4
A. Cappellieri et al.
the value of a jewel—as well as an accessory or a product—is the story of everything
behind the scenes. It is the result of the quality of the project, the ability of the
designer or artist to generate a storytelling around the object thanks to the formal,
material or technological choices and production techniques.
Luxury is intangible, far from the needs but close to the desires and dreams of
each individual. It is the ability to translate the essence of one’s time into a product.
And the materials, the tangible preciousness of the piece, is no longer the only
characterizing element to define if an object belongs or not to the sphere of luxury.
The material, regardless of whether it is gold, diamonds or wood, is a design choice.
Materials and techniques are a means to tell a story. The following chapters will take
into consideration examples of high-end jewellery as well as independent brands and
designers who use non-traditional materials for their production.
Each object must represent its own time and therein lies its value and meaning.
Time is as key an element in the design as manufacture; it moulds the shape of
objects, it conditions their function and social utility, it defines the style, the choice
of material and technique, it indicates its origins, stratifies its taste and, above all, it
reveals its context. Objects are inextricably linked to time. In the case of jewellery,
that correspondence is intermittent and discontinuous and, in history, this has not
always been able to be the full and mature expression of the Zeitgeist and its climate.
The right question is, then, what is the mirror of our time? What does represent
contemporaneity most of all?
The need of awareness. Consumers today, but also producers and people involved
in the supply chain, need awareness and aspire to be responsible. What they want is
intelligent and responsible beauty, a beauty that exploits tradition but also innovation
in favour of thinking processes, materials and strategies. Because the opposite of
beauty is not ugliness but ignorance.
And the luxury market has already understood this. It is extremely recent the
signing of the Fashion Pact,
2 proposed by François-Henri Pinault, number one of
Kering: the largest alliance in fashion, accessories and luxury that concerns the
environment and has 32 global companies in the sector. So great that in the full
version of the pact, under the heading who says ‘we aim for representation of at least
20% of the global fashion industry as measured by volume of products. The goal
would be to have a mix of luxury, “mid-level” and “affordable” brands across the
fashion sector’. Together they account for about a quarter of the sector [8].
Another recent signal comes from The Union of Concerned Researchers in Fashion that believes that concerned fashion and clothing researchers can no longer remain
2 The G7 meeting was at Biarritz from August 24–26. French President Emmanuel Macron, accompanied by Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, Minister of Labour Muriel Pénicaud
and Deputy Minister of Ecological and Solidary Transition Brune Poirson, has invited to the Elysée
Palace representatives of the 32 fashion and textile companies who have launched the Fashion Pact
by his side.
In April 2019, ahead of the G7 meeting, Emmanuel Macron had given François-Henri Pinault,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kering, a mission to bring together the leading players
in fashion and textile, with the aim of setting practical objectives for reducing the environmental
impact of their industry.
A. Cappellieri et al.
the value of a jewel—as well as an accessory or a product—is the story of everything
behind the scenes. It is the result of the quality of the project, the ability of the
designer or artist to generate a storytelling around the object thanks to the formal,
material or technological choices and production techniques.
Luxury is intangible, far from the needs but close to the desires and dreams of
each individual. It is the ability to translate the essence of one’s time into a product.
And the materials, the tangible preciousness of the piece, is no longer the only
characterizing element to define if an object belongs or not to the sphere of luxury.
The material, regardless of whether it is gold, diamonds or wood, is a design choice.
Materials and techniques are a means to tell a story. The following chapters will take
into consideration examples of high-end jewellery as well as independent brands and
designers who use non-traditional materials for their production.
Each object must represent its own time and therein lies its value and meaning.
Time is as key an element in the design as manufacture; it moulds the shape of
objects, it conditions their function and social utility, it defines the style, the choice
of material and technique, it indicates its origins, stratifies its taste and, above all, it
reveals its context. Objects are inextricably linked to time. In the case of jewellery,
that correspondence is intermittent and discontinuous and, in history, this has not
always been able to be the full and mature expression of the Zeitgeist and its climate.
The right question is, then, what is the mirror of our time? What does represent
contemporaneity most of all?
The need of awareness. Consumers today, but also producers and people involved
in the supply chain, need awareness and aspire to be responsible. What they want is
intelligent and responsible beauty, a beauty that exploits tradition but also innovation
in favour of thinking processes, materials and strategies. Because the opposite of
beauty is not ugliness but ignorance.
And the luxury market has already understood this. It is extremely recent the
signing of the Fashion Pact,
2 proposed by François-Henri Pinault, number one of
Kering: the largest alliance in fashion, accessories and luxury that concerns the
environment and has 32 global companies in the sector. So great that in the full
version of the pact, under the heading who says ‘we aim for representation of at least
20% of the global fashion industry as measured by volume of products. The goal
would be to have a mix of luxury, “mid-level” and “affordable” brands across the
fashion sector’. Together they account for about a quarter of the sector [8].
Another recent signal comes from The Union of Concerned Researchers in Fashion that believes that concerned fashion and clothing researchers can no longer remain
2 The G7 meeting was at Biarritz from August 24–26. French President Emmanuel Macron, accompanied by Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, Minister of Labour Muriel Pénicaud
and Deputy Minister of Ecological and Solidary Transition Brune Poirson, has invited to the Elysée
Palace representatives of the 32 fashion and textile companies who have launched the Fashion Pact
by his side.
In April 2019, ahead of the G7 meeting, Emmanuel Macron had given François-Henri Pinault,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kering, a mission to bring together the leading players
in fashion and textile, with the aim of setting practical objectives for reducing the environmental
impact of their industry.