High Jewelry Takes a Road Trip - by NYT

Rather than the usual presentations in Paris, brands from Bulgari to Van Cleef & Arpels chose luxury locations to debut their new collections.

Not long ago, the high jewelry presentations on and around Place Vendôme brought the semiannual couture shows to a dazzling finale.

This summer, however, many of the biggest fireworks already have happened, with brands from Bulgari to Van Cleef & Arpels introducing their most exclusive collections in exotic locations.

Major jewelry makers are increasingly adopting a fashion industry-like practice, choosing their own dates for elaborate events and then flying in top customers, influencers and editors for a couple of days of cocktails, canapés and cabochons. It all looks quite a lot like the extravagant cruise (or resort) presentations that have returned with a vengeance since the pandemic waned.
While the link between a high jewelry collection and the setting in which it is revealed can be tenuous, Luca Solca, a luxury analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein in Switzerland, wrote in an email that such events let brands pamper clients “beyond any level we know.”
“This is part and parcel of a deliberate escalation that mega-brands are driving to leave competitors in the dust,” he added. “You cannot afford a landmark flagship, major itinerant shows and high-profile V.I.P. entertainment at the four corners of the world? Then you cannot play in the premier league.”