Modern Jewelry Trends

One sign that bling, like jewelry trends in general, is now as much about yellow gold as diamonds is the latest high-end sneaker: Seni, a style by Upper Echelon Shoes that features 18k gold chain shoelaces. The shoes were sported during Tuesday night’s BET Awards by none other than Diddy, who was also wearing large diamond studs and a large yellow gold and diamond medallion. The 18K Gold olive branch chain laces designed by Gabriel Urist, were, of course, untied. The gold-laced shoes, which retail for $500, are for sale in the Hamptons, at Blue & Cream in East Hampton, where Mariah Carey recently bought a pair as a gift. Grandmaster Flash, the king of eighties old-school hip-hop, also owns a pair. Could they be a harbinger of a return to gold-boom eighties excess? Remember Mr. T?

Trendy crafts may seem like an oxymoron, but one of the strongest trends in the urban scene is DIY handmade items. Knitting is coming back as a pastime. Hand decoration of shoes, shirts, and walls, with its aura of personalization, is replacing logos and brands as a signifier of taste. This influence is spreading into mainstream design as well, of course. In jewelry, hand finishes and organic-looking shapes that show the mark of the craftsman’s hand are a very strong trend. Those who don’t want to actually do-it-themselves represent a growing market for crafty entrepreneurs with an urban edge. One example of the hipster craft boom is the popular Renegade Craft Fair, which takes place twice a year in Chicago and once a year in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Last weekend 200 companies sold their handmade products at the Brooklyn edition of the fair, which has become an important style-spotting venue. Last year at the Renegade fair, for example, skulls, swallows, and branches were the most popular motifs. Skulls and branches were also very important in jewelry design last year and swallows are an important new motif this year. So what was the most important trend at this year’s Renegade fair? The handmade craft motif of the moment is sea life. The octopus and squid and other ocean creatures more creepy than cuddly are enjoying their moment in the spotlight (and on t-shirts, ties, cards, and hand-painted shoes.) Should we expect to see jewelry with tentacles? More than a few pieces were seen in Basel this year, including some spectacular South Sea pearl brooches by Autore (an octopus and even a jellyfish), so it’s quite possible.

July 7, 2007 is shaping up to be the most popular wedding day in history. Couples across the country are hoping that the triple-seven date will prove as lucky for love as it is on a slot machine. Of course, Las Vegas, already a mecca for weddings, is playing up the lucky-number date. Many casinos have 77 weddings scheduled for the day, about three times as many as usual. Wedding planners, halls, and other wedding specialists started receiving 7-7-07 bookings in 2005. The Knot, which tracks wedding dates of its members, has recorded 38,000 weddings scheduled for that day, compared to an average of 12,000. The fact that the date is a Saturday makes it even more popular than other memorable dates or holidays like Valentine’s Day. Some retailers have created promotions for this special day (Wal-Mart is offering a all-expenses paid wedding in one of its garden centers, one of those prizes you would always regret accepting: maybe not now but soon and for the rest of your life.) Any contest with a drawing on 7-7-07 will get extra attention and publicity. Try a “Is this your lucky day?” promotion. This is also an excellent PR opportunity, since a local angle on this lucky day is an inevitable feature for every local paper in the country. Count the number of engaged couples who bought rings in your store who are tying the knot on that day and pitch the “lucky in love” story to your local media. And remember that this date also has potential for proposals too, for the same reason it makes a compelling wedding date: it’s very easy to remember even for the most memory-challenged spouses. You might suggest to prospective grooms that they take advantage of the lucky numbers to start off their love story with the maximum amount of good fortune. Speaking of luck, 7-7-07 may not be the most popular wedding day in history for very long. Next year, 8-8-08 is tremendously lucky too, particularly in Chinese culture. (License plates with triple-eights sell for big bucks in Hong Kong.) If you have a large Chinese community in your town, consider a promotion with an eight-sided diamond like the Spice cut by Dalumi, the Eighty-Eight by Finesse Diamond, the Lucere by Ernest Slotar, Northern Lights by Polar Bear Diamonds, or the more common Asscher, Radiant, and Emerald Cuts. You may find that 8-8-08 becomes your lucky day too.

We went to the shows in Vegas expecting to see a lot of new silver collections and we weren’t disappointed, despite the warming trend that has brought us more yellow and rose gold. The high price of gold, the importance of scale, the strong trend of blackened metals, and a new freedom of choice in “fine” materials have all combined to make silver, especially silver and gemstones, look like a pretty good option for many designers. And silver’s relative affordability helps designers create a fashionable look under $1,500 to tempt the self-purchasing woman consumer. In fact, there are so many interesting new silver collections that we’ll highlight a selection of them in our upcoming July issue. Gurhan’s new men’s collection (cufflinks below), a new upscale brand called Pure from Hot Diamonds, and a colorful almost over-the-top silver and pave sapphire collection called Calypso by Rina Limor by JR Gold (Calypso sapphire and silver necklace that retails for $1,300 below) are just the beginning. In fact there are so many new silver collections that you might think about asking all the vendors who have gold collections that sell well in your store if they have any new silver to show you. If they don’t, it may just be a matter of time.

In the jewelry business, it sometimes seems that the really creative designers are not the most successful. But a new development could prove that wrong. Jewelry innovator and trendsetter Stephen Webster now has the financial backing to accelerate the growth of his company. The rock and roll jeweler just went Wall Street. Financier (and FOB) Ron Burkle of Yucaipa, which owns crown jeweler Garrard, like Webster also based in London, has purchased part ownership of Stephen Webster. Webster plans to use the capital to open retail stores, increase worldwide distribution, and expand his more affordable silver collection, now available only at Neiman Marcus in the US. Webster has a successful retail location in London and plans stores in New York, Kiev, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan “immediately,” according to a report in today’s WWD. The article also talks about a previously unannounced upcoming Stephen Webster collection for De Beers Jewelers called “Burning Rocks.” Stephen Webster is most known for his groundbreaking Crystal Haze Collection, which layers facted rock crystal over brightly colored opaque gems to create unique gem colors and shapes. The announcement includes some details about Webster’s impressive growth in the past few years: sales in 2005 were $8 million and in 2006 they doubled to $16 million. Apparently, you can take those numbers to the bank.

Both the Couture and JCK shows are underway in Vegas. There are lots of great new collections. So far I’ve seen a lot of new silver collections, new men’s collections, and some over the top promotional items like a million dollar ice cream cone set with Lazare Kaplan ideal-cut diamonds. Modern Jeweler’s new Jewelry Video Network has some previews of collections on that you won’t want to miss. Check out our videos of the new Top Cat collection by Stephen Webster, the Vortex and Seedpod collections by Rodney Rayner, the Captured collection by Shaun Leane, and the chandelier collection by Mattioli.