JO ELLEN QUALLS : Vice President, Tiffany & Co.
Your words may be telling clients that you’re a conservative money manager, but that chunky brass-and-silver bracelet may reveal a wilder side of you. Or that string of pearls or black leather-strap watch may say you’re less imaginative than you would like to appear. Helping customers make the right statement is part of a jeweler’s art, according to Jo Ellen Qualls, a vice president of Tiffany & Co. and manager of the company’s South Coast Plaza store. She shared her insights with free-lance writer Anne Michaud.
What kind of jewelry is appropriate for business people?
The conservative business world is generally defined by classic lines and uncluttered looks. This is in certain industries that are a little more conservative than others--banking and finance, accounting, the legal profession.
Oftentimes, the ladies will lean toward simple gold earrings and perhaps a broach that’s relatively simple, such as a circle pin of gold or pearls.
Rings are also fairly conservative, very classic--perhaps a dome shape or something in an all-gold look.
The gentlemen most often do not wear jewelry. They might wear a gold signet ring or a stone ring. The watch is seemingly the most important piece to them, and occasionally an ID bracelet that’s fairly understated.
What kind of watch makes a conservative statement?
Both men and women seem to prefer a black strap watch to a watch with a metal bracelet. And it’s generally a straightforward timepiece--a classic white dial with black markers--as opposed to the larger, sport look.
What kind of jewelry is suited to more creative professions?
The fashion industry, advertising, television, the movies--oftentimes people who are drawn to those industries need to have jewelry that expresses their creativity. They tend to be more interested in the design of the piece. It may be far more complex in its design and generally larger in scale.
These people are generally filled with movement. Their entire life is being on the go, and the pieces they select reflect that.
Ladies lean heavily to several bracelets, stone rings, the use of color. Necklaces are large, bold collars, very statement-oriented. Earrings have a tendency to be quite large.
Watches are more stylish. Sometimes you will see ladies wearing oversized watches that look like a gent’s watch, sometimes in fact they are antique pieces. Often they are worn loose, like a bracelet, rather than strapped tight to the wrist.
The gents often will wear something in a bracelet or sport look, rather than the classic black strap.
What would happen if you wore the more eye-catching pieces as a bank vice president?
The reaction might be interesting. It would be noticed, but I doubt it would be offensive. The same would be true if a very, very conservative look appeared in the artistic fields.
Do people change their look for evenings?
Instead of seeing a very classic look in gold at night, you might see stones or a mixture of metals. Men might wear cuff links or stone (buttons) with the shirt that goes with a tux. Nighttime activities give people an opportunity to express a deeper side of their taste.
What about cuff links?
They’re coming back for daytime as well as evening. For a man, it says he is in touch with the growth in the men’s fashion arena, and he is willing to put forth extra time and effort.
Cuff links work in both the conservative and creative professions. They cross both.
Some pieces of jewelry have become status symbols, such as the Rolex watch. Are there others?
Well, the Rolex is certainly a name that is well known. But it is a sport watch, and it appeals to (those wanting) a certain look. The Patek Philippe watch has a different kind of status attached to it. It’s a very classic look and considered a dress watch. It also has a certain aura, due to the history of the company and how the piece is made.
The other piece that all of a sudden became a rage, six or seven years ago, is what’s commonly known as the tennis bracelet. It’s a simple line of diamonds strung together. It was very popular back in the ‘20s and ‘30s. It was called a straight line or classic diamond line then.
It’s never really gone out of style, but it became very popular when Chris Evert was wearing one on tennis courts. A camera was focused on her, and she went back with her racket, and you saw something flash and move on her arm. It was her tennis bracelet, and immediately there was a resurgence.
Have there been other celebrities who have made a piece of jewelry popular? Jackie Onassis, maybe?
Jackie Onassis really has a very classic taste, and pearls probably came back into popularity as a result. Mrs. Bush is famous for wearing her three strands of faux pearls, so she is attributed also with bringing back the popularity of pearls.
What did Nancy Reagan do for jewelry?
If there’s one thing that I remember Nancy Reagan for, it is probably the broaches on her suits. They were fairly large scale and worn high on the shoulder. Broaches are still very, very popular in the business world, where the lapel could use some adornment.
What about the men?
Donald Trump wore a black strap watch and tie clip, and on occasion a bracelet. It’s a conservative look. Sammy Davis Jr. was a lover of gold chains and sometimes gold earrings.
What did that say about him?
It was his style, and he chose to wear it with a great deal of aplomb. I don’t think he was concerned with what anyone else would think. He was a strong personality.
On conservative lifestyles. . .
“Jewelry for people in conservative fields, both male and female, tends to be classic, straightforward. You’ll find they lean toward the same understated looks in their personal lives as well, whether it’s in car design or choice of furniture.”
On jewelry becoming a status symbol. . .
“Either it’s an incredibly successful marketing effort on the part of the manufacturer or something unique that happens involving that piece (of jewelry). It might take 20 or 30 years.”
On jewelry designers. . .
“Paloma Picasso is one of the most mimicked jewelry designers in today’s world.”
On jewelry as an investment. . .
“In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, a lot of people invested in diamonds, and the prices were highly inflated. I can remember one flawless stone that sold for $60,000 a carat; in a few short years, it sold for $15,000 a carat.”
