From Me, To Me – On women who are buying their own jewellery
Now a days women buy their own jewellery and here is why
Traditionally, jewellery has always been positioned as the sort of thing that is bought as a gift for other people. In 2011, two-thirds of fine jewellery sold in the US was purchased around the holiday season, especially coming up to Valentine’s Day and Christmas. Indeed, the bulk of it was sold to men for women, meaning that both brands and marketplaces focused their attention around male consumers, rather than female. It was all about big, flashy designs, as male customers were concerned with investment potential and ‘getting their money’s worth’.
This is all now starting to shift. It’s been nineteen years since Destiny’s Child asked us “Question: Tell me what you think about me: I buy my own diamonds and I buy my own rings” and girls let me tell you, I could not support you more. Beautiful bejewelled statements of independence have now become customary additions to any woman’s wardrobe. As women become increasingly financially empowered, they’ve given up waiting to receive that perfect piece of jewellery from their partners and buy what they want, when they want it.
“Question: Tell me what you think about me: I buy my own diamonds and I buy my own rings”
Destiny’s Child
It’s a trend that seems somewhat unsurprising on the surface — Women Buy Jewellery is hardly making the front page of the New York Times – but for those in the industry, it marks a significant shift, and one which should be celebrated. As a jeweller myself, this is something I find quite exciting, because when women buy and co-design their own jewellery, the pieces themselves become imbued with so much more emotional value. Furthermore, they don’t just wear these pieces on special formal occasions but proudly flaunt them as a reminder of how far they’ve come and what they’ve managed to achieve. Here are some of the ways jewellery has taken on a new meaning for women who have bought it for themselves.
Jewellery to mark a personal milestone
Moving to a new country; getting a degree; accepting the job of your dreams; writing a book; running a marathon; losing a loved one; going travelling on your own; having your children (finally) leave the nest – from your greatest pride to your greatest loss, these milestones may be moments that you share with others, but for you they may mean something far more profound than anyone around you could possibly imagine. Increasingly, women are buying jewellery for themselves to commemorate their hard work, their achievements, or important moments in their lives. For example, not long ago, Niki Smirni came to me asking if I could design her a piece of jewellery to celebrate the founding of her new company Travelgems, a personal concierge travel company. Starting a business is scary stuff (believe me), but having something physical, something permanent, can be a reminder not to look backwards and just be proud of taking those terrifying first steps (for the Niki’s full story see – click here).
A bond between generations - bonded by gemstones
Something I’ve always found magical about jewellery is its very permanence. Made from some of the oldest materials known to man – platinum, gold and silver – and set with the hardest stones out there, it’s something real and tangible that will outlive us all. From redesigning an old family heirloom (see here and here) to creating something completely new that will be passed down from generation to generation (see here) – I’m in the business of making something that will last forever. Jewellery should never be valued by its cost, but by its ability to encapsulate memory and human experience, increasing in worth by every generation it’s passed down to.
True to you - Jewellery shopping for yourself
For far too many years, women were used to basically getting what they were given. Case in point: the number of Facebook groups started by women, dedicated to how much they hate their engagement ring . The freedom of buying jewellery for yourself is just that, FREEDOM. When a woman buys jewellery for herself, it’s something she’s specifically picked out to show her sense of style and express her individualised taste.
The freedom of choice and expression is often missed when jewellery is given as a gift. As is the exhilaration that comes with buying something expensive that is truly yours. The first piece of expensive jewellery that I bought for myself still brings me so much joy when I wear it because it reminds me of the excitement that came with buying it. I was on holiday in Santorini with my husband, it was the first time I’d been to Greece and I’d heard wonders about the craft of Grecian jewellery. Just outside of where we were staying was this tiny, little jewellery shop and in the window was this beautiful ring with a tiny, little cabochon sapphire. I can’t explain it at all, but when I saw this ring something just clicked, and in that moment, I could picture myself wearing it so incredibly vividly. We would pass this shop every day and every day I would mull it over. Finally, on the last day I decided to buy it with some money I had saved from my first job.
More than the actual ring itself, what I loved about it was the fact that it was mine. I had chosen it and I had bought it, and for that reason I felt that this ring said a lot about me – I had my own job, I travelled, I had my own tastes and interests. It’s not as if I’ve received loads of complements or anyone’s ever told me ‘Wow do you like travelling? Because this ring really shows that you like to travel’. But so often that’s not the point of jewellery. We don’t just wear jewellery for others; we wear jewellery for ourselves. It brings us confidence and self-belief because we feel it’s a reflection of who we are, a tiny window into where we’ve been, what we think and what we like.
So I love the fact that women are waiting for no man to buy them jewellery and I encourage others to follow the shrewd wisdom of Ariana Grande - ‘I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it’.
“I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it”
Militza Ortiz Jewellery is a small jewellery business located in Wimbledon, South West London UK. We would be delighted to have you in our studio, but if that is not possible we can work remotely as we have done for many of our worldwide clients.
