For this new 2023 edition, the Rendez-vous du Luxe gave Pauline Laigneau, the founder of Gemmyo, the opportunity to host a conference at the InterContinental Paris Le Grand on February 3rd. During this event, students were able to hear the history of the brand, understand the innovative approach that this experienced businesswoman has brought to the jewellery market, but also exchange with students on her vision of Luxury.
Organized by the ISG Luxury Management school, in partnership with Luxus+, the Rendez-vous du Luxe gives students a privileged access to meet with actors of the luxury sector. Pauline Laigneau was able to share the story of the creation and the rise of her jewelry brand, Gemmyo, but also her inspirations and the horizons she aspires to.
#RDVduLuxe
L’@isg_luxury remercie @GemmyoParis @ComiteColbert @Balistikart #KOLmeIconic @exclusible @InterConHotels #WomenManagement #FFAM @EvokCollection @joubert_paris d’être venus transmettre leurs connaissances dans #hotellerie #mode #joaillerie #web3 #mannequinat #RSE pic.twitter.com/NcAYYt3XqD— ISG Luxury Management (@isg_luxury) February 6, 2023
Success story
Pauline Laigneau started from nothing. With her partner, who proposed to her in 2011, they set out to find an engagement ring. The future spouses were disappointed. “Most of the big houses offered an often intimidating experience with only white gold and diamond models. I didn’t recognise myself. I felt I needed something different. I was looking for a jewelry House that was demanding but listened to me, a brand that corresponded to me and that spoke to my generation.”
The idea was found: Pauline Laigneau and her husband set about creating a jewellery brand that would be more lively and warm, but still upmarket. Gemmyo was born in 2011, with online sales only, a rare and unique approach for jewelry. Although Gemmyo produces jewelry from 18-carat gold or platinum, the jewelry brand is also seeking to enhance the value of coloured stones, which are sometimes neglected by the major brands. Rubies, sapphires and emeralds make up a large part of the brand’s market. “The gem is at the heart of our considerations”, explains Pauline Laigneau.
Ten years later, Gemmyo now employs 70 people and has eight boutiques in Europe, not to mention the medium-term project of expanding across the Atlantic.
Changing the business market
Gemmyo is a different kind of jewelry brand. It is not only the brand that says so, but also its customers. It started with the way the brand became known, on the web. Gemmyo has also totally changed the jewelry market by becoming the first brand to make jewelry on demand, totally customisable to one’s taste. Through effective digital communication, Gemmyo seeks to sell a subtle and accessible luxury, “which does not try to be show-off”, as Pauline Laigneau reminds us. But it is above all the vision of its creators that sets the brand apart. Starting with a simple intuition, Gemmyo has made its way through the demanding meanders of luxury. “The best marketing persona is ourselves. If we have a need, a frustration that we identify, there may be a market,” she says.
This differentiation has only been possible thanks to a strong brand identity. In the early days, an elegant pink cat became the muse of Gemmyo. Today, pink is still present in the jewelry and materials, and the identity of the jewelry brand has not changed. Pauline Laigneau draws her creative inspiration from several themes, whether it be escape and travel, with the Paris 1901 Collection, architecture, with the RétroMilano Collection, or nature, with the Everbloom Collection.
Towards new horizons
Pauline Laigneau has never confined herself to the luxury and jewelry sector, and aspires to explore other fields. In 2018, she is going through a period of questioning about her professional future. Regularly listening to foreign podcasts provided her with an answer. Noticing the poverty of this format in France, Pauline Laigneau went even further and created her own, simply called…Pauline Laigneau’s Podcast. With an episode every week, the podcast attracts 50,000 listeners per month, making it one of the first in France. The project allows her to enrich her life and to meet very different people, from athletes to lawyers, CEOs and even…spies.
An accomplished woman, Pauline Laigneau is both a businesswoman, with her jewelry brand, and a personally fulfilled woman with her many projects and her podcast. Positioned on an original concept, nothing seems too good for Gemmyo, which is gradually making a place for itself in the luxury sector and continues to grow. With a fighter’s mentality, Pauline Laigneau says it herself: “Sky is the limit at Gemmyo”!
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