Interview: Ann Perica

Ann Perica from Bern has always been fascinated by beauty. As a make-up artist, she spent ten years creating pretty faces, and today she creates jewelry made from precious stones and gold under her own name. In this interview, Ann Perica reveals what it was like to gain a foothold in the jewelry world as a newbie and how her grandma’s jewelry box showed her the way.

FACES: What makes your jewelry store different from other jewelry brands on Zurich’s Bahnhofstrasse?
Ann Perica: Above all, the possibility of having a piece of jewelry created individually. From the type of gold to the gemstones and their setting, you can choose everything yourself and we will then create a personalized piece of jewelry according to your individual ideas. It was also always important to me to break down the inhibition threshold for customers to even enter our jewelry store. That’s why, unlike the jewelers on Bahnhofstrasse, you won’t find a bodyguard at our store – you simply have to ring our doorbell for us to open the door for you.

FACES: The jewelry business is a very special one, and not just in terms of security. What things in the industry surprised you after you founded your label?
Ann Perica: Before I decided to create and sell jewelry myself, I worked for a long time with diamond dealers and at jewelry fairs. That’s where I acquired most of my knowledge about gemstones. So in this respect, I wasn’t surprised by much at all. It was actually more difficult for me to become a boss and manage my own employees. My learning curve in this respect was huge and continues to be so. I have also learned to pay more attention to my own gut feeling rather than always asking others how they would handle something. There is no right or wrong, only decisions that I make in a way that suits me and my jewelry label.

The DNA of Ann Perica

FACES: How would you describe Ann Perica’s DNA and design language?
Ann Perica: As geometric shapes with a retro touch. I love the seventies and even as a small child I would rummage around in my grandmother’s jewelry box, who had many pieces from that decade. It is also important to me to let a gemstone speak for itself and not to overload it with ornate precious metal.

FACES: Your grandmother’s jewelry box laid the foundation for your current jewelry label, which you run under your own name. But your CV actually has a lot to offer before the company was founded.
Ann Perica: My CV is actually kind of a big mess. (laughs) For a long time, I thought that my various jobs together wouldn’t make any sense at all, but today I know that all these jobs help me in what I do today. I really wanted to work straight after school, so I decided to do a commercial apprenticeship instead of going to grammar school. I then attended a make-up artist school in Cologne and worked in this business for around ten years before studying business administration. A student job took me to the Baselworld watch and jewelry fair as an assistant to Jewish diamond dealers. For around ten years, I then worked at various jewelry fairs around the world and delved deeper and deeper into this industry. Before I founded my own label, I also trained with a goldsmith for two years to better understand the craft of jewelry production.

FACES: Sounds like you always know exactly what you want, despite all the detours. Is that the case?
Ann Perica: I have so many ideas in my head. (laughs) I would probably have at least three ideas for my own start-up every day – from a burrito stand to a currywurst take-away in Bern. Before founding my label, I wrote down all these ideas and thought carefully about what would suit my skills and my ideas of a profession. A pendant with my grandmother’s scented pomade gave me the idea for the jewelry that led me to found my label.

The trade in gemstones

FACES: But you also use a lot of gemstones for your jewelry. What is the cooperation with these retailers like?
Ann Perica: My student job gave me the opportunity to come into contact with numerous retailers, for example in New York. These connections were worth their weight in gold, especially at the beginning, and to this day these dealers enable me to take individual stones on commission. This means that I show the gemstones to my customers and only pay for the pieces that I can actually use.

FACES: What gap are you filling in the Swiss jewelry market?
Ann Perica: I actually found my niche through my own engagement. (laughs) Together with my current husband, I went through the various stores and looked at numerous rings. When I posted my own ring on Instagram, I was inundated with so much great feedback that I knew I had found my niche. That’s why we create engagement rings for anyone who wants an individual ring that is not a no-name product.

FACES: You are a designer, but not a trained goldsmith. Has that ever hindered you?
Ann Perica: It was actually a bit difficult for some people to understand that I design rings but don’t necessarily make them myself. In other countries, however, this is quite normal. In conversation with a goldsmith, I learned that this fact is not a handicap, but can also be an advantage. It is precisely because I first have the design in my head and only then take care of the implementation that completely new and exciting approaches sometimes arise. With new earrings, it sometimes happened that I first physically realized my ideas with plastic beads to show my goldsmith exactly what I had in mind.

The different variants of diamonds

FACES: When you think of gemstones, you quickly think of Blood Diamonds. Where do your gemstones come from, and what do you need to look out for when buying such pieces?
Ann Perica: I want to offer my customers absolute transparency. There are three types of gemstones: those that are mined from the earth or the sea, those that have already been cut and are commercially available, and those from the laboratory. Chemically speaking, all three are identical. There are arguments for all three types of gemstones. Laboratory diamonds do away with the sometimes problematic prospecting process, but their production still requires a lot of energy and prices on the market have fallen steadily in recent years. They are therefore less of an investment object than other natural gemstones. In my opinion, old-cut diamonds have a special charm because their facets are not quite so perfectly geometric and therefore reflect the light in a slightly different way. Because gemstones from the ground are always reused, it is extremely difficult to trace which mine they come from and which path they have taken. Being able to ensure this traceability is a matter of great concern to the jewelry industry today. Ultimately, it is up to the consumer to decide what kind of diamond they want to wear on their finger or neck.

