There are three types of gifts in the world: good, bad, and a book
I decided to ask Maxim Pavlovskiy (@maxim_pavlovskiy), a perfume buyer and collector, how to stop exploiting genres and choose something really worthwhile.
They talked about both the most pressing issues (what to give to someone who has everything) and less expected things, such as personalisation of gifts, etiquette when choosing and emotions as values without a price.
How to get started
“The first recommendation for a banal is effective – find out what the person does for a living. For obvious reasons, you shouldn’t ask directly; it’s easier to make a modest search on social media. And don’t forget about mutual friends if the information on Instagram is not enough”.
Maksym said the last phrase with a smile. Indeed, Instagram is now able to replace any dossier from even the closest person. Talking about ways to find out a person’s hobbies, we came to the typology of gifts.
Book?
Yes, as you already know, gifts are indeed divided into good, bad and books, but it is the book that can play the role of a good and formal gift, rather than a universal one. For example, a person loves fiction, collects rare editions, and has been hunting for something for a long time but can’t find it. Here you have a chance to be smart and organise delivery from London, Paris or Berlin. Such efforts are always beautiful in themselves.
Trends
Like any other industry, the gift-giving story has its own rules and… trends. For example, over the past few years, the audience’s interest in wine has grown so much that you can accidentally receive a book like Wine Folleu several times from completely different people.
But the demand for travel gifts has fallen due to the pandemic. However, Maxim recommends taking the situation into your own hands and focusing on the place – you can always brighten up a person’s trip by giving them a SPA at the hotel where they are staying, or book a special excursion. Be creative!
Emotions
“What should you give to someone whose tastes you have no time to learn? There are sudden invitations or other circumstances…”, I ask Maxim.
It turned out to be emotions. Master classes (from cooking to clay), a trial lesson in public speaking, dinner in an impressive place, tickets to the Opera or a subscription to a good gym. You may not know the person, but you should know what kind of impression you want to leave. It always works. It also works with physical objects. “A universal method,” says Maxim, “is to go to UkrFlora and buy a nice flowerpot there. Or, say, a cactus. Did you know that cacti absorb computer radiation? It’s simple and useful.”
For those who have everything
But the premium category of “friends who have everything” has different rules. Here, the status of the emotion presented is important. In Ukraine, there is a project called Memorabilia under the patronage of collector Oleksandr Krylov. The uniqueness of his Memorabilia collection lies in the fact that rare objects of specific events and authentic autographs of famous people appear before the viewer in specially designed displays-pictures and installations. In them, they are usually in interaction with objects of the cultural environment from which they came.
Autographs can be anything from a glazed photo to the handcuffs that DiCaprio wore in the final scenes of Titanic. These are special luxury items that have no objective value on the market. And most importantly, everything is officially certified.
The invisible luxury
Continuing with the theme of luxury gifts, we smoothly moved on to personalization.
“For example, a person has been using the same fragrance for years, and you know about it. You buy a bottle, find an engraver, and ask them to engrave their initials. You can do the same with a shirt, leaving a neat handwriting on the sleeve. This way, the gift immediately acquires a special, different value. I call it invisible luxury.”
Etiquette
The rules of etiquette and budget limits are a personal and adjustable issue. As Maxim himself admitted to me, he does not like to shock. And he would definitely not organize a secret party at the home of the hero of the occasion. Comfort when receiving a gift is the first and most beautiful principle of choice. It’s much nicer to know that someone has fulfilled your old dream.
“If you know a person well and understand their values, it’s cool to give them something they won’t be able to afford in the near future or temporarily don’t consider this expense justified. For example, they have a secret dream – a vinyl record player or headphones of a certain brand. It is clear that she will save up and buy it. But it’s still so nice when someone else fulfills your heart’s desire.”
Knowing that Maxim is into perfumery, I couldn’t resist touching on this topic in the final. It turned out that there was an interesting option.
“You can give the opportunity to choose a perfume with me. I call this profession “Fragrance stylist”. I spend about an hour with a person, learning about their fragrance background, and then select something that they can appreciate. This is a good gift for any occasion.”
Know the situation
As we were finishing our coffee, I asked him one last question: have people started counting money anymore?
Maxim admitted that he had never been able to. “I’d be happy to accept a financial literacy course as a gift,” he joked in the end, letting me know that there is always an enthusiastic recipient for any gift. The key is to know the situation.
We are always ready to help you choose a piece of jewelry: for yourself or as a gift;
just for fun or for a special occasion; basic or customized.