Jewelry Trends: Fall 2010

As fall eases in, it brings along the wonderful autumn palate of burnt orange, olive green, and all shades of brown. The runway is sporting a more masculine look with tailored jackets, trim button downs and flattering trousers.

The statement necklace is still a must: big yellow gold links by themselves, with warm complimentary colored stones, even with fur. I love the mink and gold-plated links necklace by Louis Vuitton; fur is one of the season’s hottest trends. Necklaces are being worn shorter now so they can be left inside the clean lines of a tailored blouse or jacket. I plan on pulling-out my yellow gold vintage pocket watch and watch chain, which also pairs with the season’s military inspired looks.

Cuff bracelets and chandelier earrings continue to be hot trends for the fall. Cuff bracelets are showing up everywhere from the office to the red carpet. They are a chic piece of jewelry even if they only peak out from under a blazer. I love the colors and texture of stingray bracelets, which are an economical way to keep current. (available at Amazon.com)

Chandelier earrings trump all jewelry for evening. The fashion of the moment seems to be less is more when accessorizing, but more is more when it comes to dangling earrings like these earrings from Faso. So, don’t be afraid to put on a little black dress and over the top earrings.

Style Setters: The Jewelry Brief Interviews Evelyn Huang

Evelyn Huang is the talented jewelry visionary behind the designs of evelynH. Jewelry. Initially exposed to the world of gems and diamonds through her father’s fine jewelry business business, Evelyn left her family company and earned a degree in Economics from UC Irvine. After spending a few years in Asia she returned to the US and to her love of jewelry. Evelyn earned her Graduate Gemologist degree from the Gemological Institute of American and began work as a brand ambassador for De Beers in Beverly Hills. For the delight of jewelry collectors everywhere, in 2006 evelynH. was launched. And the accolades have not stopped.

The focus of evelynH. is fine, custom, one-of-a-kind pieces. Working under the motto “Everything is considered and nothing is overlooked”, unique pieces are crafted incorporating precious gemstones with breath-taking attention to detail.  Shown here is evelynH’s 2009 award-winning necklace from the Rio Tinto’s Champagne Diamond Design Competition. The “Bulles de Champagne Collier” is an attention grabbing whimsical neckpiece featuring champagne colored diamonds set in a design that mimics bubbles. The creative, daring neck piece is one which we might expect to see from the finest French jewelry houses. But Evelyn Huang’s scope of work is very vast. The architectural and edgy ring which won the 2010 International Red Dot Jewelry Product Design Award proves that brilliant design is her trademark, not one particular style.

evelynH. produces several thoughtful, well designed collections. The bridal line is especially noteworthy with its “his and hers” wedding bands which capture the essence of various design themes in masculine and feminine versions. The Infinity rings (shown here) won a Women’s Jewelry Association 2007 award for Platinum and Diamonds Design. My favorite is the Trellis, where one design is at the same time a heavy and masculine band and a diamond-set elegant ring that would make any woman smile (every day).

What is the main source of your design inspiration?

Everything around me can inspire my designs.  The experiences in my life, the people I meet, the places I visit, and things I see in my day-to-day life.  There is not one particular source for inspiration.

Who has been the most influential in your life?

Different people have been influential at different points in my life. On a personal relationship level it would be my family, friends and colleagues.  On the other hand, I have been inspired by public figures with different point-of-views and who are currently pushing or have pushed the boundaries in different aspects of design, including fashion.  It might sound cliché, but I find a figure like Coco Chanel inspiring.  She was willing to push certain boundaries during her time.

What do you see as up and coming trends in jewelry design?

Jewelry design is such a broad category, we have high-end couture jewelry at one end and mass produced costume and fashion jewelry on the other end.  This makes identifying trends more rigorous to classify.  For example, fashion jewelry can be very wild and over the top, however with fine jewelry’s high intrinsic value, you wouldn’t want to purchase a piece at $100,000 and have it look out of fashion in a year later. In general as a custom designer, I have found the fine details have become very important to consumers. The little things found on a piece of jewelry make it different and more personal, as well as implementing textures and the utilization of new materials in jewelry.  I think uniqueness, customization, value and alternative materials all have become major trends in the fine jewelry industry.

How would you describe your own personal [jewelry] style?

I am a chameleon…I would like to think I don’t have an exact personal style.  I know it might seem strange since most designers have a certain design aesthetic, but I’m always open to new ideas and love trying new things.  Everything around us is always changing; trends come and go, so I don’t want to hold myself back by sticking to one specific style. Of course, there is a link between all of my designs, and after looking at a few pieces you can find a common thread or feeling.  I would never consistently feature something very obvious and concrete such as swirls or flowers, or anything else limiting like that.  The only common links you may see in my creations are things like movement, textures and intricate ornamentations.  It is my goal 30 years from now, to be able to still create pieces that are fresh and different and will continue to surprise people.

