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Peter Matika
FINDING great Christmas gifts in this busy gift-giving season can be a daunting task, also given the depressed economic situation the country is facing.
People spend hours running around in search of perfect gifts. In case it isn’t circled in bright red on your calendar, Christmas falls on the 25th of December. That’s in exactly five days from today.
The options of the perfect gift range from food, sassy gadgets, wine, and jewellery. This past week I found myself in a dilemma, it was either I pick a dress or jewellery.
Believe me the dress option is outdated and knowing that diamonds and trinkets are a girl’s best friend . . . and so are rubies, sapphires and gold. The only way to impress my other half was to get a timeless jewellery piece.
As I embarked on my quest to find a “not so pricey” trinket, I came across a jewellery shop.
Obviously bearing reservations about the price, as my wallet was low on “green bills”, I braved it out and walked in. As I viewed some of the trinkets, mostly rings, the owner of the jewellery shop Tawanda Tsaurai, happened to cast my misgivings aside, as he gave me a brief rundown of the timeless pieces they make.
They particularly specialise in rings, which range from fashion, engagement and wedding rings.
“We specialise in rings but we do also manufacture items such as necklaces, bracelets and earrings. We make custom jewellery out of silver and gold,” he said.
He said despite the marginally higher price points; fine jewellery should take precedence of fashion jewellery.
“Now is the time to invest in pieces that have longevity and versatility. Classic, by the way, doesn’t necessarily mean boring.
Flashes of colour, flourishes of diamonds and the rich glow of rose gold are welcome signs of optimism in an economic downturn,” he said.
As we were chatting he told me more about the shop and how he managed to keep it afloat in this rather harsh economic environment.
“We used to go by the name Swiss Jewellers, it however, changed names as the previous owner Paul May died. I decided to rekindle the company but with a different name. For us jewellery is our life. We are working towards establishing a website but we have a strong clientele across Zimbabwe and even export some of our products at reasonable margins. We also offer bargains such as free men’s wedding rings for each set purchased,” said Tsaurai.
As he went on with his task to persuade me to purchase something he gave me five important trends to invest in this holiday season.
He said as the spot price for gold continued to soar around the world jewellery companies as his were getting creative about how to design great jewellery with reduced amounts of metal.
“Designs are more lightweight and affordable than ever, yet even more creative than solid pieces and just as bold. They have the bulk but not the mass of previous collections and are more sculptural and architectural. Solid pieces such as pendants, rings and earrings are punctuated in the shape of motifs such as hearts and stars, allowing for a big look without the chunkiness and weight.
‘‘Chains are characterised by large, open links. In rings, there are moat-like spaces between centre stones and bezels. Gold wire is twisted and woven in an array of sculptural shapes, punctuated with diamonds and other gemstone. All of these design techniques result in pieces that retain a large frame, even while the amount of gold used is substantially less. In effect, it follows the lead of costume jewellery, which goes for a big look with inexpensive materials. Best of all, this new unbearable lightness of being not only makes pieces more affordable, but easier to wear,” he said.
I was impressed by his knowledge on the subject at hand to be honest, the fact that he actually sat down to write something down to present to me for this article showed just how passionate he was.
As I noted diamonds are a girl’s best friend, no matter what colour they are.
They are often pricey, but jewellers have come up with beautiful designs that are much affordable.
“Many rings now contain fewer large centre diamonds in favour of clusters of several smaller stones, including coloured diamonds and coloured diamond accents. This is a reflection not only of the economy but the tight supply of diamonds.
Diamonds are the hardest gem known to man, they have a higher light return than any other gemstone and this is true no matter what colour they are,” said Tsaurai.
He also spoke about coloured gems, particularly in pastel colours, which are popping up in the latest jewellery collections, as the preferred centre stone for rings, pendants and earrings.
“Some of the big brands are even experimenting with rarely used minerals, such as calcite and agate, for looks that are bold, unique and affordable. Even highly-saturated fine gemstones being used as central stones in fine jewellery collections again, as manufacturers move away from pieces that are minimalist and primarily white. This reduces the amount of metal, making a piece lighter and more wearable. Diamonds are still serving as accent stones, but the beauty of colored gemstones is shining through in fine jewellery this season,” he said.
Tsaurai said that making jewellery in different shapes was very much appealing and every lady ought to have jewellery.
Different shapes have always been an important motif in fine jewellery. Finally he said jewellery was not just for women but men too and that in order to achieve the ultimate gentleman or lady look one had to adorn at least a piece of jewellery on their body.
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Online Reporter