12 Jewelry Trends From Jewelry Week Las Vegas 2014

Notes on new collections seen during the most important week of jewelry shows in North America have been digested, and the top trending looks have made themselves apparent. The following list is based on market work completed from May 27 to June 4 at the LUXURY, JCK Las Vegas, and Couture jewelry shows. While these looks were the most prevalent, consider each according to the best fit for your store. Feel free to weigh in with your own thoughts and observations.

Earring accessories. If there’s one jewelry statement you need to remember from jewelry week 2014, know that it’s all about the ear; from designers to manufacturers, nearly every firm had a funky ear offering. Doves by Doron Paloma, Mrs. T. Jewels (at LuxeIntelligence), Pamela Froman, and Nicholas Liu (at LuxeIntelligence) offered ear cuffs and climbers, Stuller, and Marli offered jackets, and World Trade Jewelers offered an entire tray of studs with skirts—jackets behind the ear that drop down past lobes like the frock.

Vintage-inspired fashion lines. Borgioni debuted a new vintage-inspired line of fine fashion jewelry, Blackbird and the Snow showed Victorian-inspired charms, and myriad others—think Sophia By Design, Martin Flyer, and Irthly Jewelled Adornments—still clung to Art Deco motifs. Plus, baguettes were still abundant, including in the collections at Nam Cho and EFFY.

The color purple. Both Baggins and Irthly Jeweled Adornments used purple sapphires this year (a continuation of the stone’s use by brands exhibiting at Baselworld), Sutra showed lavender spinel, and amethyst was widespread in collections, including frosted stones in a one-of-a-kind bracelet from Chimento. Some reds and pinks also had a presence.

Negative space. It was trending last year and is still popular this year. Beny Sofer was offering styles with the look, as did Doves by Doron Paloma and Sofragem, both of whom showed oversized cuffs with cutouts.

Morganite. While Makur is the original proponent of morganite, as the firm has been making styles with the peachy-hued stone for years, other designers are now catching on to the stone’s beauty. Among them: Sutra, who mixed it with angel skin coral; Stuller, which offered lovely classic settings of it; and EFFY had an entire collection of it.

Pearls. Dedicated vendors like Baggins know the value of the lustrous organic gems, but other jewelry artists are also warming up to them. Tanya Farah affixed tiny gold animals to her natural-color freshwater strands, and Dana Kellin used seed pearls to make friendship bracelets that she hoped buyers would layer together, and Susan Wheeler paired keshi with colored gems.

Plain yellow gold. I first heard of this at the Centurion Scottsdale show, and it continues: Consumers are asking for plain yellow gold. No stones, just metal, and much of it in yellow gold. Representatives at Rina Limor said they were being asked for it, as was the sales team at Artistry (“Buyers are asking for organic-looking plain gold pieces and bangles,” observed Cheryl McKay) and Cuneyt Akdolu at ARA Collection. “There is a return to all gold pieces,” Akdolu explained. “People are tired of the sterling silver and gold combinations.”

Long necklaces. These were evident in karat gold at Beny Sofer, with turquoise at Sutra, and in opera lengths with big-three selections and cut variations at Martin Flyer. “Buyers are looking for unique pieces,” a Flyer rep told me. Dana Kellin and Sylva & Cie also offered a number of new long necklaces, and Norman Covan added long pendant necklaces to its mix.

Geometry. Graphic geometric shapes were everywhere at the shows! Silhouettes at Liven, Marli, and Queen Vee Jewelry were suitable for the young and trendy, while Jane Taylor Jewelry offered long baguette shapes with negative space, and Schullin’s bigger interpretations were loaded with diamonds.

Wings. From Yossi Harari to Pandora, wing motifs—and a few leaves (think Sethi Couture and EFFY Collection)—were widely evident at the shows. Colette showed bird designs in black and white, and Frederic Sage and Marc Jewelry showed butterflies.

Colored diamonds. Le Vian’s commitment to colored diamonds (chocolate, strawberry, blueberry, and more) may be inspiring others to follow in their footsteps. Beny Sofer was offering more champagnes than blacks—“Black diamonds are starting to die out,” said Amit Sofer—while champagnes were also evident at Martin Flyer, Brumani, and Kallati, which had a range of fancy colors. (Opinions aside, black rocks were still trending at AS29 and Colette.) Plus, dyed diamonds that hit a price point were abundant at World Trade Jewelers, while EFFY offered slightly higher ticket price options of yellows, among others.

Fringe. The look was a hit on fall 2014 fashion runways, and that has carried over into jewelry. Mastoloni offered pearl and diamond earrings with fringe, Fern Freeman offered long pendant necklaces with fringe, and Mabel Chong showed an outstanding silver-gold mix fashioned into a bib necklace. (Stay tuned for a fringe trend story in an upcoming issue of JCK!)

The Style 360 blog is your editorial source for the newest jewelry, trends, market analysis, trade show insights, designer profiles, and more.

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