That Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi
What do French jewelry consumers look for in a gemstone?

By Darren Arnold

Gemstone and pearl flower ring from Pierre Pupier featuring a French favorite, blue sapphire. Photo courtesy French-Spirit.com.

If you mention France and fashion, images spring to mind of willowy models stalking down runways in avant-garde clothes, or elegant women strolling through Place Vendome in up-to-the-millisecond styles.

But despite France's reputation for cutting-edge fashion, its consumers' tastes in jewelry remain surprisingly conservative. Of all the countries in the European Union, France imports the most ruby, emerald, and sapphire, while its consumption of "other" gems lags far behind. Still, there are indications that products outside of the established fare are starting to make inroads on the market.

On the whole, the French jewelry industry is healthy, and colored stones play a prominent role. Despite the key position Germany holds in the international gemstone industry, France imports the most colored stones by value of any European Union country. Some of that undoubtedly goes into jewelry that will be exported or sold to tourists, but it also suggests a strong domestic market.

French jewelry retailers and wholesalers say that consumers buy all price points, although the average French buyer tends to go for merchandise at the lower end of the market.

As Eric Ruskone of Paris-based Marcel Poncet S.A. points out, most of the low- and medium-quality gems that come into France are not imported as loose gems, but are already set in inexpensive jewelry from Asia. Asian manufacturing centers such as China, Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, which account for 35 percent of fine jewelry imports, have taken over the lower end of the market.

"It's a matter of money," says one French jewelry manufacturer. "[Asian manufacturers] come all the way here to pour kilos of merchandise in Europe. People are going to buy that, believing if they pay less they'll get more for their money, which is a mistake."

Pendant with 7.10 ct. rubellite tourmaline and brilliant diamonds from Stephen Greenstein Design, photo by Frédéric Jaulmes.

Most French jewelry purchases are for special occasions, with almost 50 percent of all purchases made for either birthdays or Christmas. There's now less of a conscious effort to buy jewelry as an investment than in the past — although future value is still a secondary consideration for many buyers.

Putting diamonds aside, the most popular gemstones in France are ruby, emerald, and sapphire. The popularity of these stones is demonstrated by France's import figures for the "Big Three:" €100.4 million (US$90.3 million) in 2001, more than double the Big Three imports of the second-place United Kingdom.

By contrast, the import figures for cut stones other than the Big Three reveal a relatively meager
€11.2 million ($10 million), which is a long way behind the totals for Germany, the United Kingdom, and Italy. "The French stay with their traditional taste for ruby, sapphire, emerald, and diamonds," explains Ruskone.

The ongoing popularity of these stones indicates that the vast majority of French jewelry buyers are, in essence, traditional. Although there is some room for less established gems, the French consumer is still sticking with the buying habits passed down from previous generations.

But there is a new trend in the jewelry market that is being fueled by female self-purchasers. "Now women have the ability to go buy themselves a gift, and that is somewhat getting out of the usual purchases like wedding rings and birthstone rings," says Bruno Dagand of Atelier Vendome, a company that does marketing and sales for a group of French jewelry designers. "A woman will go into a store and shop for what she wants."

Blue topaz and diamond ring from Emasur, photo courtesy French-Spirit.com.

"[The French jewelry market] has been very conservative, always the man buying for his wife or his mistress," notes designer Isabelle Langlois of Paris-based Emasur. But what a man might buy as a present for a woman isn't necessarily what she would buy for herself. "French men are very strange. They always want expensive little things. Women like big things, most of them."

This trend is not isolated to France; it's been noted in other countries, such as the neighboring United Kingdom, and has been a driving force in the United States. The self-purchase market, which now accounts for 75 percent of retail jewelry sales in France, means that women's evolving taste has become the focus of designers' marketing efforts.

That changing taste means that traditional brands have become less important. "With the brand names you have the same thing all over the world," explains Stephane Guillochon of the Parisian jewelry manufacturing and retail company Capet. "A certain part of my clientele doesn't want to have brand names. They don't want to wear a Cartier [for example], or a Piaget. They want to have something different." For those clients, he makes one-of-a-kind custom pieces.

