The overall word from the show floors was positive: There was maybe a little less traffic, but quality orders were placed. And the new collections unveiled were equally exciting. From one-of-a-kinds targeting the 1 percent to the colors purple and red to plunging Y necklaces, jewelry was rich in special stones, regal hues, and modern linear silhouettes. Here are the top 10 most prevalent looks I spied on the floors of JCK LUXURY, JCK Las Vegas, and Couture.
Choker necklaces. Never has the collarbone had so much company. It’s likely because spring fashion called out for the styles—and because fall clothes keep the momentum going—but there were a lot of necklaces thick and thin in a range of prices (and an occasional bib) on hand to shop. Hit up Belle Étoile, Mateusz Zaremski, and Realm at LUXE Intelligence for new options.
Linea choker in 18k gold vermeil with CZ by Realm
Open rings and collar necklaces. The great divide takes on new meaning in a fresh crop of modern pieces. Open rings are bands with a split placed front and center, sometimes capped off by bars, globes, or other ornaments. Companion collars, meanwhile, bear the same silhouette but are just built bigger to wrap the neck. Both are bound by that common void, celebrating an evolution of minimalist style with sass and reinvigorated substance. Look to JCK Rising Star Ralph Masri, Californian Jacquie Aiche, and gorgeous Swede Efva Attling, among others, for these pieces.
Romancing the Stone choker in silver with rock crystal by Efva Attling
Entry-price gold and diamond styles. These aim to appeal to female self-purchasers looking to spend less than $5,000—though some collections were designed to break the $3,000 mark. Doves by Doron Paloma, Trésor, and even Amrapali, which introduced a sterling silver and 18k gold and diamond line, all offered new collections designed to appeal to this buyer with a budget.
Earrings in 18k gold with diamonds from Doves by Doron Paloma’s new Petite Doves collection
The colors purple, pink, and red. From purple sapphires at Jemma Wynne to purple spinel at Victor Velyan to rose quartz at Vianna Brasil and rubellite at Lydia Courteille, regal and rosy color schemes were the hit of the shows. The colors nod to Pantone’s color of the year, Marsala, and also to fall fashion.
Ring in 18k gold with red enamel, rubies, and rubellite tourmaline from Lydia Courteille’s Scarlett Empress collection
Baguettes. A holdover from recent years of Art Deco–inspired styles, baguettes—particularly diamonds—are breathing vintage-inspired life into fashion pieces and are doing overtime as chic SKUs in the commitment category. See Suzanne Kalan for fashion and wedding styles (with great entry-level prices in pieces that don’t sacrifice style), Royal India for baguette-cut emerald one-of-a-kinds, Finn, and even Stuller, which JCK’s editor-in-chief Victoria Gomelsky mentioned in her post on Monday.
Diamond baguette necklace from Finn
One-of-a-kinds. There is healthy segment of the market whose devotion to the 1 percent is clear. Consider Arman Sarkisyan, the self-proclaimed indicolite tourmaline hoarder, with his detail-rich lockets, earrings, and rings, Yael Designs’ one-off opal and garnet styles, Takat’s hoard of massive emerald and diamond numbers made for royalty, and pretty much everything that Arunashi makes. The top end of the market is still buying, and there are plenty of artists with options to appeal to that demanding client.
One-of-a-kind earrings in 18k gold with yellow sapphires, green jade, and diamonds by Yael Designs
Y necklaces. This silhouette was widespread at the shows. Zoë Chicco, Jacquie Aiche, Gabriel & Co., and many more offered long, lanky styles, largely in yellow gold. Ideal for layering—and for summer because they’re lightweight—the necklaces will particularly appeal to young shoppers for their minimalist lines, while heftier versions with more metal and bling will find a home among more moneyed and mature buyers.
Y necklace in yellow gold with diamonds from Gabriel & Co.
Stacking rings and bracelets. There were loads of stacking rings and slender stackable bracelets in convention spaces at both ends of the strip. Tacori had myriad options in a price-point-sensitive line of karat gold and diamonds, as did Melissa Kaye, Marli, and Zaiken. Plus, even mass merchandiser Endless Jewelry had stacks in the form of its multistrand leather bracelets with charms.
Zaiken stacking ring
Modern earrings. There was also a wealth of uncommon earrings at the shows. Nikos Koulis showed brilliant studs and jackets with built-in earring backs, Colette offered stud and duster (single long earrings) sets, Kara Ross showed funky climbers with thick cuts of raw gems like azurite, while even Imperial offered more pearl-infused front-to-backs.
Front-to-back earrings with freshwater pearls from Imperial
Modern cluster effects. I’m not talking about vintage-esque sprays of diamonds ca. 1950, but contemporary looks with mixtures of natural-color or rose-cut diamonds à la Xiao Wang, colored gemstones from Madstone’s Melting Ice collection, diamond mosaics from Plevé, and opal clusters from Green G. Clusters today feature varied shapes, sizes, and colors of stones in clever groupings with frequent one-of-a-kind looks that often have entry prices because of petite gem sizes.
Cluster ring with morganite from the Melting Ice collection by Madstone
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