What is your favorite luxury in life?

Time with loved ones.

Pearls Just Go With Everything

As a preppy college student, I used to wear pearls with an Irish knit sweater to football games, and that is the closest I will ever get to revealing my age. Now I tend to wear them with suits or silk blouses.  However, while pearls are classic jewelry, they have been popping up recently in the most unsuspecting places and they look fabulous.  From Chanel sunglass arms and Prada earrings to celebrity photographs, pearls have taken center stage.  Recently, the very hip Gwyneth Paltrow and Rita Wilson were photographed in pearls by Town and Country Magazine at an LA benefit.

Pearls are the birthstone for the month of June, and are still the best milestone gift for the graduates and brides,  but they are also so much more.  For more information on the gemology of pearls click here for a “Pearls” Brief.

Looking forward, pearls are for all seasons. Louis Vuitton has created the most incredible pearl necklace (left) with their Fall Collection for 2009. It is an oversized link necklace of gold with pearls accenting each link. This necklace is a stunner, I love it!

To Bead or Not to Bead?

By all means, bead.  One of this Summer’s hottest accessory is still the  statement necklace.  Bead necklaces are one of the best ways to bring the new, bright colors of the season into your wardrobe.  Coral beads or “branches”, faceted “lime” quartz or turquoise beads are just the beginning of the list of gemstones that brilliantly show off a Summer palette.  Depending on the material these necklaces can be composed of a single strand of large beads or multiple strands of smaller beads to really make a statement!

Cocktail (Rings) Anyone?

Big, chunky, colorful rings have always been a favorite of mine but more and more they are popping up on the pages of all of the top fashion magazines. Best of all, they are not just for evening any more. Many oversized rings have a very casual and playful appeal to them.

Perfect for day, oversized rings most often feature cabochon or fancy cut semi-precious stones alone or in a bold combination of colors, in gold mountings. Bulgari, whose signature look is easily recognized and often copied, popularized this look for day. Another great look for day is big cabochons of coral or turquoise; both work in simple or heavy gold mounting and are a stylish and economical way to incorporate color.

For evening, many of the rings we are seeing today recall the glamorous cocktail rings of the 1940s. Like the period example in the photograph, these rings often boldly feature a large emerald-cut, or square-cut center colored stone. Most often these are semi-precious stones such as a beautiful, golden tone citrine or an eye-catching pink tourmaline, grass green peridot or aquamarine. For evening these stones may be accented by diamonds or by diamonds together with another pop of color such as ruby. Don’t be afraid to wear these rings on your middle finger, which is where they often look best.

Bravo Bulgari

125 years after its inception, and still under the leadership of the Bulgari family, Bulgari jewels continue to awe and excite the jewelry lover.  While Bulgari remains a manufacturer of the wearable, signature lines that became so popular in the 1980s, the long tradition of beautiful, artistic designs set with colorful gemstones carries on into several of the collections that can be seen in the many Bulgari stores world wide today.

The Elisia and Allegra collections are rich in design and exquisite colored gemstones.  The jewelry in the Elisia collection is composed of pave-set diamond elliptical shapes accented with either cabochon or faceted oval colored sapphires and emeralds.  The basic elliptical element is repeated in many different combinations of colors and connected at various angles creating a very wide-ranging group of jewelry. Allegra is a very feminine and fun collection composed of many different colors and cut styles of gemstones.  The collection features pearls, amethyst, blue topaz, citrine, pink and green tourmaline and diamonds, set in fabulous contrasting positions.  Don’t be fooled, this is a very sophisticated design.  It takes a true lover of gemstones and someone who understands traditional design to recognize how out of the box this concept is…gorgeous!

Bulgari has also expanded into many various luxury goods.  The evening bags, however, are like jewels themselves.  The clutches, which feature vintage fabric, are embellished with beads of all shapes, sizes and colors, and the gold plated, enamel closures are really spectacular.

For more information and a Bulgari Boutique near you, visit www.Bulgari.com

Wow them with Your Necklace!

The statement-making necklace is here to stay, and you have many options to find the style that best suits you and your wardrobe. Today anything goes whether you prefer a chunky gold neck chain, a long fancy link chain, and whether you want to incorporate gemstones into your neckpiece.

Several things to consider when choosing a necklace: is there a certain type of neckline that you prefer? Are there colors that you wear more than others? And are you casual, business or dressy? …not that you can’t or shouldn’t be all three. Many designers are coming up with lines that can be versatile or may have different shapes or styles in each line.

A fabulous example of this is the fresh Florentine designer Marco Bicego, who incorporates color and dimension into all of his neckpieces. Shown here is a necklace from the Jaipur Collection. His lines offer a great choice in color and form, from peridot to amethyst to pink tourmaline and bib-styles to longer, almost ruffle-like combinations of gemstones and gold beads. His designs are unique, but all-around wearable.