OUR PREDICTIONS FOLLOWING THE RELEASE OF THE ICONIC ROSE GOLD IPHONE, ARE STARTING TO COME TRUE

1. The semiotics of the
rose gold iPhone
What a sales phenomenon says about the state of the world

2. We sent this piece out in
September 2015
We looked at what the rise of Rose Gold says about the state of the world
We pointed out that Rose Gold is a code that signals the party is nearing the end
And while we hate to say ‘We told you so’
er…. We told you so
If you’d like to unlearn the way culture drives brand design and how to make it
work for you, do get in touch

3. “The internet has lost its DAMN MIND about the new pink iPhone”
Buzzfeed 10th September
“The rose gold iPhone is causing a global crisis in masculinity”
The Verge 15th September
“I am buying a rose gold and I don’t give a damn”
Twitter - lots of people

4. Rose gold is hot right now
• Besides completely stealing the show at the Apple Event last
week, rose gold is taking over the premium world
• No jewellery collection can be without it
• “more discrete than yellow or white gold, it brings warmth to the
creation and marries well with coloured stones” Claire Choisne,
Boucheron
• Handbags, even Birkenstock sandals come in it
• Weddings that used to be themed in ‘salmon’ or (whisper it) ‘pink’
have a new denominator

5. Gold is the most potent of symbols
• Rare, costly, durable and immune to tarnish, gold has
always lent itself easily to metaphor
• Whether as the golden age, golden rule, golden mean or
conflated with the sun as a metaphor for life itself, gold is
symbol like no other
• The marker and preserve of the wealthy and powerful,
sumptuary laws throughout history have tried to control
the wearing of gold jewellery and the use of gold thread
• In societies where shortage is a powerful folk memory,
gold is security as well as wealth. 78% of India’s
household savings are in gold*
• In China, gold is also the colour of the emperors and is
particularly revered. Apple freely admit the gold iPhone
was part of a - successful - attempt to appeal to the
booming Chinese market
*Macquarie Bank, 2011

6. Rose gold is both more and less than gold
• Made with the addition of 20% or so of copper, rose gold has a
warmer, human hue that jewellery designers will describe as more
feminine and soft
• Deliberately adulterated, it is gold that has the inclination to be
something else
• Unlike yellow gold, rose gold is subject to the vagaries of fashion.
A substance of enduring value is transformed into a consumer item
with the half life of all things modish
• It swings in and out of style
• Rose gold is decadent
• It is gold for people who already have enough gold gold

7. When can you afford to have too much gold gold?
• The most famous lovers of rose gold were the Tsars. Faberge’s
most expensive creation, the rose gold Moscow Kremlin egg,
was installed in the Alexander Palace as the empire began to
crumble. It sits in the Moscow Armoury museum as a warning
to those who simply have too much
• Van Cleef & Arpels created their most iconic rose gold pieces
in the late 1930s as Europe moved towards war
• The last peak was in the run up to the global crash of 2008
• And now it’s back
• Time to head for the hills, rose gold iPhone in hand?

8. Understanding culture and design
For further information please contact simon.jones@hartandjones.com

9. Image credits
APPLE IPHONE 6S
http://cdn.redmondpie.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/iPhone-6s-main-5.png
FABERGÉ RING ROCOCO PAVE DIAMOND ROSE GOLD
http://www.cwsellors.co.uk/products/faberge-ring-rococo-pave-diamond-rose-gold-492rg1414-11-fbr-065
MAYAN SUN GOD
http://www.dkfindout.com/uk/history/incas/sun-worship/
OCTAVIUS ROSE GOLD ROLLERBALL PEN
https://www.touchofmodern.com/sales/octavius-pens-6ed2d7d0-87d3-4de0-b63c-3932947c1006/octavius-rose-gold-rollerball-pen?bk=pause
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Pink Gold Datejust 26mm Watch
http://vanrijkestatejewellers.com/luxury-watches/mens-womens-watches/ladies-rolex-oyster-perpetual-everose-gold-datejust-wristwatch-sku-5838
Gold Christian Louboutin Open-Toe
http://bridelyng.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=17_77&product_id=1299
Tiffany’s RUBEDO Cuff
http://www.mainlinetoday.com/core/pagetools.php?pageid=9104&url=%2FMain-Line-Today%2FApril-2012%2FTiffanys-RUBEDO-Cuff%2F&mode=print
Rose Gold Ferrari 458 Spider with Titanium Exhaust
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/rose-gold-ferrari-458-spider-with-titanium-exhaust-is-a-peacocking-mobile-video-86658.html#ixzz4DjAC0pxChttp://www.dkfindout.com/uk/history/incas/sun-worship/
FT
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/8688049/Debt-crisis-as-it-happened-August-5-2011.html
THE NEW YORK TIMES RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
http://www.60secondrecap.com/decoder/animal-farm/
APPLE IPHONE 6S
http://www.killbiller.com/blog/2015/10/6/apple-iphone-6s-6s-plus
ROSE GOLD HAIR
http://i1.wp.com/stylesweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Rose-gold.jpg