" increase: among light, medium and heavy customers, we can observe an advancement in demand from "material" to "service" and then to cultural experience.
In the "Cloud Carpenter's Pavilion" workshop, guests can watch up close the artisans of the Parisian high-end jewelry brand Boucheron demonstrate their outstanding skills on the spot. These skills include the meticulous carving of gold works, especially the ancient and exquisite "embossing" art, and the assembly process of the brand's iconic question mark necklace. Each step reflects the harmonious unity that Boucheron has achieved between inheriting traditional craftsmanship and pursuing innovative design.
At the same time, the famous Italian jewelry brand Pomellato also invited senior craftsmen from Casa Pomellato in Milan to demonstrate the inlay and polishing techniques of its classic series of works on site. This is not only a visual feast, but also a symbol of the continuation and development of Milan's unique craft tradition.
Cartier has specially set up a female craftsman portrait exhibition area to display eight female craftsmen from French and Swiss jewelry, watchmaking workshops and factories. Through the tools they use every day and the works created with this craft, they jointly present the rich stories behind the exquisite craftsmanship. The eight manual skills of gem carving, polishing, gem setting, casting, complex watchmaking, bracelet assembly and stamping vividly reflect how the exquisite craftsmanship can be continued through the narration of the craftsmen's own experiences.
Among them, Roberta, a gemstone engraver and one of the protagonists of the portrait series, was invited to the scene to show the extraordinary charm of gemstone engraving technology to the audience up close. This year's new high-end jewelry Aquaflora was created by Roberta, showing her outstanding gemstone engraving skills.
The central gemstone of this work is a natural tourmaline with a variety of tones such as yellow, orange, pink and red, which appropriately echoes the fighting fish pattern unexpectedly hidden under the flowers. At the same time, the new high-end jewelry works of the Grain de Café series and the Cartier Privé series Tortue single-button chronograph gold model were also unveiled at this CIIE as new works for 2024 that embody polishing and stamping technology.
As for Tiffany, it brought the classic "Bird on the Rock" brooch and flora and fauna works by the brand's legendary designer Jean Schlumberger to the CIIE. As one of the most talented artists in the 20th century, Jean Schlumberger fully demonstrated his unrestrained imagination with his extraordinary designs. The "Bird on the Rock" design has now become one of Tiffany's most representative jewelry works, symbolizing joy, optimism and miracles.
In addition, Tiffany also exhibited a joint series launched in cooperation with the luxury luggage brand RIMOWA. The RIMOWA x Tiffany limited edition joint series includes three works: RIMOWA x Tiffany limited edition joint series jewelry storage box, RIMOWA x Tiffany limited edition joint series cabin luggage, and RIMOWA x Tiffany limited edition joint series mini luggage. This series pays tribute to Tiffany's legendary design. The diamond-like pattern complements RIMOWA's iconic groove design and aluminum-magnesium alloy material, bringing a touching tactile experience.
As the Chinese consumer market continues to grow, more and more luxury jewelry brands have begun to actively explore how to increase market penetration through localization strategies. From the perspective of brand communication, building an all-round and three-dimensional communication bridge in the right field to convey brand concepts and aesthetic connotations has become a must on the road to brand communication upgrade.
From the perspective of market strategy, luxury jewelry brands will continue to find the best balance between globalization and localization, constantly innovate jewelry design, promote the exchange and integration of Chinese and Western cultures, and bring more artistic and emotional experiences to Chinese consumers.