Dear readers,

It is with the utmost excitement that we present to you Europa Star Jewels magazine. Readers of our CIJ Trends and Colours magazine will be pleased to hear that we will continue to inspire you with the latest evolutions that we identify in the jewellery world. Additionally we take you through the journey of new insights about the women’s watch designs of the year. Enjoy!

Today women account for 35% of global watch sales. Hence it is easy to point out the current gender imbalance and it is equally easy to identify a giant growth potential for the industry towards its feminine clientele.

The signal is made clear by Roger Dubuis, for instance, a strong brand which declared 2016, Year of the Diva, emphasizing its collection Velvet! Not a variation on its men’s collections but true high-end watchmaking meant for women.

Of course, the boundaries between both “segments” are sometimes blurred. Another strong trend today is that of sober and elegant watches, coming back to more rational sizes, which can appeal to both genders.

SIHH was a clear indication of the right way to reach the wrists of women. We are guessing that Baselworld will give rich insights too. We have spoken to the CEOs of Bulgari and Hermès (pages 26, 32), who have clearly confirmed the feminine signal. Enjoy!

It is exciting to see redefinition of perfection in jewellery design, from Jean Paul Gaultier’s creation of the ‘Broken’ stone for Swarovski (page 18) to artistic creations of emerging jewellery designers like Ornella Iannuzzi.

Art remains an inspiration for jewellery designers and watchmakers alike. It comes through interpretations of existing masterpieces like Hokusai’s Great Wave or new works of art jewellery by Ai WeiWei.

Yet in fine jewellery, unlike fashion, perhaps consumers often drive trends. Rose gold fine jewellery is one such demand-driven trend, proving itself to be far from a fleeting one. Whether combined with mother-of-pearl (Madame Butterfly), feminine pastel-coloured gemstones (Rose Gold page) or noir diamonds (Monkey Business); it looks like rose gold is here to stay.

What about pearls? Speaking to the Gemologue blogger at Inhorgenta, we discovered that pearls could be the next girl’s best friend.

What else is written in the stars? Well, celestial motions in the last year may be responsible for the plethora of exquisite creations in watches and jewels. We have flown to the moon and back to bring you some inspiration. Last but not least, the loss of David Bowie reminded us of his role as a fashion icon. But did he influence watch and jewellery designs? There is only one way to find out. Happy reading!