IT'S DIFFICULT TO BE FIRST. DIFFICULT TO BE FAMOUS. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO REMAIN AT THE PEAK OF POPULARITY FOR MANY CENTURIES. Little to who succeeds. ENGLISH JEWELRY HOUSE "GARRARD" - EXCLUSION IF NOT ALL, THERE FROM MANY RULES. HIS PRODUCTS ARE DELIVERED TO BRITISH MONARCHS FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE XVIII CENTURY. And the most known products "GARRARD" in recent history BECAME engagement ring with blue sapphire and diamonds, to which in 1981 the Prince of Wales Charles gave to his wife, Princess Diana, but years later, their eldest son Prince William gave it to his future wife Kate Middleton ...
Today our interlocutor is Eric Diadorff, a Stanford graduate, chief executive officer of the Garrard jewelry house, with great enthusiasm talks about the expansion of the brand and its glorious past.
Eric, in 2010, Garrard House celebrated its 275th anniversary. Please tell me what is the basis for such a successful work of the company for almost three centuries?
If the company was founded in 1735 and is the oldest jewelry house in the world, we need to correspond to each individual period of time, keep up with it. In the early 1700s, we issued numerous silver cups and awards, as well as jewelry for the aristocracy, the same continued with the onset of the 1800s and beyond. From the very beginning, Garrard was an incredibly creative company, in all aspects of the formation of quality standards, both in the selection of precious stones and for the entire production process. And, of course, the development of the company is fully consistent with the spirit of the times. Thanks to this, we have at the heart of its success - a classic jewelry school, unsurpassed quality, as well as jewelry that satisfy the tastes of the most diverse, but at the same time, the most demanding customers in the world.
Throughout its history, the company has worked with the royal courts of Europe, producing heraldic symbols, awards, and jewelry by order of influential persons. Which ones were the most visible, and for whom were they created?
The answer to this question can be obtained by arriving in the English capital and going to the Tower of London, where the jewels of the British crown are stored. Numerous works are exhibited there, created by Garrard's master jewelers two hundred or more years ago. Some of the decorations were simply designed within the walls of Garrard, others were restored in our workshops.
This happened, for example, when a new king ascended to the throne, and it was urgent to change the size of the crown, or when the treasures of precious stones were loosened. The British monarchs assigned this special mission to the Garrard House. As for the tiaras, we made them for the last six generations of English rulers, starting with Queen Victoria. In addition, we create tiaras for members of other royal families around the world, for example, recently made an unusual diadem for the current Queen of Malaysia. This is a true masterpiece of jewelry. I can continue by listing all the current royal houses of Europe. At Garrard, we consider this a special mission - to supply symbols of power to modern monarchies.
Despite the fact that Garrard is the oldest jewelry house in the world, it is probably not easy for you to find the best gems for your jewelry? And the competition in the segment of high jewelry art is great.
You are right, but there is one positive point in the fact that our company has been operating in the market for a long time and has earned a certain reputation. We get gems from various sources and from trusted suppliers. And when we need some special stones, we turn to them, and after a certain time we get what we need.
How does the Garrard brand feel in the Middle East region?
Historically, Garrard did not advertise in the Middle East region. Only two years ago, for the first time, we began to actively promote brand products in Dubai. Today we began the expansion of our presence in the markets of neighboring countries. I hope that soon Garrard boutiques will appear in other Middle Eastern cities.
But what is remarkable, the inhabitants of the countries of the region are well acquainted with the Garrard House and its products. For many years, they came to London to buy our jewelery on Albemarl Street, 24 or in the Harvey Nichols Gallery, or in our company shop in Regent Street, where it has been for the past 12 years. The younger generation knows about Garrard from their parents. So we did not have to re-introduce Middle Eastern buyers with the products of our home.
What are your marketing and advertising strategies today? After all, if you look around, you will not deny that the Garrard boutique in The Dubai Mall is located next to the stores of no less famous jewelry houses. What do you do to be different from others?
This is an important issue, since the competition today is indeed quite fierce, both in Dubai and in other countries of the world. I am happy that modern customers are educated people who travel a lot and understand what real quality and true luxury are.
