The pandemic has had a huge impact on how and why we shop. Many of these shifts in behaviour were highly predictable—such as the hike in sales of jogging bottoms, jigsaws and puffer coats. Some, however, surprised even the most experienced retail experts. One of these trends we didn’t see coming at the beginning of lockdown 1.0 was the rise in fine jewellery sales.
Sales of fine jewellery saw a 150% year on year increase at Matchesfashion.com, and this has also been an expanding category at Net-a-Porter. Libby Page, senior market editor at Net-a-Porter, notes: “We now have 95 brands and we started with five in 2012. We’ve seen success in timeless pieces—pieces that customers can buy now and wear forever, and we’re also seeing growth in the emerging fine jewellery world. There is a younger customer looking for investment pieces that speak to them, so we are broadening our assortment of fresh and exciting talent.”
I would argue that the fine jewellery brand creating the biggest buzz in fashion circles is Mateo. This New York-based label counts Michelle Obama and Rihanna as fans (among many others), and creates beautiful timeless pieces with pearls, diamonds and crystals, that feel really modern thanks to the clean lines and often sculptural shapes. A diamond ring or necklace is the definition of a once-in-a-lifetime purchase and so it needs to be a piece you know you will wear, and cherish, forever. “I tend to not follow trends as my work is meant to withstand time,” says founder Matthew Harris. “The same piece today should still be relevant 50 years from now, no matter how small the piece is. There are certain styles I will always have in my collections such as a good hoop, our initial pieces and pearls.”
