Founded in 2016 by Rosalie Bogaard, Rose d’Anvers blends Antwerp’s centuries-old diamond craftsmanship with the beauty of natural roses by enhancing natural roses with handcrafted diamonds. By patenting its unique preservation and crafting techniques, the company has secured its position in a competitive market and built a reputation for unmatched quality.
From the archives
Rosalie Bogaard, the owner of the Belgian company Rose d’Anvers, answered our questions about her unique crafting method in jewellery and her remarks in patenting and IP protection.
We needed to patent our crafting technique in order to position ourselves against our competitors, and protect our high-quality products from the infringing ones, which would otherwise harm our reputation.
Thanks a lot for joining our interview study, Rosalie. Before getting into the topic, would you please introduce yourself and your company a bit?
I started building up the marketing concept of Rose d’Anvers in 2014, and the company Rose d’Anvers BV was founded in 2016. We bring the world-renowned diamonds of Antwerp and the beauty of rose together in our crafts. To maintain our standards, instead of working with rose brokers, we have our own rose farmers for Rose d’Anvers in Ecuador and Colombia. Also, Rose d’Anvers stands for high-quality natural diamonds, so we work neither with lab-grown nor with synthetic diamonds. In October last year, we started a Diamond Gallery in the Centre of Antwerp near the river. We will have four exhibitions per year with the best creations of Antwerp diamonds from different diamond traders.
We know that Antwerp is famous for its diamonds. What is special about Antwerp diamonds and what makes Rose d’Anvers different?
That is so true! Antwerp diamonds are exceptionally beautiful and very well-known in the world with its unique cuts. These cuts represent the excellence of Antwerp’s exquisite craftsmanship, scintillation, and brilliant light refraction for more than 570 years.
Thanks to our extensive R&D, we can now combine the best Antwerp diamond creations and cuts with the best natural roses with our unique way of craftsmanship, so that you will have a natural rose with handcrafted diamonds on it. The flowers undergo a preservation process to maintain the appearance and texture of a fresh rose despite the passage of time and just by avoiding humidity, direct sunlight and hand contact with the petals, the rose will retain its beauty and appearance.
Actually, it seems that you are not only different in terms of your product and your quality. You are also one of the rare companies in your sector to have a patent. What is the story behind it? What made you file a patent application?
We have patented the preservation method and the crafting technique of our products because the competition in preserved roses is very high. We made a lot of efforts to find the right cut to put on the rose petals which makes us unique in this business. Therefore, we needed to patent our crafting technique in order to position ourselves against our competitors and protect our high-quality products from the infringing ones, which would otherwise harm our reputation. The risk in our business is very high because we have very transparent communication with potential buyers. But now, our patent deters the copycats.
As an additional IP protection measure, we have also registered our trademark “Rose d’Anvers” with a derivative and distinctive version of the coat of arms of Antwerp city, so that nobody can use our logo and name, and damage our brand in the market.
Have you seen any positive effects of IP in your business? Do you think it pays off, that it’s worth it?
Honestly speaking, it is not always easy for companies like us to enforce our rights. However, we know that we have our rights, and we can do as much as we can in order to defend our rights in order not to be copied thanks to our patent. Besides, our trademark protection also gives us an important market advantage.
Lastly, I would like to ask about your recommendations for companies in your sector regarding patenting and your opinion on the importance of intellectual property rights.
Intellectual property rights are a kind of weapon for businesses with which they can protect themselves against infringers. Therefore, if you want to survive in a market which is very transparent like ours, it is essential to safeguard your inventions and brands. Furthermore, IP rights also enhance the reputation of your business and provide support in the market where there are many copycats around.
Find more information about the Rose d’Anvers here.
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Images: © Rose d’Anvers
Key Takeaways
Rosalie Bogaard, Company owner, Rose d’Anvers
