Jewelry Gifting
HOW NOT TO FAIL AT JEWELRY GIFTING
‘Tis the season for giving, and we’re all thinking about what to gift our favorite people this holiday season. There are few better treats to receive than a beautiful piece of jewelry to love and wear forever. A special necklace, bracelet or set of earrings can be symbolic and sentimental – it’s the ultimate crowd-pleaser. Regardless of budget, finding that perfect piece isn’t always easy. We talk to Missoma creative director Marisa Hordern to find out how not to fail at jewelry gifting – and why, once you’ve got it right, it makes the perfect treat.
THINK CAREFULLY ABOUT YOUR RECIPIENT
“We always tell the team at Missoma to think, ‘who is your audience?’ And the same goes here – who are you buying for? Is it a 13-year-old daughter or sister, or a big 21st birthday gift or maybe a 40th? You need to gauge who this is for. Next, carefully consider what they like and what they wear regularly. Do they love silver or gold? The metal is important. Of course, you can mix metals, but you want to buy them something that feels true to them and that they’ll want to wear every day. Do you they prefer statement jewelry or more delicate styles? Do they have pierced ears?”
CHOOSE PIECES THAT GO WITH EVERYTHING
“You might be buying for someone who loves a statement earring, but the majority of people love jewelry that has a wear-and-repeat appeal – you want to buy them something they’ll never take off. Foolproof options are hoops, either chunky styles or more delicate versions, or gold chains – again either bolder linked styles or a delicate twisted-rope version. All of these are great foundation pieces.”
MAKE IT MEANINGFUL
“There’s a lot of symbolism behind jewelry – pieces often feature symbols that stand for something – the serpent represents transformation for example, something else might represent courage. The colors of the gemstones are also very meaningful – black is a rejection of negativity, while green is a symbol of strength. Engraving is another way of making it more special, just an initial is nice, or you can write a short message. Birthstones are bestsellers. When we talk to a man and they’re not sure what to buy for the woman in their life, we ask ‘when’s her birthday?’ because birthstone necklaces are great gifts and very personal.”
A WELL-CHOSEN NECKLACE IS FOOLPROOF
“The above the fold stuff – what you see on someone’s upper torso and above – is really what gets noticed first. In terms of what we sell most of, it’s necklaces followed by earrings. Necklaces are failsafe and will always be worn a lot. In photos, they’re the things you see. A bracelet tends to be worn more in the summer as in winter they’re hidden under sleeves. Rings are great, but you need to know the ring size which can complicate things. Even during lockdown when we were always on video calls, people still wore necklaces as they were visible. They frame the face and the decolletage. Even with a T-shirt, they look cool – especially layered on top of one another in a ‘neckmess’ as I call it.”
DON’T MAKE IT ABOUT YOU
“It’s about what they want to wear, not what you think they should wear. I used to think the most thoughtful approach was to always buy pieces that I loved for other people, but then I realized I hate it when people do that for me and I changed tack. It’s important to think about what they naturally wear. Does she always wear the same chain that would work well with a pendant or are they obsessed with a certain color or gemstone? It’s not about trying to make a friend or loved one experiment with something new – that sort of thing needs to be discussed in advance and done in person. When you think back to opening gifts you loved, you think ‘oh that’s so me’, not ‘oh, it’s so you’.”