São Paulo – Brazil-based company Julls curates fine gold and precious stone jewelry from some 20 auteur shops in Brazil, which it supplies to countries including the United States, England, the Netherlands, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. Now, it’s setting its sights on the Arab market, with plans to have a trunk show in Bahrain before the end of this year.
Partners Camilla Guimarães and Debora Lucki created Julls in 2015. Lucki spoke with ANBA over the phone. They started out by hosting trunk shows for buyers in New York.
“This is a very assertive format, because buyers realize that they’re looking at cream-of-the-crop items that have already been curated. We shorten the distance between brands and buyers and we do most of the heavy lifting. We also handle exports, driving down costs for jewelers,” she said.
According to Lucki, London points of sale such as Net-a-Porter get lots of Arab shoppers. “We realized over the years that the premier shopping spot for Arab countries is England. That’s the birthplace of all their trends,” she said.
Through these sales to buyers in Bahrain and Dubai and Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, she became aware of Arab shopping behavior. “They will usually buy large earrings with colorful, sculpted precious stones featuring flower and nature motifs,” Lucki explained.
She recalled an Arab buyer who purchased several pieces at once. “We learned that he had many wives and had to get one for each of them. The behavior is different, and so we began to fine-tune our prices and style to cater to that market,” she said.
Lucki said Arab consumers enjoy being well treated, so even the websites provide personal shopper services, with salespersons speaking directly with each client.
She also said that in her experience, Arabs tend to favor exclusive items. “Big pieces featuring rare stones or large gemstones, and different color tones in one piece, like emerald, sapphire and ruby. They are a high-purchasing public who are into precious stones,” she noted.
A represents brands including Dorion Soares, Ruth Grieco, Daniela Norinder, Aron Hirsch, and Carolina Neves. Fine jewelry designates gold items with precious stones. Standout Brazilian stones include colorful gems, like topaz, quartz and emerald, which are highly sought-after internationally, according to Lucki.
Bahrain
She’s been considering having a trunk show in Bahrain for a long time now, but plans got delayed by the pandemic. Still, she’s hoping to ship out about 50 pieces this year.
“We’re not going to Bahrain ourselves. We’re just sending out some 10 pieces each from 5 different brands via a valuables transportation company to get a feel for the market,” she said.
In conversations with a showroom in Bahrain, Lucki realized Arab shoppers need to know and trust their brands. “You need a bit of steadiness. They need someone they trust to introduce them to the brands, so we are partnering up with a showroom to that end.”
Aside from large pieces and precious stones, Lucki also intends to feature jewelry for everyday use. “People at these points of sale have also shown interest in lighter, fun pieces to wear on a daily basis,” she said.
Julls would like to step up sales in Arab countries, but it’s taking its time. “When it comes to that market you need to take it slow. We are super interested in building up and exploring the brands on that market. We want to expand, to see what are the better solutions for getting into the market. We want to get it right. Doing it the wrong way can compromise expansion in the medium term, so we’re taking it slow and experimenting,” she said.
Julls usually hosts three to four showrooms a year in different countries. The pandemic prompted it to create online road shows. “What we do is create online material. It’s a bit different. We’re getting results, but things are a bit slow right now because of the pandemic,” she said.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