FACES: How should one imagine the business of diamond trading then?
Ann Perica: It’s actually a very old-fashioned business, where a trade or sale is usually agreed with a handshake and recorded with a handwritten receipt. As a designer, you borrow the stones that are of interest to you from the dealers, show them to your customers and then pay for the ones that are actually used. The world of diamond trading is small, and everything is based on trust. If you don’t pay your suppliers, for example, word gets around quickly.

FACES: Is there a particular gem that you remember?
Ann Perica: At an auction at Sotheby’s, I was allowed to pick up the largest gemstone from one of Marie Antoinette’s tiaras. It was a large, blue drop, an incredibly rare piece!

FACES: Do you have a favorite stone, too?
Ann Perica: I am very fascinated by diamonds because they are very hard and robust and can therefore be used in many different designs. I love working with champagne-colored, grey or brown diamonds, which you don’t see everywhere. The green of emeralds always captivates me, but these gemstones are somewhat brittle and therefore more difficult to handle.

The jewelry industry

FACES: What look do you take when you look at the displays of the jewelry chains on Zurich’s Bahnhofstrasse?
Ann Perica: On the one hand, I am inspired by the designs of major competitors and, above all, legendary pieces such as the designs by Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. It is exciting to see how such well-known designers revolutionized the industry with their jewelry in their time. On the other hand, I also compare the prices and the quality of the materials and jewelry. It is very important to me that I design jewelry that will give pleasure for a long time and that I can offer my customers a good service.

FACES: What would you want to change about the jewelry industry if you could?
Ann Perica: I would like to see more transparency. Customers should understand why a piece of jewelry has a certain price. Many people don’t realize how many hours of work go into a customized ring, for example. Jewelry wearers are often shocked when they want to sell their engagement ring, for example, and see the pure material value of gold and gemstones. Only then do they understand how high the actual production costs are.

FACES: Personal contact with your customers is an important part of your business model. How do you feel about online retail when it comes to jewelry?
Ann Perica: I think it’s great that you can also order jewelry online. The problem is the huge differences in the quality of individual parts, which simply cannot be properly assessed from a picture on the Internet. In my opinion, it therefore makes perfect sense to go into a store, pick up the piece of jewelry, try it on and talk to the designer or goldsmith about it.

From engagement rings and special requests

FACES: What have been your most special requests so far?
Ann Perica: We once created a revenge ring for a customer from her former wedding and engagement ring. This case also posed a major technical challenge because the setting was extremely convoluted and we also had to reposition the rubies and diamonds. Another exciting story is that of a couple who came to us separately and bought an engagement ring for each other. The two went on vacation together in France, where they planned to propose to each other. We then found out that the woman was quicker with her application. (laughs)

FACES: Aren’t engagement rings a little stuffy, too?
Ann Perica: I’ve noticed that this custom of getting engaged in Switzerland is just starting to gain momentum. However, many couples who come to us approach this engagement in a completely different way and break away from the very classic, traditional idea. But at the end of the day, traditions are always a beautiful thing – like Christmas, for example. What’s more, there are so many ways to break up and reinterpret the very classic design of an engagement ring.

FACES: How do you describe the people who come to you looking for a piece of jewelry?
Ann Perica: As a very fashion-conscious audience that strives for individuality and sometimes even works in design professions themselves.

FACES: Is there a need for trends in the jewelry business?
Ann Perica: Jewelry is much less fast-moving than fashion. However, when it comes to understanding the timelessness of jewelry, the Swiss, for example, tick differently than Americans, who sometimes spend a lot of money on a trendy piece.

FACES: How much emotion goes into the jewelry you wear yourself?
Ann Perica: For me, jewelry is all about emotions, and every piece has a meaning. On the one hand, I wear the first piece of jewelry that I made myself, and on the other, pieces that used to belong to my grandmother. Many of my customers also come to me on very special occasions and in situations that they want to remember by buying a new piece of jewelry. It is a very satisfying feeling to accompany them!

Ann Perica

Jewelry with charm: Bernese designer Ann Perica creates pieces of jewelry under her own name that are guaranteed not to end up in a box. The entrepreneur took a detour to jewelry and discovered her passion for gemstones. Her hobbyhorse: engagement rings, which she designs together with the respective couples. In addition to the very personal, individual pieces, Perica regularly creates new fine jewelry collections of rings, earrings and necklaces. The design: minimalism with personality.
Ann Perica, Seefeldstrasse 73, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland, annperica.com

Click here to go directly to the Ann Perica website, where you can discover the beautiful pieces of jewelry.
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Photos: © Livia Bass, Diyala Kayiran, Nadine Ottawa