Couture 2018

Press Release

May 03, 2018

Concierge Program Exclusively for Retailers With Exceptional Customer Relations

(New York) –A decade of change among both buyers and sellers of fine jewelry has inspired award-winning designer Wendy Brandes to look at the business in a new way – and to develop a breakthrough approach that brings benefits to the retailer and the designerand the customer.

The result:Wendy Brandes Concierge,soft-launched late in 2017, after more than a year in development. The concept was born during meetings with retailers at the 2016 JCK Luxury show. Store buyers would gravitate towards several one-of-a-kind designs, but felt their standard “browse and buy” customers weren’t ready for the full line.

Concierge allows select retailers to request individual pieces from Wendy’s limited-edition and one-of-a-kind collections to show to their special clients in an intimate setting. The customer can then purchase the piece through the retailer, with retailer’s added markup, or the piece can be returned to Brandes. The short-term (two weeks) loans of pieces help retailers to strengthen their relationships with their most discerning customers by providing creations that can’t be found anywhere else in the world, while adding a luxurious, intimate purchasing experience.

Since the financial crash in 2008, Brandes has seen a shift in her customers’ profiles: More and more are self-purchasing women, and the per-purchase price-point is climbing, as women look increasingly for unique items. Her response to these shifts for her own customers led to the design of some of her most important pieces to date, each of which takes months for her artisans to create – including her Maneater ring collection and the darkly romantic Queen of Scots snake tiara and ring.

Brandes is ready to bring her customer’s avant-garde attitudes to the masses –  or to her super-select group of retail partners, anyway.

“My customers know me personally,” she says. “They’ve followed my blog for 10-plus years; they tweet with me until 3 a.m.; and they call upon me to make some of their most emotionally significant jewelry dreams come true, like their engagement rings or wedding bands. I want to partner with retailers who have the same level of closeness with their customers. And for those who don’t have that level of authenticity yet, I want to help them create it by giving them the tools to make those connections. We encourage our partners to keep tabs on birthdays, anniversaries, and other momentous occasions in their customers’ lives. When the time comes, treat them to a glass of champagne and a one-on-one try-on of something they truly can’t get anywhere else.”

Alexanders Jewelers of Columbus, Ohio, is the newest retail partner thanks to the COUTURE website, where store manager Shane Hampton first saw Brandes’s. Eight one-of-a-kind pieces were shipped to him in a matter of days. Hampton says, “Alexanders Jewelers was founded with the guiding principles of Exclusive Individualism and the Wendy Brandes brand fits those principles exactly.  We could not be more excited to introduce the Midwest to her innovative and ground-breaking, one-of-a-kind designs.”

The first retail partner was Hummingbird Jewelers in Rhinebeck, N.Y., whose owner, Bruce Lubman, had discovered that atypical designs drew in new customers. He was soon joined by Steve and Melissa Quick of Chicago’s Steve Quick Jeweler, who find their customers intrigued by Brandes’s “poison” rings.

As the service expands, Wendy’s head of Brand Development, Eryn Patton-Decker notes, “We are keeping a tight list of partners because exclusivity is what has always driven our brand. Our customers outside of New York City are looking for our signature details, like hidden diamonds and secret compartments; as well as an uncommon level of workmanship. And we’re ready to work with retailers to bring it to them, with COUTURE being the ideal place to make new connections across the country.”

To learn more about Wendy Brandes Concierge, please visit, https://www.wendybrandes.com/Store/wendy-brandes-concierge                                

OTHER RECENT NEWS:

Wendy Brandes to Partner with 1stdibs, a Leading Resource for Online Art & Jewelry Collectors

Wendy Brandes Launches Genderless Wedding Collection

About Wendy Brandes Concierge: Selected retailers receive a magnificently printed, large-format lookbook to display in their store. Each retailer’s jewelry selections include a romance card describing the inspiration story and intricate design process behind each piece, downloadable social media content for cross-promotion, and the opportunity for in-store appearances.

About Wendy Brandes Jewelry:  Wendy Brandes’s 18K gold signature line — inspired by the true stories of powerful women —is known for its one-of-a-kind designs, world-class workmanship, intricate detail, and “covert luxury.” The latter element often involves hidden gems and figures, as well as surprising mechanical elements. Brandes's designs have been featured in publications including InStyle, Elle, W Magazine, Paper, and British Vogue, and spotted on Rihanna, model Bella Hadid, Britney Spears, and Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Skylar Grey. Brandes received the Women’s Jewelry Association Awards for Excellence in design in 2017 and  Fashion Group International's Rising Star Award for fine jewelry in 2012. Her work has been honored by the AGTA Spectrum Awards; JCK's Jeweler's Choice Awards; the InDesign Awards; and the American Jewelry Design Council New Talent Competition.