This year’s January Vicenza jewellery show portrayed an exciting, innovative and wide range of precious jewellery designs, in the backdrop of a very challenging world jewellery market. A range of innovation that very much reflected and responded to some of the crucial challenges ahead, including escalating gold and platinum prices, the uncertain diamond market, and the need for increasing brand differentiation. New original ideas, thinking ‘out of the box’, successfully combining amazing engineering and manufacturing techniques with pure creative flair, and fundamentally driving towards an enhanced consumer offering, carefully price-pointed, will be even more at the heart of growing (or even stabilizing) the fine jewellery market for this coming year. With this in mind, the six key macro design trends are outlined on the following pages.
Nimci Cleopatra
Jaisalmer
Rich colour and dramatic style expressed through coloured gem stones, enamel, long chain and diamond decoration. Heirloom.
Kiara Gypsy Chic
ITALORAFA
Discovery
Coins, cameos, buried treasures, scratch textures and distressed forms giving the feel of ancient jewels discovered. Rustic.
ESSSENZA
Concentricism
Circles, ovals, squares and asymmetric shapes repeated to give a strong juxtaposition of negative and positive shape. Simple.
OROFRANCO and CARNIANI
Product highlights
These trends are expressed through the following jewellery products.
Rings ) Huge coloured stones with diamond accents. Concave and convex forms set with diamonds. Stack rings of contrasting type together. Big chain links joined together. Flower, reptile, animal and skull sculptures for the finger.
Earrings ) Very long elegant teardrops. Mixed shape and size stones together as block. Simple round diamond studs. Graduated chain links. Pearl with diamonds.
Neckwear ) Multi-link chains sprinkled with diamonds and charms. Large discs, pierced and diamond set. Long Y chains falling down the body. Clear rock crystal ovals with diamond and gem patterns behind. Crosses in all forms. Massive open structures. Very colourful enamel beads.
Wristwear ) Rediscovered charm bracelets. Large bangle cuffs covered in carpets of diamonds and coloured stones. Contrasting size links to create crazy chains. Very large stones, links and diamonds. Fine multi-chains and multi-bangles worn together. Massive curb links diamond set.
Brooches ) Dramatic diamond sprays, salamanders, chameleons, butterflies, jaguars and pierced disc concepts. Place Vendome and chineoise inspiration.
Valenta Nashira, LA NOUVELLE BAGUE and Marco BICIGO
Pop Art
Fun icons, primary colours and graphic twists depicted in off-the-wall ways through looking-glass stones and beautiful manufacturing techniques. Fun.
GRAZIELLA
Giant
Massive jewellery with huge rings, colossal chains, shield-like pendants and dramatic earrings. Rap style.
Marco BICIGO and VENDORAFA
FBR0 and VALENTE AETERNA
Macabre
Skulls of all guises, skeletons and black crosses give an ironic reflection of life and death.
YUKEY GOTHICA
Product highlights These trends are expressed through the following jewellery products.
Men’s ) Black, black and more black portrayed through enamel, leather, carbon fibre and black diamonds. Tag pendants, rubber bracelets, chunky crosses and bold rectangular link chains. Urban chic style with beads, diamonds and back and white enamel.
A brief technical focus highlights the main categories:
Diamonds ) ‘Icy’, low quality diamonds give an important new style to pavé diamonds. Star and meleé size diamonds used at every level of the market. Lots of browns and yellows used in conjunction with dark gold. Rose cut diamonds and textured surfaces of coloured gem stones. Black diamonds are still a major trend. One carat size diamonds and above are dominated by round brilliants, ovals and marquise cut.
Setting Techniques ) Huge feature prongs, often set with diamonds. Pools of pavé-set kaleidoscopic stones very popular. Flush setting seeing a revival. Stones and diamonds held within decorative frames.
Colour ) Bronze, yellow and pink pearls rediscovered. Beautiful coloured patterns. Dark ebony wood. Brown tigers eye and smokey quartz. Delicious green malachite. Purple and green amethyst. Black onyx. White agate. Black resin enamel. White resin enamel. Orange and blue calzedone. Very clear rock crystal. Green tsavorite and tourmaline. Deep blood-red rubies and garnets. Bright orange corals. Yellow and rose gold prominent.
Metals and Materials ) Technical woven yellow gold chain. Coloured resin enamel. Amber. Black rhodium plating with dark diamonds. Exotic woods. Bright plastics with golds. Leather thong chains. Horn and bone.
* The author is a designer and jewellery manufacturing consultant with over 25 years’ experience in the field. He works with De Beers Diamond Trading Company brokers H.Goldie & Co.
