While women have traditionally been gifted jewellery by men, many ladies have now given up waiting for a man to “put a ring on it” and are buying their own lavish accessories.
A recent study by Mintel, an England-based market research firm, showed that more than half of the 2,000 women surveyed bought jewellery simply to treat themselves. A report by Bonhams, the auction house, also noted this trend; the company, which sells more jewellery lots each year than any other international auction house, says that at its most recent sales, half of the buyers were women.
“More people see auctions as a good way to buy vintage, one-off jewellery and we’ve seen a big increase in female buyers who are buying jewellery for themselves,” says Jean Ghika, head of the Bonhams jewellery team for Europe. “These are career women who have successful jobs, who have their own money and are happy to choose their own jewellery with it – sometimes they are spending their bonus on a tangible asset, sometimes they are just treating themselves.” CJ
