Young Asians no longer save up for years to buy diamond rings or gold necklaces like their parents, opting instead for cheaper, semi-precious trinkets to decorate their bodies.

Even five years ago, fine jewellery meant gold and diamonds in the eyes of Asian consumers, says Franz Lanthaler, regional manager of Signity, a world leader in the sale and distribution of exact-cut gemstones.

Many bought the jewellery as an investment, wearing it only for important occasions and keeping it as a hedge against inflation. The demand was for conservative designs and the hottest items were made of the purest gold.

Trends have changed sharply over the last three or four years, Lanthaler notes. Consumers, especially working women, have had more money to spend and have gradually developed very individual tastes in fashion and jewellery.

"They've become much more stylish and they are also now buying their own jewellery. The real trend now is in everyday wear.

"They mix and match their jewellery as well as their outfits," he says.

Diamond and gold, despite their elite status, are no longer their jewellery of choice.

"Diamonds are very expensive. Because of that, they tend to be very small and have almost no impact when worn.

"Yellow gold is considered dull and old-fashioned and has been replaced by white gold and platinum, which is more popular in the west."

In their quest for eye-catching jewellery to match their wardrobes, the ladies have been opting for gemstones like topaz, diamond look-alike zirconia and garnets in a variety of colours and in modern settings, usually of white gold or platinum.

Jewellery trends and design change very fast. "There are new collections coming out every week," says Lanthaler.

While the business depends heavily on current trends, suppliers like Signity prefer to spend time and money on research and set the trend themselves.

It's an initiative that has paid off. For the last few years, Signity has been putting out "Gem Visions", a compilation of cutting-edge design trends.

"We produce our 'Gem Visions' book in cooperation with a trend agency in Paris and some fine jewellery experts. There's a lot of research involved as we try to understand what type and which colour of stones will be popular in two years time," Lanthaler explains.

The catalogue places gemstones in the world of fashion, lifestyle and decorative design. For "Gem Visions 2007", their trend experts have created four major themes: Blantik, Geoblack, Florindi and Gameology.

Each theme is discussed in terms of key characteristics and inspiration. For example, Blantik represents the vintage aspects of white jewellery in complex designs with perforated effects.

Geoblack is inspired by geometric shapes, and is masculine and avant garde, based on metal in dark colours.

Florindi accentuates happiness and cheerfulness, ethnic romance, and informality, while Gameology is derived from the Asian influence of the 2008 Olympic Games in China.

Among these possible trends, Lanthaler, who has been in the jewellery field for more than a decade, says he also sees yellow gold making a comeback, due to its rising price along with changing customers' tastes.

Singapore's pioneer jewellers, Poh Heng, agree.

"Yellow gold is definitely coming back," says Eunice Lim, Poh Heng's assistant director.

"Traditionally, gold is an asset, an investment. People buy it for a reason. But with the rise in popularity of semi-precious coloured stones, traditional jewellery like gold and diamonds suffer."

But consumers are beginning to see yellow gold in a different light.

"They've learned that it isn't just for their grandmothers or mothers. Now gold can be something they can adopt too," says Lim.

But the younger generation is also picky, Lim adds. "Customers want catchy designs, not classic pieces. They want it to be a part of their wardrobe."

Even a traditional gold shop like Poh Heng, with 13 outlets in the city-state and a 90-per-cent market share, has to adapt.

Last year, Poh Heng cooperated with an Italian design firm to launch a new collection of yellow gold-jewellery aimed at the younger set.

"The designs are very different from our traditional lines, very Italian," says Lim, adding that these new items are selling very well and the shop plans to introduce new designs every six months.

But while everyone is trying to land these new customers - the young women with surplus income to splash around - Lim is confident that there is still a market for the big and expensive stones.

After all, what woman can resist a rock?

Sopaporn Kurz

The Nation

Singapore