Interview conducted by Cynthia Unninayar
One of today’s fastest growing brands is Jye Luxury Collection. Starting as a purveyor of premium pearls more than 30 years ago, it is now a creator of luxurious jewellery. To learn more about its plans, CIJ Trends & Colours spoke with the creative force behind the brand, Jennifer Chang.
CIJTC: What made you shift from being a seller of fine pearls to a manufacturer of fine jewellery?
Jennifer Chang: In the early 1990s, I realized that the cultivation of pearls would likely lead to their oversupply, and I also like the creative aspects of making beautiful and high-quality jewellery.
CIJTC: You produce many gemstone pieces. Which stones do you prefer and what percentage of the collections are colour and what are mainly diamond lines?
JC: We specialize in fine precious stones—very high qualities of rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and some jade, two carats and above, set in 18K gold or or platinum. Our production is divided fairly evenly between coloured gems and diamond pieces. We also do a bridal line, which is made mostly with diamonds.
CIJTC: Who is your target clientele?
JC: Consumers with disposable income, generally over 40, although we have clients in their 20s and 30s, who see jewellery not simply as adornment, but also as investment. Unlike property, there are no taxes or maintenance fees with jewellery and, importantly, there is great pleasure of wearing it.
CIJTC: So, do you advise your clients to purchase high-end pieces for investment?
JC: It depends on the client. First and foremost, they must love the jewellery. It is true, however, that the prices of fine emeralds, for example, have increased more than 50 percent in the last five years. Fine jade has gone up more than tenfold over the last decade, and continues its vertical ascent.
CIJTC: How much of your collection is fine jewellery, pieces that you might term investment quality?
JC: It accounts for about 30 to 40 percent of total sales, with prices ranging from $3500 to $430,000 depending on the size and quality of the gemstone.
CIJTC: What efforts have you made to increase brand awareness of Jye Luxury Collection?
JC: In previous years, we promoted the brand basically to the trade, but now we are looking at new marketing tools for both the trade and consumers.
CIJTC: What are some of these new marketing endeavours?
JC: One example is our ad campaign over the past five months that appeared in the United Airlines flight magazine, Hemisphere, which has 7.2 million copies in circulation every month. The response has been very positive and has created increased brand awareness among consumers, as well as helping to promote our retailers, since we don’t sell directly to the public. Another example is that, since 2009, our jewellery has won many prizes, including the JCK Jewelers’ Choice awards, and this recognition helps gets our name out.
CIJTC: Are you active in social media as well?
JC: We post once or twice a week on Facebook and Pinterest, and our social media team tweets twice a day, since Twitter is a good way to share the latest designs. We also publish an e-newsletter for our retailers to keep them up to date on new pieces.
CIJTC: What are your plans for the brand over the next few years?
JC: We will continue our brand awareness initiatives on a consumer level while working with retailers. I would also like to add that we are now an official AGS vendor. We will continue our goal of ensuring that our retail partners are able to provide their customers with the ideal piece of jewellery, one that they will treasure for many years to come.
