Anyone who has attended a jewelry trade show understands: In those initial days, you see so many exciting designs that it can be difficult to determine what designers created a piece that lingered the longest.
Now that the proverbial jet lag has waned and the memories are still fresh, there are five trends JCK saw on the VicenzaOro exhibition floor in September that are on trend and directing where jewelry is going in the months and years to come.
While there were more than 1,000 exhibitors and all provided a sense of drama and interest, here are five classic or new trend pieces that we’re excited to see in jewelry stores and as gifts this holiday season.
Pearls and gold links. There’s nothing more classic than a pearl earring, necklace, or tiara. But when you look at the work of brands such as Utopia or Yoko London, you see where pearls are going: multiple ways to wear them and adding gold links to bring a more contemporary feel. Utopia had case after case of pearls blended with gold in every form and fashion, taking the trend and making that style its own. Yoko London put forth a grand display, bringing out its new Empress choker, a showstopper of a piece with a rare 15.8 mm drop-shape South Sea pearl (shown at top). The brand also showed off its incredible bridal tiaras, pieces that convert after the wedding into wearable jewels perfect for a gala or even a date night.
Body-conscious jewelry. The human body is the ultimate canvas, and jewelers are lucky to have such inspiration for their work. One jewelry designer who impressed us was Giselle Effting, who uses bone structure and individual shapes to determine the precision of her Gi by Giselle jewelry. The way her body pieces connect to the ear, head, and hand shows her connection to the people who will wear her gender-neutral jewelry—and makes it extremely wearable for those who buy it. The look is modern yet appealing to any age. Effting creates pieces in 3D with resin, crafts them to the individual, and finishes them in titanium and diamonds.
Maximalist color. Maybe it is the kid in all of us, but having something bright to wear during the summer and extreme, saturated hues into autumn and winter seems extremely important over the past two years. Whether it is sweetly fashioned with round shapes that look like candy or enamels from Lisa O. that seem to entrance the eye, there is something unique about wearing color year-round, especially when you need a pick-me-up statement piece.
Easy-to-wear or expandable. Jewelers who work with the realities of the human body are always a favorite, and giving people jewelry that expands to fit is adapting to the needs of your consumer in a way that feels important. That’s particularly true with the Xpandable collection from Picchiotti. While Picchiotti’s expandable rings and bracelets have been around for a while now, the brand keeps innovating by making sure these pieces are high style and elegant to the extreme. They easily slide over your knuckle or wrist, and its rings can go up as many as two sizes. This ensures comfort as well as practicality for a consumer who wants to look their best while also understanding that some days just require a little bit of easy wearability.
Movable parts. Jewelry needs to be beautiful—but if you’re going to get attention, you also can make it fun. Nanis got it right with its convertible rings that flip around to show off both sides of its beautiful design, making it fun to wear as well as highly functional. Lots of other designers make this whimsy work for them, including Netali Nissim‘s evil-eye shapes that come in styles that are funky as well as elegant and Fabergé, which takes its eponymous egg shape and turns it into personable and fantastical jewelry that anyone of any age would be excited to wear.
Top: You get the attention you deserve at VicenzaOro if you bring out a necklace like this, which showcases a 15.8 mm South Sea pearl and 31.39 carats of diamonds all set in 18k white gold from the Yoko London Empress collection (photo courtesy of Yoko London).
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