How brands rise to the top

An enormous number of jewellery businesses that offer the same thing. Don’t get me wrong, many present beautifully designed and crafted collections, but outside of well-made jewellery they all look the same to me. I certainly couldn’t see many with a compelling story behind them – a soul, that big idea, a brand that would make me stop and want to know more. If I’m thinking this, I can’t help but think that customers are going to feel the same way. Brands that will succeed in this game must be built on something more than ‘nicely made jewellery’. Regardless of good marketing, to truly stand out you need to offer something different and relevant to the consumer, or certainly a big enough proportion of them to sustain and grow a successful business. I’m sure if I’d walked around and asked some of the other suppliers to pitch to me as to why I should stock their collections over someone else, they’d have been hard-pressed to give me a convincing answer. Having just gone through an extensive rebrand process myself, I know that if you can’t offer something that’s unique, or suitably different to reduce the number of people you compete against, then you’re in a market place with only one differentiator – price. Not somewhere I’d recommend you being unless volume’s your game. Another thing I noticed at the is the trend for personalisation of jewellery, which is as strong as ever and showing no sign of slowing down. For a jewellery business, having products in your range that allow a customer to individualise what they wear shows you understand the product flexibility they are looking for. This can only strengthen the perception they have of your brand. But with so many businesses jumping on the band-wagon and using techniques such as engraving, stacking, layering and the ever popular ‘create your own’ option, it’s become increasingly difficult to give the shopper something different. That’s why I believe it’s so important to have a strong brand that’s comfortable standing for something more than ‘what’s on trend’ at any given time. As with all trends, a change in direction is inevitable. That’s not to say that giving the customer the ability to individualise their jewellery will stop, but we may see a shift back to singular pieces with beautiful hand-cut gemstone and intricate pattern work. I hope so. Perhaps I’m old fashioned at heart, but I believe that jewellery should be able to work on its own. The best way to create an emotional connection is through a unique combination of style, design, material selection and craftsmanship. It’s certainly something I’m passionate about achieving, and what a lot of our customers look for in our collections. I’m looking forward to seeing which brands rise to the top, and what new trends will enter the market. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the jewellery industry is full of surprises. Anna Emmett, co-founder of Henryka, designers and makers of amber and silver jewellery