After watching several JCK Talks Trends sessions during JCK Virtual 2020, I took note and then went hunting for those mentioned in the Luxury digital flip book and in the showrooms of some of the JCK Virtual exhibitors (and from there, their websites and Instagrams).
It didn’t take long to find what I was looking for, from big-night-out pieces with “inherent value,” as Kareem Rashed of Robb Report said in one of the sessions, to charms and talismans, fancy-cut diamond wedding bands, and more.
To speak of diversity and inclusion in the context of trends feels a bit cringey, but it’s a conversation that everyone in the jewelry industry who is tuned in to reality—and wants to move forward, not backward—is having. The advice, from several featured speakers, is to do everything you can to humanize your brand and go the extra mile to embrace fresh, new voices.
Doing so is good for business. Because your customer, especially the millennial and Gen Z crowd, cares about social activism and brand ethics.
Here are some product categories to track and focus on as you assort your collections for the holidays and the time when it’s finally safe to gather again, dressed to the nines, embracing one another in our finest jewels.
CHARMS/TALISMANS
Hamsa charms in particular are seeing an increase in demand. Also known as the Hand of Fatima, the symbol is relevant to multiple religions and cultures and is generally thought to ward off the evil eye while attracting luck, prosperity, and abundance.
ROSE-CUT DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RINGS
And it’s not just rose cuts that are trending, but also step cuts like baguettes and, less common (but very cool), Cadillac cuts.
MARQUISE-CUT DIAMOND WEDDING BANDS
Severine Ferrari of Engagement 101 and Shelley Brown of The Knot both cited wedding bands with fancy shapes—and specifically tiny marquise diamonds—as the must-have bridal buy of the moment.
GROSSULAR GARNETS
Hannah Becker (aka @diamondoodles) and Monica Stephenson (aka @idazzle) of Anza Gems both called out grossular garnets as having a moment, because they come in an entire spectrum of colors and “are more affordable than spinel and tourmaline,” according to Stephenson. “Cutters love to cut garnet. There are lot of reasons to love that gem.” Look for “powerful colors” like juicy purple-red and kiwi green.
GEMSTONE BEADS
“Gemstone beads have come back in a big way. They’re low cost in metal and low cost in labor,” according to Becker.
EAR CUFFS
Once edgy, now classic—and ubiquitous.
Top: At the height of the pandemic, Sotheby’s sold a 1930s-era Tutti Frutti bracelet by Cartier for $1.34 million in an online auction, making it the highest price paid for a piece of jewelry online. The takeaway: A certain sector of the jewelry-buying public is willing to spend big for iconic jewels with gravitas. This design by pays homage to the Tutti Frutti look and is ripe for the picking: bracelet with 3.67 cts. t.w. diamonds, 58.48 cts. t.w. sapphires, 16.8 cts. t.w. emeralds, and 32.19 cts. t.w. rubies in 18k white gold, $59,900; Andreoli
Follow me on Instagram: @aelliott718
Follow JCK on Instagram: @jckmagazineFollow JCK on Twitter: @jckmagazine
Follow JCK on Facebook: @jckmagazine
