Heritage Makes A Comeback

Some of the world's oldest and most famous jewellery houses are drawing inspiration from the past, in an attempt to compete against the global luxury fashion brands such as Gucci, Dior and Versace.

Nowhere can this be seen more dramatically than in Paris. The Chaumet jewellery house originally made its name as the jeweller to Napoleon, and their current collection reflects this history, including bracelets with love messages inspired by Napoleon's gifts to Josephine.

Cartier's recently created collection "Inde Mysterieuse", pays homage to its longstanding love affair with the Indian sub-continent, which dates back to the start of the century, when Louis Cartier became fascinated with the Maharajahs and Moghul art. The past has been brought into the present to create jewellery pieces that are fine examples of modern design and creativity, whilst maintaining a clear historical influence.

One of the biggest challenges facing traditional jewellers is the need to appeal to new markets, and particularly to younger generations, who have been born into a globalised marketplace dominated by powerful brand names and modern marketing expertise. Traditional jewellers therefore have to adapt to the changing marketplace, recognise their strengths and weaknesses, and adopt new marketing strategies.

Whilst history provides a rich source of inspiration for jewellers, perhaps the greatest strength of the historic houses is the dedicated craftsmanship and skill they offer. These qualities allow the jewellers to work closely with the client, and to create unique, bespoke pieces of jewellery that are highly personalised. This is something that the global fashion brands will never be able to compete with.