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Marchesa launching fine jewelry line at Macy’s
This holiday season, Macy’s will begin selling both bridal and fashion Marchesa jewelry with the majority of pieces to be priced between $5,000 and $10,000.
This tulle wedding gown with a re-embroidered flower top and back peplum detail ($10,950) is an example of the delicate work that embodies the Marchesa brand and which Prestige Jewelry International will be translating into fine jewelry.
New York--This holiday season, Macy’s will begin selling both bridal and fashion Marchesa jewelry with the majority of pieces to be priced between $5,000 and $10,000.
The line will be exclusive to Macy’s until spring 2015, after which it will become available to other department stores and independent retailers.
Based in New York, Marchesa is a brand of high-end womenswear, including wedding dresses. Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig co-founded the brand in 2004 and its namesake is Marchesa Luisa Casati (1881-1957), an Italian heiress known for her unique style.
Prestige Jewelry International will source the diamonds for the Marchesa fine jewelry line and manufacture the pieces, both in the United States and overseas, Prestige CEO Rajiv Kothari said. Chapman and Craig, meanwhile, will work with Prestige’s in-house team on the design of the pieces.
Kothari said while they haven’t yet determined the exact quality range of the diamonds or what metals they will use, they do know they want the pieces to start at $2,000, with the most expensive statement pieces coming in around $20,000. “These price points are really where we think the market will bear Marchesa jewelry,” he said.
No pictures of the jewelry were available as of Tuesday, but Kothari said they will echo the Marchesa aesthetic of intricate details and delicacy, as can be seen on Marchesa.com.
“All of these are the elements we hope to capture in jewelry,” he said.
Following the line’s initial launch at Macy’s this November, which will consist mostly of bridal jewelry, Kothari said they intend to add more fashion pieces by spring 2015, making the mix 50/50.
After spring 2015, distribution will expand beyond Macy’s to guild-level jewelers around the globe. On the department store level, they are hoping to sell Marchesa fine jewelry in stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, both of which already carry the brand’s clothes.
Marchesa is the latest fashion brand to cross over and create a line of fine jewelry, which further underscores the importance of brands today.
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Online retailer Blue Nile has reported having much success with the line of Monique Lhuillier-branded jewelry designed exclusively for the online retailer, and even expanded the line beyond bridal into fashion pieces.
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Zale Corp. also has found success in selling
bridal and fashion jewelry behind another well-known designer, Vera Wang.
Kothari said he’s well aware of the importance of brands today and that is why his company, which manufactures fine jewelry for both chains and independent retailers, went searching for a fashion brand with which to partner.
“That is what our customers are demanding of us today and this is what the consumers are demanding of our customers,” he said.
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