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Designer’s Diary: Designing with millennials in mind
As Generation Y matures and becomes more prosperous, the jewelry industry will need to become more socially conscious, Jacqueline Stone writes in her latest diary entry.
Jacqueline Stone is the chief creative officer of her company, Salt + Stone, working primarily with private clients to build custom engagement rings and wedding bands. She can be reached at shine@saltandstone.com.
Ah, millennials. We love to lambast them for their laziness, entitlement and narcissism. After all this is a generation that’s staggeringly unemployed, yet this doesn’t seem weigh on their minds enough to distract them from taking selfies on Instagram all day. Or so the stereotype goes.
But there’s more substance to this generation than the jewelry industry is currently aware of--much less catering to--and it’s time we start paying attention, rather than write them off as too young and broke to be a viable market.
As a generation, millennials are probably the most principled when it comes to their spending. They like luxury goods just as much as boomers but, unlike their forbearers, they care about where their goods come from. They want to know in what type of working conditions their clothes and shoes were made and how the workers were treated.
Think about American Apparel, which started as a young brand for young people. Sure, racy advertising campaigns and an adult aesthetic was part of the brand’s almost-instant popularity, but its ethos was built on the fact that the clothes are made in America, Los Angeles specifically, the transparency of their operations, worker compensation and factory conditions.
That awareness and conscience-driven decision making is what informs millennial big-ticket spending. Sure, they want a shiny new car, even if they go into debt to get it, but they want it to be a hybrid so they feel they’re doing their part to protect the environment.
As an independent jewelry designer, I’ve been thinking a lot about how I can incorporate these kinds of values into my collections. It’s not easy, because we just haven’t fully adapted these principles in the industry.
The Kimberley Process ensures diamonds only come from countries where proceeds from the goods are not outright fueling rebellions against legitimate governments. This is a good start, but it doesn’t address an equally important part of the process--the working conditions within those mines or how those workers are compensated.
Also, all rough diamonds coming in and out of the United States must adhere to the Kimberley Process, but melee diamonds are a part of the story where the lines get a bit more blurry. Many diamonds under 1 carat do not have a GIA report, which makes them more difficult to track and easier to cross borders. Diamonds are big money. Regulations are reluctant and slow.
As far as colored gemstones, there doesn’t seem to be any sort of regulation system at all.
I was recently introduced to a lapidary in New York City who cuts his diamonds on the street (in the Diamond District) instead of sending them out, and all rough is imported from his brother’s mine in Brazil. I get some peace of mind in learning from him how those workers are treated but without any sort of industry standards and oversight, there is no way of knowing for sure.
One of my mentors once told me to keep focus on my designs and let the officials worry about policies. Wise words, since I don’t have the expertise or resources to make any immediate difference. But I can’t help this weighing on my conscience when I purchase stones, and feel it’s my duty to at least address it here.
So yes, when they’re not busy Snapchatting, millennials are very much concerned with social issues and the integrity behind the items they purchase.
As an industry, jewelers need to take a cue from this emerging market. According to a report recently published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans between the ages of 26 and 35 are more likely to purchase jewelry than any other segment of the population.
Remember, they won’t be young and broke forever, and as they become more prosperous, we need to be more conscious.
Jacqueline Stone has a background in finance, marketing, advertising, product development, fine jewelry manufacturing, design and sourcing. She currently is the chief creative officer of her company, Salt + Stone, working primarily with private clients to build custom engagement rings and wedding bands. Stone can be reached at shine@saltandstone.com.
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