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Story-inspired designs spin sad and happy tales
By Catherine Dayrit
August 20, 2008
San Diego—Every retailer knows the marketing concept behind Journey diamond jewelry—that with every step, with every stone, love grows.
At the heart of Journey is a story that is easily digestible for consumers. And although there are buyers who know what they want upon laying their eyes on it, there are others for whom a story, or a personalizing, connecting thread, closes the deal. Many designers have clued into this personalization trend, sometimes in unconventional ways.
San Diego-based Houman Jewelry Design, for example, recently launched the "LUZ" collection at Neiman Marcus in Las Vegas. The line features rings and other pieces designed to convey love's various states—including some of its less cherished ones, such as anger, lust and breakup.
"There's not a single person who can not relate to one of those emotions," says designer Houman Omidifar, also the company's president and founder. "I was trying to come up with something edgy and sexy and that deals with the reality of life."
Narrative aside, the pieces stand on their own, with richly embellished designs crafted in platinum, 18-karat gold and sterling silver. In fact, Omidifar says, the LUZ story is sometimes not told to customers until as much as 30 minutes into a presentation, after the designs have lured them in.
"About 90 percent of the sales are people who are extremely attracted to the designs," Omidifar says. "The story is the icing on the cake."
The first piece in the collection is "Love," a square-shaped ring whose design was inspired by the four cornerstones of a relationship: love itself, passion, desire and boundaries. The edges are smooth, and rubies scattered at the four corners signify the passion that is a part of being in love.
The "Breakup" ring, by contrast, one of the most popular in the collection, is an edgy, sharper-edged piece that is the Love ring turned inside out and, as the designer says, "cut in half."
Additional pieces such as "Cheat" and "Alone" finally give way to "Luz," Spanish for "light," a style that can be formed into a wedding set. As the company states, "All love stories should have a happy ending and LUZ is no exception."
 | | "Breakup" bracelets from Houman Jewelry Design's "LUZ" collection feature harder edges that signify the sharper sides of love. Shown in platinum, prices range from $19,950 to $25,300, depending on diamond color and men's or women's versions. (619) 437-7007 or LuzStyle.com |
Taking the idea a step further is D Jewelry Co. Though the "D" stands for "Divorced," a status not commonly associated with keepsakes, the line is about building self-esteem and symbolizing a new beginning, says Harold Thompson, company president.
"There have been comments for it and against it," he says.
One customer told Thompson that every glimpse of her ring reminds her of the best decision she ever made.
Crafted in sterling silver or 14-karat gold, the defining detail is that each band contains a small separation, marking the actual physical separation in the normal "never-ending circle."
Moments and mementos Other designers are crafting pieces that build everyday stories for consumers. Heather Moore Jewelry charms are engraved with everything from children's names and birthdates to lucky numbers, while musician Seal recently launched a collection for Mouawad consisting of matchbox-like necklaces that can be filled with cherished items, satisfying consumers eager for items that say something about themselves and go beyond metal and stone.
Allowing consumers to write their own story is designer Laura Gibson, who launched a new line at the JCK Las Vegas show that is actually called "Story Rings."
"In my case, the 'story' behind the rings is up to the imagination of the buyer," she says.
Gemstone-intensive, as per Gibson's usual style, the collection features stacking pieces, including bands with eight stones, rings with larger center stones and plain sterling bands as well.
"My idea was to allow women to buy what they are attracted to as opposed to what their birthstone might be," Gibson says, adding that if a buyer loves sapphires but it's not her birthstone, it might be worn in commemoration of a best friend's birthday or the month she took a great trip.
"[The rings] are really designed to commemorate 'moments' in life that they might attach a color to," she says.
E-mail: cdayrit@nationaljeweler.com
Editor's note: This story first appeared in the July 2008 print edition of National Jeweler.
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