LIFESTYLE - It is important to put thought and planning into your wedding jewellery, advise experts.
From various trends that are shaping the market today, to juggling budgets and considering pieces as wearable investments, local jewellers shared insights with the POST.
Nihal Shah, is a third-generation bespoke jewellery designer and director of Vijay Shah Concepts, an award-winning jewellery designer and manufacturer.
From the age of five, Shah recalls finishing off at playschool midday and spending the rest of his afternoons watching his grandfather and father at work in their jewellery workshop.
Today Shah is a modern-age jeweller incorporating 3D printing and other modern technologies into his jewellery.
“My grandfather was a lot more of a traditional jeweller so he focused on those elements when it came to wedding jewellery. My dad however changed the game a little bit. He is actually the pioneer of all the awards in our family, being associated with awards held by the Jewellery Council of South Africa, the De Beers Shining Light Awards and the Plat Africa Awards held by Anglo American.
"My dad focused more on creating unique pieces and entering these kinds of competitions and that's where our family brand actually grew and in that sense, my dad is the founder of the Vijay Shah Concepts we have today. He created the benchmark.
Trousseaus
“In the past with wedding jewellery, the focus was on making the bigger bangles and bigger, chunky, neckpieces for a wedding trousseau.
“While we are still making those sorts of pieces, the market has changed a bit. There is less focus on the more traditional to more modern preferences.
"Today’s bride seems to look for versatility in her pieces. She wants minimalistic creations that are more functional. Whereas back in the day the focus was on creating bigger pieces, like the Kruger coin sets, today’s brides want to have jewellery they can wear every day.”
Gen Z, investment
Shah said they found that many of the Gen Z brides opt to accessorise with traditional costume jewellery on their wedding day and rather invest in gold pieces that could be worn regularly, that would bring them value down the line.
“A lot of families that have some of the bigger traditional sets of the past and you cannot believe the value in growth today. For example a one ounce Kruger Rand purchased in the year 2004 had an average value of R3 000 and the average price of that same coin being close to R31 000 today.
“So they are seeing the value behind gold, and looking at it as more of an investment.
“If you look at pandemic trends, in general, all markets like our Exchange rates, crude and oil, dropped. But gold shot up like you wouldn't believe. While some people have looked at crime and hesitated, those who have invested in gold are now seeing the value of it."
Shah said the choice of wedding jewellery for modern couples was driven by a mix of investment and trends.
“It is important for couples to really think and plan before they invest in their wedding jewellery.
"To give you an idea of how the gold price has increased, the price of what you would have paid for 18 carat gold a few years ago, is what you would pay for 9 carat gold right now. The gold price has increased significantly, particularly in the last three years.
“Your choice of jewellery depends on personal preference of metals and stones and what you can afford. But my advice to anybody buying jewellery, especially for a wedding, is don't decide to buy too much all at once. Rather do it in stages.
The ring
Shah said: “If you know you are getting married, the ring is the most important thing. Buy something with value in it. From a demand perspective, people are misinformed when it comes to diamonds. There are a lot of other characteristics apart from colour and clarity that are important on a diamond. You don’t have to buy the most expensive piece, but buy something that has value in it.
"For example when looking at a diamond, the proportion and symmetry is important. As this affects the way the light reflects off a diamond and gives it that sparkly “life” . Certain diamond shapes sell faster than others on the market. For example, a round brilliant cut will move faster than a pear, heart or princess cut.“
International trends, ‘flex’
Shah said they have seen an influx of fancy shaped diamonds in the industry over the past two years and this was likely in keeping with trends overseas, particularly celebrity trends.
“So your pear shapes, the princess cuts, the emerald cuts, these are overseas trends that have carried over to South Africa. A lot of modern couples are also going for a simple big stone solitaire ring. People are largely misinformed that the carat weight is important, but if, for example, you have 20 diamonds that equals 1 carat versus one diamond that equals 1 carat, your one single large diamond is significantly more valuable.”
In line with celebrity trends, couples are going for bigger engagement rings.
“There's no bigger flex these days than a lady's engagement ring. Back in the day, in my grandfather's time, if you owned a 1 carat diamond you were probably on Kim Kardashian’s kind of status, 2 carat’s were unheard of because it was considered to be extremely expensive. But these days most brides want a minimum of a 1 carat.
“In terms of the traditional heavy bangles for Indian wedding trousseaus, we are seeing the shift away from this. It's more towards the tennis bracelets or Cartier-style bracelets / bangles.
"There is a general shift away from the heavy headgear and heavy neckpieces mostly because they cannot be worn every day – Its all about being practical. The bride is still going for the neckpieces and the earrings but now its much more multifunctional. The bride Is able to add on or remove elements to suit her outfit of choice. These custom designed pieces have the option of being dressed up or down to suit the occasion. Fusion jewellery that can be worn with both eastern and western wear," said Shah.
Pandemic trends
While silver has increased in value, and there was a growing market for gold plated silver jewellery, there is no doubt that it does not have the same value in growth as gold does.“"
Shah said two major shifts they had seen post-Covid-19 was that people had begun to appreciate the worth and value of gold more, and they have also begun to appreciate the worth and value of life more.
“Something that has amazed us personally in our line of business is seeing the emotional effect that the pandemic has had on people in terms of the value that they attach to their loved ones. Every birthday, anniversary, Valentine's Day, Father's Day, Mother's Day seems to have become more special. Despite losses in business and jobs, many people have seemingly adopted the notion of making every moment count by seizing every opportunity to show loved ones how special they are, including buying them a piece of special jewellery to mark a special occasion.”
In this regard, Shah said people have been buying smaller pieces of jewellery or reinvesting what they have.
“They invest in something as simple as a remodel of a wedding ring, trading in a smaller stone and investing in a bigger stone for their sets. We’ve also seen a huge uptake in men's jewellery, men’s wedding bands with engraving or stones, men's bracelets and high-end watches with stacked bracelets that have become quite fashionable for men.”
Shah said the fluctuation of metal prices during the pandemic and the increase in demand showed that more people recognised the value of gold.
“You basically have to look at it as a wearable investment," he said.
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