高級珠寶悄然進入姑娘們的首飾盒

There was a time when fine jewelry was thought of as something that was inherited from your grandmother, but it seems that those days are ancient history.

曾幾何時，高級珠寶在人們心目中就是從祖母那裏傳下來的東西。但那個時代似乎已經一去不復返了。

In the last few years, a spate of young, edgy but still elegant fine jewelry designers have come on to the scene, and they’re catering to a clientele that could be described the very same way.

近些年來，一大批年輕、前衛又不失優雅的高級珠寶設計師陸續閃亮登場。而且，他們也正在迎合一羣具有同樣風格的客戶。

The jewelry industry has been growing steadily for the last several years, with annual sales predicted to reach a total 250 billion euros (about $271 billion), up from 148 billion euros ($160 billion) by 2020, according to a report released last year by McKinsey & Company.

據麥肯錫公司(McKinsey & Company)去年公佈的一份報告，珠寶行業近些年來一直在穩步增長，預計至2020年，該行業的年銷售額將從1480億歐元（大約1600億美元，約合人民幣1萬億元）增至共計2500億歐元（大約2710億美元，約合人民幣1.69萬億）。

It seems that there is a new market for fine jewelry in the post recession years; young women who are looking for luxurious, but less ostentatious pieces they can incorporate into their daily lives. New York designers like Eva Zuckerman, who launched her Eva Fehren line in 2011, and Anna Sheffield, whose boutique opened in 2013, are catering directly to that market.

在經濟衰退結束後的這些年，似乎出現了一個新興的高級珠寶消費羣體；年輕女性們正在尋找一些奢華又不太張揚的首飾，適合在她們的日常生活中佩戴。紐約市的一些珠寶設計師們直接迎合了這一市場需求，比如2011年發佈了伊娃-費倫(Eva Fehren)系列珠寶的伊娃·扎克曼(Eva Zuckerman)，和2013年開設了自己的珠寶精品店的安娜·謝菲爾德(Anna Sheffield)。

“I feel like there was something missing in the marketplace not just stylistically or aesthetically, but also from the perspective of the brand value and how that corresponds to the lifestyle of our clientele,” said Ms. Sheffield.

“我感覺這個市場裏缺了一些東西，不僅是在風格或審美上，從品牌價值的角度、以及從同客戶生活方式間的匹配度來看，也是如此。”謝菲爾德說。

Her eponymous line, which grew out of a collection of engagement and wedding rings, ranges in price from just $200 for a set of sterling silver Rivet Studs to $19,500 for a platinum and black diamond ring named for the deity Astarte. Ms. Sheffield and her staff have noticed that women want jewelry that is beautiful and valuable, and that they can wear everyday, not the heirlooms inherited from mothers and grandmothers.

她設計的一款同名珠寶系列，衍生自一組訂婚及結婚戒指，其價格範圍從僅200美元（約合人民幣1253元）一套的純銀飾釘(Rivet Studs)，到19500美元（約合人民幣12.2萬元）一枚、以司育女神阿斯塔蒂(Astarte)命名的黑寶石鉑金戒指不等。謝菲爾德與她的同行們都已注意到，女人們都想要既美麗又珍貴、還可以每天佩戴的珠寶首飾，而非從母親或祖母那裏繼承來的遺珍。

Incorporating high fashion and luxury into daily life is nothing new—the chicest women around the globe have been pairing their most expensive garments with purchases from lower priced brands like H&M and Top Shop for years. Those same women see accessorizing with fine jewelry as another way of incorporating luxury into their daily routines; so they are looking for pieces that fit seamlessly into their active schedules.

將時尚奢華的高檔物品融入我們的日常生活，這並不是什麼新鮮事。多年來，世界各地的時尚女性已經在用她們最昂貴的禮服來搭配H&M和Top Shop等價格較低的品牌服飾了。也是這些女性，把佩戴高級珠寶也視爲另一種將奢華融入日常的方式；於是她們在尋找一些能夠完美搭配自己各類日常安排的首飾。

Caitlin Mociun, who designs the Brooklyn based line Mociun, said she’s always surprised by the number of young women she sees in fine jewelry doing the everyday things that women of a previous generation would have removed their gems for.

