Kimberly Pucci is passionate about offering women the ultimate in luxury. “It is about listening to women, understanding their lifestyle, and giving them choices so they can wear the jewelry they want, when they want,” Pucci asserts. And as founder and creative director of retailer Kimberly Pucci Atelier + Vault, she does it with an Italian-trained sensibility emphasizing quality and craftsmanship.
Pucci’s approach to building relationships resonates with self-purchasing women. “American women have done a complete turnaround in how they dress, as a result of lifestyle changes,” she says, noting that a woman might attend a child’s basketball game in the morning, go to a business lunch and then go out to dinner at night.
“Women are looking for very nontraditional ways to wear jewelry. I help them select wearable luxury and include them in the creative process,” explains Pucci, who caters primarily to women of age 40-plus with disposable income.
Taking questions
Listening is essential to jewelry sales in 2020, she says, and it’s particularly important to pay attention to the questions women ask. While most anything goes in the fashion industry, women moving up the corporate ladder in conservative fields worry about whether their jewelry might appear ostentatious.
But by far, the number-one question Pucci hears from women is: “Does this look like an engagement ring?” She sees a void in the market for “a truly fabulous line of jewelry that allows women to buy diamonds and wear them proudly without someone asking them if they got engaged.”
Walking into a jewelry store is still very intimidating for many women because the pressure to buy is very strong, she says. “Retailers don’t base their presentation on what women want, but rather what they want to move in their inventory. But they are running a short race. I’m in it for a marathon.”
Events that foster trust
The first step is educating and empowering women. Pucci hosts groups from under 10 people to over 20 in an elegant and comfortable setting where women can interact. Her goal is to take the “mystery out of diamonds,” sometimes engaging a diamond sorter or cutter to enhance this high-level show-and-tell.
“We also talk about transparency, which extends beyond mine to market,” Pucci relates. She emphasizes craftsmanship as an integral part of the story, including elucidating the skills necessary for creating the jewelry. She also envisions introducing artistry as an educational component, as Harry Winston has done by posting sketches on Instagram.
She senses the palpable energy the women bring to her events. “We’re building trust because we are laser-focused on their needs. And the word-of-mouth promotion is invaluable. The sale is inevitable — even if it is not that day.”
Pucci wants to broaden her approach to include other demographics. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, she had plans to participate in a bridal event and an upcoming Pride event, which she thinks represents an untapped market. “After more than 20 years in the industry, this is very liberating. I know my clients and what they like. And I love that I give them the freedom to express their individuality with the jewelry they wear.”
Image: Kimberly PucciArticle from the Rapaport Magazine - April 2020. To subscribe click here.