WEDDINGS and engagement are not the only occasions to buy jewellery. Local jewellery retailers note a rising trend in people who buy jewellery to show appreciation for their loved ones, and not just on special occasions.
Ms Angela Lew, assistant general manager at D'Meyson Jewellery, says: 'We see more and more fathers- to-be buying jewellery as gifts to 'reward' their spouses for going through pregnancy. These customers tend to look for solitaire diamond designs to complement their wedding and anniversary gifts. Diamonds are the preferred gemstone as it represents love and enduring commitment.'
Ms Kate Ang, brand manager at Soo Kee Jewellery, also notices that more women are buying jewellery as gifts for other women - mothers, daughters and girl friends. In response to this trend, the jewellers have come up with creations that cater to the changing needs of consumers.
Some of these will be displayed at the Singapore JewelFest 2009's Love in All Its Glory showcase from Oct 14 to 18.
D'Meyson's Tender Devotion is a bracelet cuff that combines the scintillation and brilliance of both round and tapered diamonds to bring out the splendour of celebration of a mother's love. It consists of many intricate links that connect all of a mother's special experiences and most glittering and valuable moments.
The Mio Prezioso collection by Lee Hwa Jewellery signifies the seamless love between mother and child.
The collection - comprising earrings, rings and a necklace - features a spectrum of varying shades of blue sapphires in soothing light blue to smouldering royal blue.
This represents the concept of loving traits passed on from generation to generation.
Soo Kee Jewellery will be exhibiting Rosa Chaluer, a necklace made up of various shapes that signify the different loves in a woman's life.
The diamond shape represents the woman herself surrounded by many other loves in her life - kinship (spades), romance (hearts) and friendship (clubs).
It showcases 740 Brilliant Rose diamonds, 294 black diamonds and 162 bronze diamonds, amounting to 23.49 carats.
Ms Ang says: 'This is a piece that will appeal to the contemporary, elegant woman who is not afraid to express her beauty and sexiness.'