Some of our competitors conduct massive advertising campaigns, and I am convinced that Garrard is unlikely to get around them in terms of the volume of advertising produced. However, our partners from the markets where the brands are represented are perfectly able to correlate their actions with the tastes and preferences of different consumer segments. I am personally sure that a personal approach to certain customers who need to be invited personally from time to time to the boutique to get acquainted with the latest collections helps us much better. It seems to me that when buying jewelry, buyers are most often guided by the uniqueness of the product or, as in our case, faith in a trademark with strong and deep historical roots. Moreover, we intend to please our fans for the next 200 years, at least.
Garrard House is known for its numerous cups and awards for sports, as well as for its lines of unique jewelry. Are you planning to focus on jewelry in this part of the world, or will you also be presenting other products?
Here, mainly jewelry. True, in the last two years we have noticeably increased our attention to the production of various trophies, cups and awards. Garrard made his first cup in 1775, and it is still kept at Albemarl Street in London.
This is an amazing product. And when a company works on prizes for world-class sporting events, this is also a huge responsibility, since we can in no way compromise on the quality and beauty of our products. If you see the cups made by Garrard in the last two to three years, you will be stunned by the finest work of our jewelers. Some cups are made of non-traditional materials for the jewelry industry. For example, we recently created a cup for the international polo match in China from the finest porcelain, decorated with the image of a fire dragon.
It is known that the tastes of customers differ, depending on the country of residence, status, age and many other indicators. What Garrard jewelery collections sell best around the world?
This is a daunting task for any company, whether it is a manufacturer of chocolate or jewelry, to satisfy the tastes of the maximum number of customers in a wide variety of markets. Usually, how many people - so many opinions. However, we noticed that some of our collections, for example Wings (“Wings”), are sold with great success in Europe and the Middle East.
We are constantly adding products to this collection. Today we have only pendants of different sizes (European bestsellers), but also luxurious necklaces in the form of a wing hugging the neck, or beautiful bracelets with white or black diamonds (favorites of oriental beauties). So, the collection is one, but the tastes are different ...
How well is Garrard House represented in the markets of Russia and the CIS?
If we consider these markets in the context of the whole of Eastern Europe, then I want to say that today we are cooperating with two large distributors, each of which is very enthusiastic in promoting Garrard. Our jewelry is sold in a beautiful multi-brand boutique in the Moscow Podium. We also plan to hold two large presentations in Eastern Europe in the near future.
What novelties will you please fans of the brand in 2012?
We are going to present our new collection this fall. It is designed to reflect the entire history of Garrard House, and will be imbued with motifs inherent in the Victorian era, but have a completely modern appearance.
Oddly enough, but today many companies are again turning to their roots. What is it - the desire to take a fresh look at the history of the brand or the lack of creative ideas?
I recently spent several days at a jewelry exhibition in Doha, Qatar. And, looking at many stands, I thought to myself: "What is this? Is there really a new word in jewelry?" Really innovative ideas are not so many. However, I believe that new creative ideas will always be born in the minds of artists and designers.
Many jewelry companies with a long history, such as ours, have unique collections of their antique products, life, producing modern jewelry based on them. I personally like this approach. Why not? For example, in 2010, we took the motive, which was used in 1911 in Queen Mary’s tiara, as the basis of the new collection. Today this collection is Garrard’s best seller.
How hard is it to look for new talent to work for the company? And how do you instill in the beginners the same passion for your work that you have, or Stephen Webster, the art director of Garrard?
Anyone, even the most talented person, must understand from the very beginning that everything Garrard does is the essence of luxury: from jewelry to packaging, from marketing strategies to direct communication with customers. Everyone must believe in our vision, in our mission. New ideas in design can only be appreciated after some time, and, yes, it is not easy. That is why there are so many different jewelry companies in the world. And what is good for one House is quite suitable for another. Stephen and I need to very quickly understand whether the new artist or designer is Garrard, and make the right decision.
I always try to be a leader who infects others with my own example in doing the work on time and with the highest quality. team player. We work together a lot and it is important for me that all our employees take pride in the success of Garrard.
How would you describe the image of House Garrard in three words?
High quality, luxury and creativity.
Last question. If you would give advice to the buyer, what kind of jewelry should he buy, what would you recommend to pay attention to first of all?
The first is a personal relationship. Each of us at some point finds "his" jeweler. Buying a Garrard jewelry, a person understands that he is not buying a cheap product. Therefore, the most important thing is that jewelry should really like it. I love when people buy wedding rings from us, because after years they come to us again, but for other jewelry. And what drives them? First of all, the most beautiful and fond memories!
Thanks for the conversation, Eric! We wish you further creative success!
