Probably every second inhabitant of this planet has a pet. Every day people buy for them cages, mats, coats and toys. However, there are such masters of domestic animals for whom luxury and style are becoming part and parcel of their lives and now even their pets experience all the delights of modern fashion turning into owners of multi-million-worth accessories. Still, just several years ago it would have been difficult to imagine that stores would be bursting with such goods as cat castles, exclusive pet coats of blue mink or neck straps with diamonds. And every year the demand for these luxuries is growing more and more, while world class designers are competing with each other in a grown-up way churning out new collections of “diamond zoo goods.”
This trend is manifested to its full extent on the Russian jewelry market too. For instance, a pet jewelry show was held on May 24 at the Gostiny Dvor Arcade in Moscow within the frames of New Russian Style 2008, an annual jewelry exhibition.
For the first time in Russia, there was set up a catwalk in the central exhibition hall to run a show of dog jewelry made by Melhor, which in Portuguese means “better than the best.” The collection was designed by famous jewelers from Italy and Germany who are producing adornments for the best jewelry companies. These adornments were specially designed for animals taking into consideration all their peculiarities. Unique pins and fittings were so well thought over that they did not cause any inconvenience to pets and could not only tickle the pets’ masters but also the wearers of luxury. Therefore, the models displayed on that evening represented a new step in the history of jewelry.
The more so as all over the world many designers’ interest is locked on making such adornments. For example, not long ago Vivienne Westwood, the most audacious British designer, released a whole range of accessories for dogs sold exclusively at specialized fashion stores for pets. One of the most expensive items in this collection was a neck strap made of leather, 14-carat and 46-carat diamonds and topped with a gold bone. Its price was around USD 1,030,000.
However, the laurels of a genuine masterpiece were worthily given to the diamond dog wrap priced at £2,500 which took an honorable place among luxurious accessories for pets on a par with the diamond dog bed worth USD 31,660 or the Amor Amor diamond neck strap in crocodile leather encrusted with diamonds (and worth USD 1.8 million). The uniqueness of this neck strap was backed up by 1,600 manually encrusted diamonds. The total weight of these stones came to 52 carats. The creation was crowned with three big diamonds of seven carats each.
Well-known jeweler Stephen Webster (the author of the wedding rings for Madonna and Guy Ritchie) also did not slip over pets and recently presented a small collection of neck straps finished with gemstones. The price of each item was nearing one million U.S. dollars. All the collection was valued at about USD 30 million and displayed on a special podium at the Pet a Porter fashion show. The product range of this show was quite wide, starting with the special spring jacket of Westwood couture studded with sapphires and diamonds (worth USD 5,000) and ending with the warmer diamond wrap of Ben de Lisi.
American singer and actress Jennifer Lopez, having succeeded in music and cinema, is keyed to achieve great success in fashion too. The actress has already launched a collection of clothes and accessories and also her own fragrances. Now she plans to design a whole line of jewelry for dogs. And most probably she will not be a loser in this business, since these days there are hundreds of admirers rapt in jewelry zoo art. As a case in point one may take the inhabitants of the British Isles, who, according to the latest data, spent fifty two million U.S. dollars for Christmas gifts to domestic animals, mainly buying neck straps iced out with diamond.
Furthermore, if formerly there were regularly issued ratings of the richest and most pampered stars of show business, nowadays to see a similar rating among pets will be not at all surprising. The chart is headed by Jessica Simpson’s white doggy called Daisy, which outflanked Paris Hilton’s Chihuahua nicknamed Tinkerbell. The top quintuple also includes Mariah Carey’s terrier and two Sophies – the namesake dogs of Oprah Winfrey and Pee Diddy. The pets’ pamperness grade was evaluated by the number of expensive accessories, such as neck straps with gemstones, and by special services for animals for which their masters spent thousands of dollars.
Modern zoo stores are continually appended with new collections of accessories for pets. Sometimes it is even difficult to believe that all that luxury is intended for some pussy cat or doggy. Shop windows are glaring with the diversity of necklaces and pendants for dumb animals. It should be noted that the product range is sufficiently multifarious. Those enthusiastic about gold and silver, pearls, rubies, emeralds, sapphires and even diamonds can find something suiting their tastes. If neck straps and chains are essentially quite understandable, necklaces and pendants arouse certain curiosity. Although designers had no need to rack their brains too much. Thus, pendants for pets are no different from adornments worn by their women masters. The only difference is in the animal themes: the entire assortment is basically limited to traces of small paws and to bones in various versions.
As for such adornments as necklaces, it may be said that their design has not been subject to any changes whatsoever. In terms of shape, they more resemble beads dressed out with small pearls and crystals, more often Swarovski, although exclusive models with gemstones are not excluded. May be they are not so diversified (as a rule, they only change in color or material), but it looks very nice and appeals to the eye.
Although these seemingly toy-like trinkets are not at all childishly priced: on the average, necklace prices are swinging in the range between 9,000 and 12,000, while pendants stay within 2,500 – 9,000. Still, classic things remain to be the most expensive pleasure – one of the record-breakers among neck straps was a specimen specially ordered to Ukrainian designers in python leather studded with eight diamonds half a carat each and eight pear-cut topaz pendants, which will cost seven thousand dollars to its fortunate owners.
Along with habitual accessories, stores are being replenished with new collections of numerous pins and elastic bands, which are not at all skirted by jewelers, since it is these things, which make the image complete. Recently there appeared new adornments – transformers in the shape of bowknots, the core of which is converted into an elegant pin earring allowing the woman master look in harmony with her pet.
Animal admirers will also be delighted with such accessories being in supply as gold bowls (for instance, Versace’s Barocco Pet Bowl sold at USD 754), dog-leads used as measuring reels and embellished with strass stones or an mp3 player issued in pure gold and encrusted with diamonds authored by Korean company Innobitz (worth USD 2,000). The unique breloque-player detects the dog’s mood and selects calm music for leisure and live music for games.
Let some people deem such purchases devoid of sense and view such collections as waste of time and money, but there is no denying that animal accessories have occupied a certain niche in the world of jewelry. Every year brings a new vogue for yet another breed of cats or dogs and correspondingly there is growing interest towards these small creatures, the more so as their loving masters are ready to plank down millions to emphasize the individuality of their fosterling along with their own. Evidently, for many the sparkles of their own diamonds seem already so dull and inconspicuous that they have to resort to various gimmicks. As is known, animals attracted increased attention at all times and few people can be left indifferent by their touching muzzles and devoted eyes, so why not make all this prominent by an exquisite piece of jewelry.
It is this point aimed at by a great number of jewelers. Supply can exist only there where there is demand. Since the world fashion is bound towards generating such collections, it is safe to say that in Russia such exhibitions will gain a regular pace and fashion stores will top up their inventories with new collections of accessories to delight pets and, which is more essential, their masters.
Vladimir Teslenko
