Charlotte Grace | Redefining the Rules of Luxury Jewelry
Charlotte Grace is redefining the rules of luxury jewelry and proving that a fine jewelry brand can be timeless, genderless and sustainable. Get to know the story of the brand.
Jewelry was not originally the plan for 24 year old Patrick Brizmann. After successfully completing his business studies in Monaco, he was supposed to enter the finance industry. But then he made a life-altering decision. Inspired by his mother Charlotte Grace, Patrick decided to turn his affinity for beautiful things into a luxury fine jewelry brand.
Patrick was disheartened by the issues plaguing the current jewelry system, such as the limited choice in stores and intimidating customer experience; heavy property portfolios designed for the 20th century; impersonal brands now falling out of fashion; reluctant online cannibalising on low-margin stores; and the challenge of creating responsible jewelry. As such, he wanted to create jewelry that he would want to wear – unisex, unique, modern yet timeless.
He had a difficult start but believed in his vision. “My vision was a fully functional zipper item made of gold. Several manufacturers thought this was impossible. After four months I found a manufacturer who was willing to face the impossible and the product development started. It is still a process of transformation to infinite perfection.”
Valuing quality, classic design and longevity, Patrick wanted to prove with the Charlotte Grace collection that a fine jewelry brand can set new trends just as well as fashion brands. The founder seeked to create a sense of community, which comes from the thought that cohesion is the most important thing that has shaped us even in the last years of the pandemic.
“I believe that the future we want will only work if we act today in the here and now. Sustainable production, like ours, eliminates mass production and overconsumption.” – Patrick Brizmann says.
SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS
To Patrick, the future we want will only work if we act today in the here and now. That is the reason for focusing his brand on sustainable jewelry. Working very closely with his jewelry agent in Berlin, he finds and selects only the most sustainable materials like recycled 18 karat gold and sustainable diamonds.
“I have a large network of manufacturers and can orient myself well in this network. I research how the suppliers act and for which companies they are active. I do background analysis which helps me in my decision with whom I want to work with. If their values and ethics match ours then we can enter into a cooperation.”
Patrick believes sustainable certifications are important for the value but also for the image of the brand: “Certification is a start as to how far we want to focus on being a sustainable brand.” In fact, Patrick even works exclusively with Kimberly Process Diamonds, which gives his brand certification and verification that he is only sourcing sustainable diamonds and forgoing blood diamonds including the bad working conditions associated with them. Addressing the problem of the diamond industry where it originates ensures that instead of looking for an alternative, people do not lose their jobs and are paid reasonably in good working conditions for their work. Therefore, lab-grown diamonds are not an alternative to the traditional diamond market for him.
CHARLOTTE GRACE LOVERS
So who buys Charlotte Grace? The answer is simple. Anyone. Whether you’re a man or a woman, young or mature, Charlotte Grace can be for you. The customer can even co-design the brand’s jewelry and bring their own personal details and customization to the design process. This is how unique pieces are developed, each numbered and made to order. As a value-driven company, which means it’s priced lower than average luxury jewelry brands, production at Charlotte Grace takes place as soon as the customer has bought a piece. Meaning Charlotte Grace is a direct to customer brand with production on-demand and exclusivity online. “We have limited jewelry pieces in upcoming collections”. – Patrick says.
“With the brand I want to make a statement about interpersonal relationships and their different forms of love. Which love takes into account not only that between two partners, but also family love, friendships and many other forms.”
Talking about the future of the company, Patrick says that the future plans include expansion of their fine jewelry offerings and challenging their savvy manufacturers to develop bold and more vibrant pieces. “Currently the company is expanding the brand strategy and developing new innovative jewelry designs. In the near future Charlotte Grace will enter into collaborations with various public figures. We are also expanding the European territory in which Charlotte Grace is offered.” This year they are also planing hybrid events and pop-up stores. “We will publish the events on our website and Instagram.”
In any case, Patrick wants to underline that no matter how big Charlotte Grace becomes, sustainability will always remain at its focus: “We will remain production on demand” – Patrick assures.
