Jewellery brands that do well in the UK and Ireland

[RJED]

Hi everyone.
I'm attempting to get some of you to make this bit of the forum have a "hot thread". Obviously, in Retail Jeweller's monthly Barometer survey, we find that Hot Diamonds is by far and away the biggest and best-performing brand according to the 200 retailers that we survey.

However, of late, we've noticed some brands emerging in that list that incorporate a lot more colour - albeit mostly CZs. For example, German brand Thomas Sabo and another brand Ti Sento, are both doing very well in this monthly survey of retailers' top sellers. Both these brands have exceptional lifestyle photography and theme their collections seasonally and with "moods" around summer seasons and festive collections, for example, just like the fashion brands do.

I guess the message is that jewellery brands are definitely coming (there's been a huge shift in attitude to fashion jewellery brands in the three and a half years I have been an editor on this magazine), and investing in great photography and marketing can pay off with sell-through.

Anyone got any comments? Any British manufacturers feel like producing a brand like this themselves?

[JSM]

Well, we don't do a brand per se, but we started making 'big pink' cz jewellery before it emerged as a trend *looks smug*, so I guess we were slightly ahead there. I suppose launching it under a name and with some POS items might be a route forward.
Having said that, we do tend to supply mostly wholesalers, so I think it would be easier going straight to the retailer if specific branding happens to be your forte.




...is the thread 'hot' yet?

[Alan Hadley]

...I can feel the heat.

Is it possible to build a brand name these days without a shed full of money behind you in the first place? I'm trying - my 41 year old company went from a respectable turnover and comfortable living for me (although a little boring) from precision engineered components to a not as profitable but a damn site more interesting trade in Titanium jewellery.

We have quality that that one recent jewellery manufacturing company commented "teaches the jewellery trade how to do it" (not my words I promise! ) and we produce rings from a material that nobody else in the whole of the UK uses, to the best of our knowledge, and is selling like hot cakes and yet in the September issue of Retail Jeweller magazine Focus On: Mens Jewellery (spelt 'men's' with an apostrophe for some reason )we didn't get a look in - I'm not complaining by the way even if it comes across like that, I like to think that we were number 6 and just missed out, so, must try harder that boy at the back There again, there must be loads of companies like us up and down the UK singing the same chorus and asking the same question - how do we build the next 'Hot Diamonds' or 'Fred Bennett' ? (is he a real person by the way?)

Answers on a postcard please to: GETi Ltd. The UK's leading manufacturer of quality Titanium rings.

[JSM]

I think it's gotten to a point where there are lots of indies trying to push their names out there and get respectable exposure, but struggling for not having the financial clout to go heavy on advertising.
Having said that, outside of the trade, how many people know who Paul Spurgeon is? Compare that with how many people know what H Samuel is, and therein lies part of the problem/solution - making the consumer far more discerning.

[RJED]

It is hotting up. It worked! I knew that writing something about branding would get the "yes, but does it all cost lots of money?" crew out and writing. Thank you to you both for keeping a pulse in my bit of the forum.

But first, let me tell you why Retail Jeweller wrote focus on men's jewellery with an apostrophe. Because it needs one. The jewellery belongs to the men, and therefore needs a possessive apostrophe. So there.

And as for how your brand performs, when we asked 200 retailers for their best-selling brand (we only ask them to name one), those five were the top five. It's what retailers say - we don't make it up.

Mr H - why don't you send me a list of your stockists and we can dedupe them against our Barometer database and include any that we don't already call? About how many stockists do you have?

I think a lot of money obviously helps brands, but it doesn't need to cost the earth. Just taking the time to pay for a good shoot with some styling and lifestyle models can cost around £2,000 and you can send shots out to magazines like ours, and it pays dividends and definitely gets you noticed. And then you can use it in flyers, POS etc - that's how brands like those we listed would have first got established. I know lots of people who have built a name on a bit of a shoestring budget. Good photography is vital though. You'd be surprised that even though jewellery is a visual industry, many companies fail to get really well-taken professional shots of their products. We receive a lot of not very good quality digital images sent through - a one day still life shoot can cost as little as £400 so it is worth getting good pics taken for editorial coverage, at least.

[Alan Hadley]

I just did a search on the correct use of the apostrophe and I'm embarrassed to say I don't know what I am talking about (Hangs his head in shame and, with a heavy heart slinks off to the back of the class - I must have been away from school on the day they covered 'the apostrophe' - damn those childhood diseases!)

[RJED]

Don't feel too bad - the use of apostrophes is seriously misunderstood by virtually everyone. Greengrocers use them when they are not needed (potatoe's 80p, tomatoe's 98p etc) or even worse 'hits from the 80's' or PC's and CD's (all wrong) and the possessive is seriously under-used.

Is it my turn to feel smug about something on this site? Does the Diamond Yacht Club need me to give a grammar masterclass - perhaps with live web chat afterwards?

[Alan Hadley]

With the powers vested in me by the board of directors of The Diamond Yacht Club Jewellers Directory and Resource, I do hereby decree that RJED is now officially the club grammer Ma'm (I think she will soon tell me if that apostrophe is wrong or not ) Term of office:100 years, salary not less than 1 guinnea/year payable at the end of the term in one lump sum. Perks: none, prestige:limitless.

Back on to the more serious topic, having invested heavily in our newly found direction in life by means of relocating into the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter, lasers ie. engravers and welders, and more up to date CNC turning and milling capability, it didn't leave us much to play with to spend on brand building. Hence the birth of The Diamond Yacht Club.

I'm a big believer in the power of the internet and I think it is an area where a little bit of knowledge and time (a good product helps as well) can get you far by competing on a level playing field with the big boys. I've noticed a huge wave of apathy about modern technology amongst the jewellery trade in both manufacturing and internet areas, for example, even your company RJED, a media orientated company but sadly lacking in the website department. I remember you saying that you were working on your boss to get a decent website underway, how is that going? I can send my dog round to persuade him a little more if you think that will help

If he/she needs ideas for a layout with lots of advertising revenue potential checkout this site: http://www.youandyourwedding.co.uk/

Deduplication (de-dupe)
The identification and removal of duplicate names and addresses from a database.

This grammar teacher certainly makes you work for a living. This is a word I've never heard of - I'll be losing my British citizenship at this rate and cast out to sea to live on a raft, penniless and alone with nothing more than the clothes I am wearing and ten fingers jam packed with Titanium ring souvenirs . (I'm taking it too far now aren't I?)

I have about 150 retail customers, 70-80 of those order regularly, would it be better if I post the list to you?

[Alan Hadley]

PS.

The most unusual search term that this forum was found for today was the keyword 'rhuthenium' from the Palladium thread. Check out the link while it is still there, I think it has moved down onto page 2 now though.

Other word examples were 'Shaun Leane', Kimberley process' (still going strong) and 'yacht forum'

[RJED]

Dear Mr H

I accept those terms - however did you get a copy of my contract to know the conditions that usually persuade me to sign up to?

De-dupe is a bit of a nasty media word, actually, and I shouldn't encourage its use by using it myself. But yes, post the list through to me and I will "check it against our existing list of people we call and add any new names from it to our list" - you can see why an editor would want to use a shorter word, can't you?

You preach to the converted on the web front. At some point, I will share with you the many thoughts about our site and get some feedback from you, but in the meantime, thanks for the mag link. I have lots of ideas but that certainly gives me some food for thought.Thank you!