Contemporary luxury and the communication of jewellery

The aim of this chapter is to analyse key luxury concepts which emerge from contemporary social practices and imagery. The notion of luxury will be considered through its representations and modalities of communication, with the objective to capture the most relevant aspects of its social function and materiality from a cultural and semiotic perspective, while also considering the most recent transformation of this notion in response to the pandemic crisis. What follows looks at the communication of jewellery as a case study. It will consider two periods: the early 2000s – before the 2007 crisis – and the years between 2019 and 2022. The chapter will analyse narratives about jewels, gold and gemstones from the advisement texts and digital platforms of global and Italian brands, while also establishing comparisons between the global and the local. A key conclusion will be that today the notion of luxury is underpinned by the values of rarity, customisation, and sustainability, as well as the idea of something that lasts in time.