在布魯克林推出了莫辛(Mociun)品牌珠寶的設計師凱特琳·莫辛(Caitlin Mociun)說，她總是驚訝地看到許多年輕女性戴着高級首飾，在從事上一代女性只有摘下珠寶纔會去做的那些日常活動。

“We’re not just sitting around in our pretty jewelry. Women want to go to their exercise class in their jewelry,” she said. “A lot of fine jewelry is not made for everyday. I have to think about how I can make something that is luxurious and beautiful, but also holds up in their lifestyle.”

“我們不只是戴着漂亮的珠寶閒坐着。女人們還想戴着首飾去健身房，”她說，“許多高級珠寶並不是爲日常佩戴而設計的。我必須想想怎樣才能做出一些既奢華美觀，又能契合她們生活方式的首飾。”

Ms. Fehren has seen a similar trend with her customers. She said that they are looking to buy pieces that can be worn easily from day in to evening. Her geometric line includes rings and bangles in varying weights, making them ideal for stacking or layering. It pairs unexpected stones, like opaque sapphires and grey diamonds with 18-carat gold.

費倫女士也從自己客戶身上看到了類似趨勢。她說，她們想買的是一些無論日夜均可佩戴的首飾。她的幾何系列包括了各種成色的戒指及手鐲，非常適合層疊佩戴。首飾上還出其不意地鑲嵌着一些寶石，比如不透明的藍寶石和帶有18克拉金的灰鑽。

“Our customer is looking for designs that are not overly complicated and looks to invest in timeless pieces that complement her overall style,” she said. Her best selling pieces fall into the $4,000-$7,000 range, though some items cost as much as $30,000.

“我們的客戶不想要過分繁複的設計，而是希望投資一些既能保值、又可以襯托自己整體風格的首飾，”她說。她賣得最好的作品，價格介於4000美元（約合人民幣2.5萬元）至7000美元（約合人民幣4.4萬元）之間，不過也有一些價格會高達30000美元（約合人民幣18.8萬元）。

And it is women who are doing the investing. Another factor affecting growth in the fine jewelry market is that, more than ever, women are purchasing expensive pieces for themselves instead of waiting to receive the items they covet as gifts on special occasions.

而且，在做這項投資的都是女人。影響珠寶市場增長的另一個因素是，女士們比以往任何時候都更傾向於自己購買昂貴的珠寶，而非等待某個特殊場合，才收到這些令她們傾心已久的首飾作爲禮物。

Rony Vardi, owner of the jewelry boutique Catbird, and Leigh Plessner, the store’s general manager said they see self-purchasing that ranges from small to extravagant. They say that younger women shopping to celebrate a milestone or a hard week at work with mid-priced fine jewelry.

貓鵲(Catbird)珠寶精品店的店主羅尼·瓦爾迪(Rony Vardi)與該店的總經理利·普勒納(Leigh Plessner)都說，他們發現，從小件飾品到奢華首飾，都不乏買給自己的顧客。他們說，一些年輕女士會購買中等價位的高級珠寶，來爲自己達到某個里程碑而慶祝，或犒勞自己一個星期的辛苦工作。

“Fine jewelry not a stodgy thing that is totally inaccessible. You can own something really beautiful that can be passed down to your kids, and it’s the same price as a pair of really beautiful shoes that you would wear for a few seasons and retire,” Ms. Vardi said by phone.

“高級珠寶並不是什麼難以企及的老古板物件。你可以擁有這類不僅很美、還能傳給你孩子的東西，其價格無非相當於一雙非常漂亮的、讓你穿上幾季就束之高閣的鞋子。”瓦爾迪在電話中說。

Catbird, which has developed a cult following by women of all ages, opened in Brooklyn ten years ago. At first, its core business was with women in their 20s, who they say have grown with the brand. In recent years Ms. Vardi and Ms. Plessner noticed women coming to them for engagement and wedding rings, which encouraged them to expand Catbird’s offerings.

