The FINANCIAL — According to Company Zarapxana’s internal researches and analyses, the best selling products of jewellery in 2007 were: classic type rings, mostly made of yellow gold, and the most popular and demanded precious stones were diamonds.
“Since Colchis was famous in antiquity for gold and precious metal — it’s where the Greek hero Jason went to grab the legendary Golden Fleece — you’d be wearing gold-spangled robes while pouring and drinking your famous Colchian wine from gold or silver vessels. You'd also be so rich you could afford to bury your wine service with you,” Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, December 8, 2007.
“Zarapxana is a company which builds its experience on the basis of traditions and combines them with modern knowledge” . Today, the recently privatized Zarapxana is a local manufacturer of gold and other jewellery in the country of the legendary Golden Fleece, a small country with an ancient history, the jewellery traditions of which are covered by the top world-press publications.
“According to Company Zarapxana’s internal researches and analyses, the best selling products of jewellery in 2007 were: classic type rings, mostly made of yellow gold, and the most popular and demanded precious stones were diamonds,” Nino Absandze, Zarapxana’s Marketing Manager, told The FINANCIAL.
The history of Zarapxana goes back to the pre-WWII period when several relatively small goldsmith guilds were established on Leselidze Street, Tbilisi, Georgia. Later they were transformed into a “Tbilisi jewellery plant” (former name of the company), which was always among the top five gold processing plants in the former USSR.
Since the year 2006 the company Zarapxana has made an important change. The company entered the Georgian market with a new corporate style and jewellery collections.
Today Zarapxana is offering a new type of service to its consumers. By a new type of laser machine the company is able to make inscriptions on the jewels.
Nowadays the inscription is done only in Latin font, but in the nearest future Zarapxana will provide the service in Georgian font as well. Inscriptions can be done on any type of metal.
“In 2008 Zarapxana will follow the international trends of jewellery design, and present collections for different types of customers. We are planning online sales for the future, hopefully from the year 2009,” claimed Absandze.
Around 60 goldsmiths are employed at Zarapxana today. The new team of designers created more than 200 new models. The company operates shops throughout the capital and intends to open one more on Vajha Pshavela Ave. by the end of the year.
“In 2007 several important events happened in our company: launching a chain of shops in Tbilisi, modernizing the plant with new equipments, implementing new strategies in marketing and sales, and recruitment of professionals in different fields,” stated Absandze.
Zarapxana has several lines: classic, youth, wedding, modern, casual, posh, eclectic, silver, and souvenirs.
“As for exclusive services our clients can create a whole new design by themselves or make corrections to an already-made design,” said Absandze.
Since Georgia doesn’t produce precious metals or stones Zarapkhana imports diamonds and other materials mainly from Dubai and Israel. As for pure gold, there are some old items left, which the company reutilizes.
As Murtaz Kikoria, Zarapkhana’s General Director, told The FINANCIAL in September 2007, the company’s annual revenue is around GEL 4 million, which is a very small portion of the jewellery market.
“Market size by our estimations is about USD 70-100 million, but unfortunately more than 85-90% is controlled by the Gold Marketplace, where second hand products are sold,” said Kikoria.
As for future plans, according to Absandze, Zarapxana will launch a new retrospective collection on the basis of Mtskheta State Museum exponents. It’s a joint project worked out in cooperation with the museum. At this stage the sketch works are already done. The next step is going to be the acquisition of coral material. The collection will be made of coral, agate and partly-purple enamel.
Today the company is working on another new collection where together with precious stones and metal we’ll use incrusted agate. Agate is an interesting material, though less-known in Europe, its light and beautiful and an easy one to work on.
On June 29, 2007 in a picturesque district of Tbilisi, Bambis Rigi str., the company Zarapxana opened its sixth shop.
“Georgia is and historically has always been famous for its gold culture. Even today, museums keep an enormous quantity of pieces of art, made by the finest gold and precious stones from centuries ago.
Jewellery manufacturing company Zarapxana is a company which builds its experience on the basis of traditions and combines them with modern knowledge,” says the company.
“We offer a range of jewellery products that are unique and cannot be bought elsewhere but at Klondike,”
Klondike, the other local jewellery company provides import from Italy and Turkey. An exclusive offer at the company is jewellery made of Venice glass.
Prices at Klondike range from GEL 5 to GEL 10 000.
“We offer a range of jewellery products that are unique and cannot be bought elsewhere but at Klondike. However the company also offers products affordable for the broader classes of society,” said George Panjikidze, General Director of Klondike.
Established in 2002, Klondike has 5 shops and occupies 10% of the jewellery market. The company claims to have a 50% increase annually.
Swarovski to Celebrate its First New Year in Georgia
Swarovski, the luxury brand name for crystal glass products, is celebrating its first New Year in Georgia. This year there are 16 Christmas trees worldwide, exclusively decorated with thousands of Swarovski crystal ornaments. They can be seen and admired in Europe, America, Australia and Asia.
“In Georgia, like in every country, Swarovski intends to bring joy and beauty into people’s lives all year round and this is particularly true at Christmas time. We want to invite people to get to know and enjoy the sparkling beauties that Swarovski offers in the field of jewellery, crystal living and accessories,” the company told The FINANCIAL.
On November 26 the biggest Christmas tree in Europe was illuminated at Berlin’s main railway station. Celebrities such as Kate Hall, Anja Kling, Tamara, the countess of Nayhauß-Cormons, Loretta Stern and Jasmin Tabatabai attended the tree lighting ceremony. In Paris, Amsterdam and Zurich there are also spectacular Christmas trees.
In the Middle East there are trees in Beirut and in Asia in Taipei, Yokohama, Osaka and Singapore. Finally in the Americas there are trees sparkling in São Paulo, Cancun, Mexico City, Toronto and in New York City, at the Radio City Music Hall and Rockefeller Centre.
The trees in São Paulo, Paris, Taipei, Beirut and Cancun are new this year.
“The opening of the first Swarovski boutique in Georgia run by Luxury Interior Ltd. at the end of October this year gave us the opportunity to show our customers a whole range of Swarovski products in Tbilisi for the first time,” says the company.
Luxury Interior Ltd. started offering Swarovski jewellery from October 2007.
Swarovski crystal was first created when Daniel Swarovski invented an automatic cutting machine in 1892. In 1895 the Swarovski company was founded when he established a crystal cutting factory in Wattens.
As the company stated, Swarovski offers a great variety of products in the field of jewellery, crystal living and accessories. All of them are very popular all year round and naturally also during the Christmas season. Tastes vary greatly and Swarovski can offer each customer something different, matching his or her taste perfectly.
Swarovski offers its customers a special Christmas collection with beautiful pieces particularly for this time of the year. This collection also includes an Annual Edition of a limited Christmas ornament.
“The opening of the first Swarovski boutique run by Luxury Interior Ltd. in Georgia in October 2007 was a great highlight. Thus Swarovski is able to inspire even more people with its sparkling products,” says the company.
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