Modern Jewelry Trends

For a couple of weeks now, the editors at Modern Jeweler have previewed some of the beautiful and unique jewelry collections that have launched at Couture and JCK Las Vegas 2009. Now we are back from Vegas, and we admit to still being a little jet lagged, a little cocktail partied-out—and it’s quite curious how our wallets always seem a lot lighter back here in New York. But we are also energized by the new twists, new designs, and new jewelry directions we saw at the shows. So are you ready for more great new designs?

Italian designer Marco Bicego has expanded into the men’s market with the “L’Uomo” collection. The line debuted in the U.S. at Couture with 55 styles (150-plus pieces) including rings, cuff links, bracelets, and chains in 18k yellow, white, and rose gold. Other styles include black and white diamonds, colored enamel, and leather. Retail prices range from $520 to $8,000. Through the use of hand-woven coils and hand-etched gold satin finishes, Bicego’s architectural collection takes inspiration from the New York skyline and its metropolitan landscape.

“With this collection, every man will be able to express his individuality and fine tune his personal style for a unique, effortless look,” says Bicego. For more information, call (415) 249-3800 or visit www.marcobicego.com.    — Matthew Kramer

The coolest thing that debuted at the JCK show this year wasn’t a jewelry design or a rare gemstone, although it was tucked away in a pocket.  Stuller has a new iPhone application, Live Diamond Try-On, that makes shopping for an engagement ring fun enough (and portable enough) to do in a bar with your friends.

Live Diamond Try-On works like the “Build a Ring” tools you see on jewelry websites, allowing you to choose a Red Box Diamond and then a Stuller setting in white or yellow gold and then showing you how the ring you chose looks with that size and shape diamond.

But then it goes beyond the expected into the 21st century. You can use the camera on the iPhone to take a picture of your hand and try the engagement ring on, pinching the screen to resize the image to fit your finger. Then you can capture the picture of the ring on your hand and email it or post it on Facebook to see what your friends and family think. (Or show it to your friends in the bar. Then try the ring on their hands or put it on their heads like a tiara.) In the future Stuller will be adding men’s bands too (so you can see how that cute guy at the bar would look while wearing one.)

And there’s more: after you create your ring and try it on, you can use the phone and its GPS to find the nearest retailer who carries it.  You can even see the store’s location on a map (and get directions and a phone number too.)

Talk to Stuller about how you can make sure your store is listed when the application launches this fall.

Silver is the biggest overall trend at the JCK Las Vegas show, which opened yesterday.  A strong emphasis on affordable price points is persuading many manufacturers who’ve never designed in silver before to launch new collections.  But even companies who are already known for great-looking affordable silver are launching new lines with an even more inexpensive price point.  Case in point: Starhaven, the popular designer silver line, which has now launched Starlets, a collection of affordable charms that retails for just $110.

SES Creations has launched the Perfect Twogether collection of classic three stone styles with matching bands that fit snugly against the engagement ring. Designs include round, princess, emerald, Asscher, cushion, and oval three stone styles as well as settings with rounds flanked by pear shape, trillion, tapered baguette, half moon and trapezoid shapes. The collection is available in 14k, 18k, and platinum.  See the collection at JCK booth 15129.

These cute new designs from Charade say boo in 18k gold and diamonds.  The Phantom collection, while also Halloween inspired, is a welcome change of pace from skulls, don’t you think?

Breuning introduced a new collection of  30 styles of electroform earrings in 14k and 18k gold.  The electroforming process allows for large dramatic earring designs that are lightweight and comfortable. Suggested retail for  design shown here is around $1000.

Sal Praschnik Jewels has a pendant that’s also a 2GB flash drive.  The e-Charm pendant has an easy to use program to store medical records, emergency information and even videos and pictures of your kids. The e-Charms, which are less than an inch long, are available in 14k, 18k, and sterling silver, some accented with diamonds in a range of price points, from $490 to $1500 suggested retail. Many different symbols are available. “The USB Flash drive is retractable when it’s worn as a pendant,” says Virginia Praschnik. “And it looks super  chic when it’s plugged into my lap top!” Sal Praschnik is exhibiting at Luxury, booth 800, and JCK, booth 3120.

Gold giant Leslie’s is launching its first collection in silver and gold.  OroSilver earrings, necklaces, and bracelets are 14k gold bonded to silver.  “The merchandise is beautiful and the styling is the best available in gold and silver bonded products,” says Judy Ban.  “We have added this collection to our line to arrive at the price-points needed by our independent jeweler customers.”  The collection will launch at the JCK show and a new brochure featuring the collection will be available at the Leslie’s booth.  Below, a preview of some of the new bracelet styles, with suggested retails from $495 to $600.

Retailers looking for custom designed collections should check out JudeFrances Jewelry’s newest venture, JFI Private Label. In addition to diamond designs in gold and platinum, the private label has launched a multi-stone solitaire collection. The “Cipriani” collection of rings, earrings, and pendants feature five diamonds set together to appear as one. The G-VS quality diamonds are set in prongs or bezels that range in size from 1 carat and up. The Cipriani multi-stone designs are one-fifth the cost of a comparable sized diamond of the same quality. For instance, a 2 carat diamond wrapped pendant of G-VS quality would retail for around $25,500; the Cipriani wrapped pendant retails for only $5,500. Visit JudeFrances Jewelry at the Couture show, booth 258.     — Matthew Kramer

Designer Susan Sadler is launching a great new collection of bracelets that is really different from anything she’s done before.  The designs incorporate vintage bakelite, ebony, pre-ban ivory, and horn adorned with gemstones and pearls set in Sadler’s signature 19-karat gold.  The best part?  The collection retails from $1,500 to $4,500.  The new cuff collection will debut at the JCK show, booth 22129.