The team ELEMENTS Innovate introduces you to the ART B.J jeweller, a professional of the BtoB and BtoC with a long experience and which has just launched its first store by unveiling its phygital strategy.
Made in Francesustainable craftsmanship and carefully selected gemstones were on hand for the opening of the first boutique in collaboration with the artisan DP Creations, under the brand names Roséedor and TemPrecieux newly launched.
Most of you will remember the 2009 American documentary film, "The September Issue," which follows VOGUE editor Anna Wintour and her team through the production of the magazine and the situations that ensue.
We have a different, more local production for our September blog, covering an event that took place in the charming town of Saint-Amand-les-eaux.
Located in the Hauts-de-France, not far from the Belgian border and in the department traditionally called French Flanders, Saint-Amand-les-eaux is a tourist spa town.
It was chosen for its charm and its strategic location to be the first boutique presenting the creations and craftsmanship of ART B.J.
This pilot store as its founder, Mr. Jean-Pierre Maçon, calls it, unveiled at a cocktail party on September 3 the deployment of a project that is both physical and digital. Indeed, the event also marked the launch of two new websites for the ART B.J. brands: Roséedor and TemPrecieux.
But who is Jean-Pierre Maçon and what makes ART B.J. so different?
The first thing that surprised me was that I discovered the jeweler in an unexpected place in the center of France where we spend our vacations with our family.
As Mr. Maçon himself explains, his jewelry workshop is the only one in France to be nestled in such a preserved environment since it is located in a charming farmhousein the privacy of your own home, away from prying eyes.
Only non-polluting materials such as ceramics are used for the manufacturing process of the jewelry, which Jean-Pierre Maçon has personally thought out and tested. He expresses himself naturally: " I live on a farm, I can create and know that I am not wasting the nature around me " .
"Since 2002, the entire Art BJ team has been constantly developing its skills in terms of manufacturing processes, materials and products used, with the aim of improving the quality of the objects created and manufactured by means of the latest technologies, while developing ethical and ecological protocols for each stage," the company says.
RT B.J. atelier is in fact a high-tech jewelry company that counts among its clients its customers all the great jewelers of France.
Innovations, new technologies, high level machines, 3D printer, use of CAD for 12 years (CAD is the acronym for Computer Aided Design), such is the spirit of ART B.J and the visionary Mr. Mason. All the phases of the manufacturing of a jewel are mastered, from the design to the finishing. In addition to these high-tech operations, the finishing phases are of course carried out at the workbench.
After the revelation of the place, I finally get to know the man behind ART B.J., the enthusiastic, passionate but modest Mr. Mason. 30 years in the trade, of Belgian origin, he worked in Europe, in Asia (Hong Kong) to finally settle with his wife in the French countryside.
Jean-Pierre Mason knows the needs of the market.
After a thorough analysis, he divided the craft into a number of steps, a total of 180 required to create a piece of jewelry.
He decided to deploy two joint projects.
The first one consists in piloting a store, a point of sale strategy. Two brands are on stage, focused on customization, DIY and made-to-measure: Roséedorusual brand for stores and TemPrecieux - more playful, more positioned (using only high-end materials)gold and platinum).
The second project is BtoC oriented with still confidential collaborations, a retail strategy with the support of new technologies. One location per department, in France and Belgium is targeted. Of course, the digital world is present with two sites online to develop joint projects.
The launch of the first store took place last Saturday, September 3 in Saint- Amand-les-Eaux. Numerous guests were present at the cocktail party, including the Mayor, a presidential candidate, the Casino's executives, associations, merchants, important customers, and several store managers.
The creations are a pleasure for the eyes. Among the classic pieces, there is a splendid meli-melo by white, yellow and champagne diamonds ! Bold creations using the three colors of goldlike the BB collection in homage to Brigitte Bardot, reminded me of my passage to the Maison Cartier :
Through his projects, Jean-Pierre Maçon has an important objective, close to his heart which is a real " Service to Professionals " . Its objective is to give credibility to the professionals of the jewelry and to help them to be more competitive on the market, to restore their image with Roséedor and TemPrecieuxby providing them with quality craftsmanship MADE IN France.
He estimates that 5-7% of jewelers have realized that the market trend, driven by margin and quantity rather than quality, does not encourage craftsmanship. They want quality service like that offered by ART B.J. and thus resist this market trend.
I must admit to Jean-Pierre that I teach jewelry courses on LUXURY in higher education institutions where I talk about the Label "Joaillerie de France created to represent and promote French know-how. The craftsmen who use the label supported by the French Union of Jewelry, Goldsmiths, Stones and Pearls (BJOP) can thus act alongside the great Houses with much more means by proposing creations of the same standing.
ArtbijouxPassion is the oldest concept and consists in the creation of a jewel symbolizing a passion. It can be a guitar pendant, for example, and not just any guitar but Jimmy Hendricks'! In creating ART B. J Mister Mason has always sought to satisfy his customers. "Our goal is not to have a factory to make jewelry but to satisfy the desires of our customers" he admits in an interview from 2014.
Today, he wants to please himself. His credo, as a professional and a lover of BEAUTY: let's rediscover the pleasure of handcrafted art! Sustainable, ecological, ART B.J is a good example of a company based on the circular economy.
ART B.J.'s approach is intuitive, and has a name in the industry: PHIGITAL.
Digitalization and innovation retailat the customer services.
Would you like to be supported in your company's digital transformation? The ELEMENTS team Innovate can help you with your retail projects, your launches and your web presence, as well as your communication on social media.
