Jewelry

A Look Back At The Year 2018 In Jewelry - Forbes

It was a year of multiple trends and no-holds-barred creativity in jewelry. It was also a year of renewed interest in familiar themes with imaginative twists in design and technique. Here are the most popular trends that we saw and wore in 2018.

In The Cut

“Square cut or pear-shaped these rocks don’t lose their shape,” sang Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and it still holds true for white and colored diamonds. In larger stones, we saw the return of pear shapes for pendant earrings and necklaces. A geometric feeling permeated the jewelry design studios and resulted in the comeback of marquises, baguettes, trillions and princess cuts and most edgy—the hexagon cut in all forms of streamlined, ultra-modern looks in jewelry. All of these iterations are classically appealing and will retain their enduring quality.

Tradition With A Twist

When Prince Harry proposed to Meghan Markle with a three stone ring of a cushion cut center and two round-cut stones from his mother Princess Diana ’s collection, it created a renewed interest and desire in this longstanding traditional style with its connections to antique and period jewelry and meaning of past, present and future. Designers jumped on the trend and turned out styles that ranged from streamlined and uber modern to regal and fit for a princess.

 The Gold Standard

Yellow gold continued to be a strong contender as the metal of choice, with rose gold becoming more desirable.  We saw everything from clean-lined yet chunky link chain bracelets to wide cuffs,  message pendants, new signet rings and the quintessential pair of hoop earrings. Many of the styles were accented with the sparkle and shine of melee diamonds creating a luxe feel in these go-anywhere, wear any time of the day jewels/

Floral Arrangements

Everything from fine jewelry to ready-to-wear and accessories blossomed with a variety of florals in looks which included pretty English garden party prints to painterly vintage and retro garden varieties, tropical and mod flower power motifs. Fine jewelry designers deeply planted their roots in the romantic to more exotic three-dimensional single blooms and bouquets.

Lucky Charms

Talisman charm necklaces full of symbolism, spirituality or sentiment continued to influence designers and wearers with meanings that include love, luck, protection, guidance, faith and hope. These charms, medallions, discs and pedants are rendered with different motifs and textural interest but they all speak to the wearer’s emotions, moments and occasions, They reflect and represent what we believe, are a key to our past and open us up to the present and future.

Feeling The Blues

All shades of blue were represented throughout 2018.  We have seen it for multiple seasons and it includes opaque and transparent gems and stones that change color with the light.  Lapis and turquoise have become seasonless and can be found in high jewelry and high karat gold. The magic of moonstone continues to hypnotize, particularly when cut into surprising new shapes. And, after Meghan Markle flashed Prince Harry’s wedding gift of his mother, Princess Diana’s emerald cut aquamarine ring, we are seeing this stone in everything from edgy to polished cuts.

The Long and Short of It

Earrings continued to be the most popular jewel from 2017 to 2018 from red carpet events to jewelry design studios to women seen on the streets. Deco-inspired danglers,  delicate diamond threads and antique-influenced girandole and pendant earrings to endure over time in different incarnations.  There were also playful studs,  irreverent mismatched styles, front-facing hoops, daring climbers, jackets and cuffs which have taken a stronghold in the realm of earring styles. In other words, all styles of earrings seem to be here to stay, so much so that women of all ages have opted for more piercings in their lobes to carry off these looks.

Celestial Patterns

The magic and mystique of the evening sky continued to provide inspiration in motifs and colors. Designers interpreted the patterns of stars sparkling, the moon in its different phases or shimmering hues of the twilight hours such as deep rich lapis twinkling with star-kissed flecks of pyrite and the magically changing glow of blue moonstone.  There is also a range of enameled styles that depict the different phases of the moon. This is a trend that has been evolving over time with design ingenuity and imagination.

Hot Rocks

This year was all about ‘romancing the stone.’ Never have gemstones been more alluring, graphic, rugged or dazzling in finished jewelry interpretations. A bevy of bi-color gems continued into the new season in watermelon tourmalines, ametrine and  Ombre effects in Sunstone. Vibrant high polished oversized cabochons, discreet emerald cuts and nature’s creation of painting-like picturesque scenes which form in stones while they are still in the ground all were out in full force for 2018  When the gem had this much character and presence, jewelers created pared-down settings that were the perfect backdrop for these organic beauties.

She’s A Rainbow

From the spring 2018 ready-to-wear runway shows to the jewelry designer studios, inspiration seemed to be derived from the Rolling Stones this year. From the spring 2018 ready-to-wear runway shows to the jewelry designer studios, inspiration seemed to be derived from the Rolling Stones this year. “She comes in colors everywhere” is definitely a theme in vibrant multi-hued fashion and vivid gemstone combinations and juxtapositions in fine jewelry.