Exclusive jewelry is as desirable as handcrafted jewelry comes. Created to
epitomize the values of uniqueness, scarcity, individuality, and soul, you are
unlikely to feel any more special when wearing any other forms of jewelry.
Exclusive jewelry is the ultimate in designer jewelry, or is it?
It is in the perception.
When perceptions are close to reality, you'll have true value.
When perceptions depart from reality, you'll have a mirage.
Paying a Premium for Exclusive Jewelry
Exclusivity demands a premium.
One commonly touted way to satisfy this
demand is to import products in very small quantities and raising the selling
price by several times, at least.
We have generally resisted to giving in to such
offers as a few factors bothered us:
If the items are popular, will they be imported again, thus diminishing
their exclusivity?
Even if the vendor concerned will not import the item
again in the future, other merchants may. The particular design may
already be available in other shops.
If an item is produced in a factory, thousands or even tens of thousands
are cloned to justify the moulds and design costs. Can you consider
something of this nature, exclusive?
Alternatively, designer crafted items are by nature rather exclusive as they
are produced by hand – usually the same pair.
Quantities generated are expected to be small, in sharp contrast to machines
churning out clones tirelessly round the clock.
There are jewellery designers that go even further.
They offer to create
jewellery pieces they will not duplicate again even if there were requests and
offers, no matter how earnest. This is very difficult and very hard on the
artist.
It's like having a chef creating a sumptuous dish just for you and for
you only.
You patronize this restaurant with friends and order your special
dish. Your friends can tell good food from its alluring presentation, can
smell the titillating aroma of spices and roasted meat emanating from
your plate.
They cannot have what you are having unless you are generous enough
to slice a piece off and share.
'Love it!', and they clamour to order your
exclusive dish. Well, it is exclusive and the chef absolutely won't budge.
How
cool is that?
This exclusive dish can be expected to be priced higher and
rightly so. It's the same with exclusive handcrafted jewelry creations.
The rationale of value
To make a living through creating exclusive jewellery only, is arduous. Imagine the
magnitude of creativity one needs to have.
For
exclusive jewellery to offer high value, it has to be unique as well.
Otherwise, plenty of women are wearing something similar anyway, so what's the
point.
Handcrafted exclusive jewelry that feature common designs are correctly termed as
exclusive if the
designer does not duplicate the designs.
However, the real value is diminished when the values of uniqueness,
scarcity, individuality, and soul are lost or lessened.
You will realize the lack of value when you have to tell your friends what
you're wearing is exclusive handmade jewelry and are greeted with indifferent
expressions.