Some of the more popular gems used in non-traditional jewelry in France include blue topaz, aquamarine, amethyst (one of the only gems produced in France), citrine, peridot, agate, opal, hematite, and tourmaline.

Blue has always been a highly popular color — sapphire and aquamarine are perennial favorites — and of the above list of stones, blue topaz has become reasonably popular.

Brooch/pendant with 12.5 mm pearl and brilliant diamonds from Stephen Greenstein Design, photo by Frédéric Jaulmes.

Yellow gems, particularly citrine, are also more in demand, but one of the most significant shifts in taste has come with some buyers choosing pink stones. As Langlois states, "The French used to hate pink stones. When we used to have ruby, they would say, 'no pink.' Now they are getting used to it."

Among the pink stones that are starting to gain in popularity, the higher end of the market has seen a real increase in demand for pink sapphire, while pink tourmaline has become quite prominent among "semiprecious" gems. Chrome green tourmaline has also become popular, which, along with pink and yellow, alludes to a developing taste for what are being termed the "new colors."

Other gems fall flat. According to Emmanuel Piat of Paris' D.H. Piat, tanzanite hasn't caught on. Other French manufacturers say that trendy gems like brown and black diamond are also failing to appeal to French consumers.

The emphasis is on smaller stones, too, bucking the current trend toward large stones. "The French, in general, like small gems and small jewelry. One can see this, as women tend to wear several rings even on the same finger. It really astonishes me when I see seven or eight rings on the same hand. Each may only weigh only a gram or less," notes Stephen Greenstein of Montaud-based Stephen Greenstein Design.

France has the fourth-largest industrial economy in the world, and its annual GDP is roughly 20 percent that of the United States. There's definitely much in the way of opportunity for those in the jewelry trade. French consumer confidence was shaken by far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen's success in the early rounds of the presidential elections in April — and the uncertainty leading up to the elections — but with his defeat it's expected to recover quickly. France has a lively domestic jewelry market, and while that market remains firmly conservative, it is slowly beginning to change.

French Jewelry Design on the Web French jewelry designers have moved right along with the 21st century by expanding their Web exposure and getting their designs on the Internet for the world to see. Here's where to find them: Ring from French designer Claude Audouard, photo courtesy French-Spirit.com. French-Spirit.com A trading site where more than 30 jewelry designers, manufacturers, and retailers gather to offer French jewelry expertise. The site provides a glimpse into the world of French jewelry and links to sellers and designers, as well as a number of helpful online features: a personality test, where you can discover your jewel style and the design for you; Design Your Jewel, where you can design your own ring, choosing the shape, stone, size, and setting; an encyclopedia, with information on diamonds, gems, and gold; news; a forum to share ideas; help with finding the nearest French jeweler; and more. Tourmaline and diamond ring from Stephen Greenstein Design, photo by Frédéric Jaulmes. EmotionFrance.com The "CFHBJO" or French Watch, Clock, Jewellery and Silverware Center brings together all the French manufacturers in these four sectors. On their behalf it undertakes different types of collective action aimed at both promoting French goods on foreign markets and supporting companies wishing to enter these markets. The site allows you to search for the jewelry you want by style, metal, stone, or designer. It then provides a gallery page for each company with photos, product information, and ways to contact them. The site also features a section on jewelry trade fairs and one on news and new products. French Arts & Crafts An online gallery of contemporary French art in different types of media, including precious metals, wood, ceramic, glass, and more. Atelier Vendôme Atelier Vendôme is located in Place Vendôme in the heart of Paris. Its purpose is the introduction of fine jewelry designers and collections by means of its gallery Web site only accessible by jewelers, particularly those looking for novelty and fine quality pieces. Jewelers register on the site, then gaining access to browse the gallery of jewelry collections or place a custom order with one of the designers. VogueGioiello.net International Web site for jewelry, goldsmith, and watchmaking. Provides news and trends about theluxury products market, European and other international designers, and a broad collection of jewelry 'images .