WGC Attempts to Spark Global Renaissance

By Carrie Soucy, Senior Editor -- JCK Online, 11/1/2001 2:00:00 AM

Music, models, and ambiance were the ingredients in the World Gold Council's plans to awaken the world's fashion leaders, retailers, and—ultimately—consumers to a gold renaissance.

The newly re-empowered council launched its campaign in Vicenza in June but debuted it with fanfare in the United States in July. The WGC, in conjunction with the Vicenza Trade Fair, hosted hundreds of retailers, the trade and consumer press, and other jewelry industry leaders for an evening of "evocative gold" at Cipriani 42nd Street. The event featured 57 pieces of new gold jewelry that illustrate the most important trends in that market segment. The collection, dubbed "Evocative Gold: The World Aglow," comprises pieces not only from the United States and Italy but also from France, Spain, England, Switzerland, Japan, Korea, and Thailand.

The collection—now on a world tour—embodies several trends and carries with it the thrust of the WGC's marketing attempts to bring gold to the forefront: i.e., that gold is hip—or, rather, "warm is cool."

Among the trends identified:

Traditions are revisited with Etruscan, Greek, Sumerian, and Inca-inspired designs, along with creations that echo Renaissance, Baroque, and Art Nouveau influences.
Bold is better, according to designers, who cite sizable cuffs, bold bracelets and rings, piles of gold chains, and Elizabethan chokers and collars.

The collection is being displayed in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, as an international advertising and marketing plan is rolled out.

"We feel confident that this innovative collection will contribute to an increase in the demand for gold jewelry throughout the worldwide market," says John Calnon, senior vice president of jewelry for the WGC.