Abstract
Throughout history, jewellery has been one of the important luxury goods due to its uniqueness and exclusiveness. After the rise of brands and consumer society, luxury jewellery has entered to the world of brands, being under a larger umbrella that defines the characteristics of the jewellery, offering a lifestyle rather than a product that has only materialistic value. In this timespan, design has played an important role to create innovation in aesthetics, functionality, technology and above all meaning. Design as a methodology for “making sense (of things)” [15] today has a crucial influence on luxury jewellery as unbranded and branded consumer product. With social, economic and environmental paradigm shifts, there are no anymore stereotype consumers that demand on what is offered, but more conscious and active consumers that ask for experience rather than tangible consumption products and think in a more responsible way for their society and environment. The idea of luxury today has transformed from being valued according to quality, originality and preciousness, to a new type intangible fact that can generate emotions and unique experiences. This chapter addresses design as a “meaning maker” that can translate today’s consumers’ needs into new luxury jewellery products through the perspective of social, economic and environmental changes.