A Conversation with Paola De Luca
A Conversation with Paola De Luca For The Jewellery Traveller
Beginnings & Vision
1. Paola, you’ve had an extraordinary career spanning design, trend forecasting, and creative direction. What first drew you into the world of jewellery?
Jewellery found me before I found it. I grew up surrounded by Italy’s visual language — architecture, art, craftsmanship — and jewellery felt like a natural extension of that culture. What captivated me was its dual nature: intimate yet universal, emotional yet technical. Jewellery is never just an object; it is a fragment of identity. Once I understood that, I was hooked. It became a lifelong lens through which I interpret people, cultures, and the world around me.
2. What inspired you to create The Futurist and later The Trends Book? Was there a moment when you realized the industry needed this kind of platform?
The jewellery industry often lags behind fashion and design in structured research and cultural analysis. I saw a gap — a need for a multidisciplinary approach capable of connecting macro-shifts in society with the aesthetics of jewellery. The Futurist was born as a think tank to bridge that gap. The Trendbook grew from the same urgency: to give the industry a tool that wasn’t
just about style, but about context, behaviour, and transformation. The moment I realized this was essential was during the early 2000s, when digital culture began reshaping consumer identity. Jewellery needed a new compass; we built one.
3. How has your Italian heritage influenced your aesthetic and the way you read trends?
Italy is a masterclass in contradictions — ancient and futuristic, restrained and extravagant, intellectual and emotional. That duality shaped my eye. I read trends through the prism of culture and craftsmanship, always searching for the emotional undercurrent beneath the visual surface. Italian heritage teaches you to respect tradition while rebelling just enough to innovate. That tension is where new ideas are born.
Understanding Trends
4. When people hear “trend forecasting,” they often think of fashion runways — but jewellery has its own rhythm. How do you approach forecasting specifically for jewellery?
Jewellery operates on geological time compared to fashion’s seasons. Its changes are slower, more symbolic, more tied to cultural evolution than to “what’s hot” this year. My approach blends sociology, anthropology, design research, and consumer psychology. I map long-term value shifts — from identity and spirituality to technology and sustainability — and translate them into aesthetics, materials, and product typologies. Forecasting for jewellery is about decoding meaning, not predicting outfits.
5. What are the biggest shifts you’re seeing in the jewellery world right now — in design, materials, or mindset?
The industry is in a moment of convergence. Craftsmanship meets digital tools. Heritage meets activism. Luxury meets responsibility. Designers are experimenting with new materials, modularity, and biomorphic forms. Consumers — especially younger generations — are challenging conventions, embracing self-expression over status. Jewellery is becoming less about “preciousness” and more about relevance and emotion.
6. Can you share one or two trends from The Jewellery Trendbook 2027+ that you feel truly capture the spirit of the times?
One is “Convergence”, a theme that explores how global tensions, digital culture, and ecological awareness are reshaping our visual landscape. Another is “The Quantum Age,” which reflects how multiple realities — physical, digital, emotional — are merging into new forms of adornment. These trends highlight a world in transformation, where jewellery becomes both a symbol of identity and a tool for storytelling.
7. How do you see social and cultural changes — such as gender fluidity or sustainability — reflected in the jewellery people choose to wear?
Jewellery is a cultural barometer. Gender fluidity is expanding silhouettes, challenging old binaries, and giving freedom back to the wearer. Sustainability is shifting value systems: people want pieces that carry purpose as well as beauty. These changes show up in design, materials, and — most importantly — in the narrative behind the piece. Jewellery today is less about conforming and more about declaring who you are.
The Future of Jewellery
11. How do you think technology — from digital design to AI to lab-grown materials — is transforming jewellery creation and consumption?
Technology is not replacing creativity; it’s expanding it. Digital design and AI open new territories for exploration, making experimentation faster and more democratic. Lab-grown materials are challenging our definition of authenticity and pushing the industry toward transparency. What matters is not the tool itself, but how human intuition transforms it. The future will belong to hybrid creators who merge craftsmanship with computational imagination.
12. Many brands are rethinking what “luxury” means today. What’s your definition of modern luxury in jewellery?
Modern luxury is intimacy. It’s the intersection of meaning, craftsmanship, sustainability, and emotional resonance. Luxury is no longer defined solely by scarcity, but by cultural relevance and personal connection. A piece becomes luxurious when it feels authentic — when it reflects who you are and the values you stand for.
13. What do you believe the next generation of jewellery lovers will value most: craftsmanship, sustainability, or storytelling?
They won’t choose; they’ll demand all three. This generation looks for alignment — between aesthetics, ethics, and narrative. They value pieces that are beautifully made, responsibly sourced, and emotionally compelling. In many ways, this is pushing the industry toward a more holistic definition of value, one that honours both the maker and the wearer.
You can buy the latest trendbook here