Luxury is more of an investment than a way of improving one"s personal image, at least according to jewelry distributors, who report increasing business in the elegant boutiques located in the central area of Bucharest.

Positioning on the luxury industry benchmark location, Calea Victoriei, fully contributed to their success even in these times of crisis, retailers say.

* Andreea Matei, "Frey Wille": "The average value of a trade doubled compared to last year"

Andreea Matei, store manager at "Frey Wille", the Viennese brand of artistic jewelry, inspired by Greek and Egyptian art and by the works of major painters, told us that sales have increased about 30% in the first six months of 2011, compared to last year"s similar period.

She said: "2010 is not just a reference year for us, considering that we have just arrived in Bucharest. However, 2011 was a good year (ed. note: for business)."

Andreea Matei went on to say: "Customers aren"t just buying jewelry, they are investing, and the average value of an order has doubled compared to last year", reaching 1,500 Euros.

The most sought after products made by "Frey Wille" are gold plated jewels, which, according to Andreea Matei, derive their value from the quality of their execution, not from the amount of gold they contain. "In this industry, the advice provided to customers and treating them well is what really matters", Mrs. Matei said.

For "Frey Wille", opening a store on Calea Victoriei was a very good choice. "It took us six months to break even on our store opened in Romania (ed. note: in October 2009), instead of the 18 months we had initially expected", the official of the company said, who added that she expects sales to increase in 2011.

* Alex Dudu, "La Rosa Bijoux": "Our clients favor quality over price"

Alex Dudu, store manager of "La Rosa Bijoux", which