而貓鵲，已經締造出了一種讓各年齡段女性都趨之若鶩的流行文化。這家珠寶店於十年前在布魯克林開業。該店最初的核心業務面向的是那些20多歲的女性，後來這些客戶與此品牌共同成長。近些年，瓦爾迪和普勒斯納留意到，有些女士甚至來他們這裏看訂婚戒指和結婚戒指。這樣的需求促使他們擴大了貓鵲經營的品類。

“That opened the door. We realized that people wanted to see the higher priced pieces, not just for weddings, but to buy for themselves or as gifts.”

“那些需求爲我們開啓了一扇門。我們意識到，人們想看看價格更高的珠寶，不僅是爲婚禮，也有買給自己、或作爲禮物的。”

Overall sales at Catbird have grown steadily, increasing 21 percent from 2013 to 2014 and 32 percent year to date from 2014 to 2015.

貓鵲的總銷售額也在穩步增長。從2013年至2014年增長了21%，而2014年到2015年間更是增長了32%。

Another New York based designer, Pamela Love, whose costume jewelry brand also saw cult success with young women when it launched in 2007, expanded in to fine jewelry last year.

另一位紐約珠寶設計師帕米拉·洛芙(Pamela Love)，去年也將經營範圍擴展到了高級珠寶首飾。此前，她的廉價珠寶品牌自2007年創立以來，就在年輕女性之間風靡開了。

Ms. Love said that her clients are in their 20s to middle 40s, and that many of them hear about the collection, sold exclusively at Barney’s New York, through social media. The label’s Instagram account boasts over 100,000 followers.

洛芙說，她的客戶羣年齡都在20多歲到40多歲之間，其中許多人都是通過社交媒體得知這個只在紐約巴尼斯商店(Barney’s New York)出售的珠寶品牌的。該品牌的Instagram賬號目前已經吸引了超過10萬粉絲。

According to a McKinsey survey, one to two-thirds of luxury shoppers says that they frequently turn to social media for advice.

據麥肯錫的問卷調查顯示，有三分之一到三分之二的奢侈品購買者稱，他們常常在社交媒體上尋求建議。

Ms. Sheffield and Ms. Mociun’s brands also have Instagram accounts that serve as a prime space to showcase another element of their businesses that is changing the way young women shop for fine jewelry: their custom made pieces. For both brands the segment still remains mostly dedicated to engagement and wedding rings, though customers often return to have additional pieces made, for themselves or as gifts. Eva Fehren also works with clients on bespoke creations and all three of the brands say that many of their customers bring heirloom stones to have them reset to their taste.

謝菲爾德與莫辛的品牌也都有Instagram賬號，她們將它作爲一處絕佳的空間，來施展他們業務當中的另一項特色：定製珠寶。這一特色服務將改變年輕女性購買高級珠寶的方式。對於這兩個品牌而言，雖然有些顧客也常來定製一些首飾自己佩戴，或作爲禮物送人，但她們的細分市場依然主要集中於訂婚和結婚戒指。伊娃-費倫也爲一些客戶定做首飾，而且這三個品牌的設計師都說，他們有許多客人會把家傳的寶石帶來，讓她們根據自己的喜好重新設計款式。

“I have one client who I’m always slowly making something for,” Ms. Mociun said.

“有一位客人，我總是會慢慢地爲她做些什麼。”莫辛說。

Each of the New York City based designers said that they plan to continue to grow their fine jewelry business.

這幾位身處紐約的設計師都說，她們打算不斷擴大自己的高級珠寶生意。

Ms. Vardi said that the uptick in jewelry sales across the board makes perfect sense.

瓦爾迪說，珠寶銷售的全線增長說明了一切。

“There is something very special about jewelry. Clients are never grumpy when they are buying jewelry. There is no ‘Oh this is going to make me look fat.’ It is a pleasurable and meaningful experience, and I think that increases the value.”

“在珠寶行業裏，有一件事非常特別。客人們在購買珠寶時從不會怨聲載道。他們不會說‘唉，這讓我太顯胖了’之類的。購買珠寶是一種令人愉悅又很有意義的體驗，所以我認爲這會讓珠寶顯得更加寶貴。”她說。