Business

06 November 2015

The Ofée phenomenon

Ofée is an iconic brand of “small jewelry”, this new market segment consisting of accessible and trendy precious jewelry.

 Our jewellery is on the border between fantasy and precious“, explain Valérie de Mazières and Anne Scelo, the founders of the brand launched in 2006. Their price range is between 310 € and 5,000 €, with the high end representing only 15% of business. The fashion spirit that characterizes the pieces tends toward fantasy while the materials are those used by jewelers of Place Vendôme.

Officially, the jewelers of Place Vendôme don’t recognize this brand as a serious competitor because it hasn’t the prestigious brand story as a guarantee of excellence. A mistake, because customers are increasingly receptive and open to this deconsecrated jewelry akin to a fashion accessory. As for prices, they are perfectly adapted to the purchasing power of the somewhat neglected French customers. The brand is also full of highly creative ideas like the earring bar offering the opportunity to buy single earrings to make up a customized pair. And today, the brand is making a move upmarket with more impressive jewelry pieces and strong communication adopting all the codes of a luxury house.

Most popular articles

Getting authentication for your jewelry

Amid exponential increases in the prices of old and second-hand jewelry, buyers on the other side of the world and a booming counterfeit industry, the...

The low-down on Castafiore

Launched last year by two jewelry world insiders, Castafiore is the leading platform in the second-hand jewelry market.

Thomas Torroni-Levene and the René Boivin archives

The René Boivin archives have experienced many adventures since 1985. Miraculously, they have remained intact!

Patrick Schein: the voice of responsibly mined gold

“This so-called responsible choice is actually irresponsible: recycled gold must be mixed with ethical mining gold”, explains Patrick Schein.

Gold Service’s recycled gold: an interview with Yann Bouillonnec

A consortium of investors has just bought Gold Service, a Franco-Swiss company specializing in the purchase and resale of precious metals.

5 things you need to know about the impact of gold mining on nature

L’or du Monde, the pioneering jeweler in the use of recycled gold, invited me to a lecture given by Aurore Stéphant, expert mining geologist and co-founder...