58www.thejewelrybook.com

59www.thejewelrybook.com

Trend Report

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This time of year, we’re all hop-ing to predict the colors, silhou-ettes and materials that will drive sales for the next selling season. Pantone has given us pinks and purples, the runways favored 70’s-inspired looks and we’ve seen the clear resurgence of yellow gold. But lately I’ve been thinking how, in the digital age of fast fashion, hashtags and binge watching, trends feel more and more micro than macro. These concepts come and go so quickly, burning out before they’ve barely taken hold. To complicate things further, the concept of “personal style” has become a critical component of what we consider fashionable – so much so that many fashion houses mention street style as their collec-tion inspiration. That means you can wear your 70’s fl ares one day, and your skinny jeans the next, but it also means that the juggernaut NBT (Next Big Thing) doesn’t really exist the way it used to. We can no longer count on identify-ing that one perfect storm trend, and then counting on it to drive the majority of sales for the coming year.

So… should the fi ne jewelry industry be getting so caught up in the color of the moment, or rather, should we be focusing on long-term societal shifts that give us big picture trends that last for more than a season? I’m leaning towards the latter, and was further inspired by a presentation given by Britt Bivens at the WJA In The Know Conference in March. Bivens spoke about a range of themes that she predicts will be gathering steam, from Sentiment to Wanderlust and Fast – and each were illustrated with compelling examples of jewelry and runway looks that truly felt 21st Century, rather than just of the moment. I’d like to focus on a trend that she called Ancient, because I feel that it refl ects values that are really defi ning our decade:

Inspiration for this theme draws from the growing mindfulness trend and its deepening interest in know-ing and understanding more about who we are as humans and beyond. Looking to the ancient past rather than the past century, at Monks, Oracles and others respected for their

Style Direction for 2015 and Onward...

wisdom. The woman is celebrated as a goddess and a warrior exhibiting her strength and her nurturing nature.

An evolution of the minimalism theme, heading towards more extreme shapes and textures. Fashion-wise the silhouettes have become more exaggerated, able to sup-port larger-scaled accessories. We also see geometric or origami-inspired shapes that take graphics that we saw in the past into a third dimension.Britt Bivens, Trend Forecaster at Ace of Swords

What does this mean as far as the kind of jewelry we’ll be seeing in editorials, on celebrities, and most importantly on the streets in the coming months and years? Bivens’ takeaways included: black (from stones to oxidized metals), yellow gold, matte fi nishes/textures, bold, sculptural shapes, non-traditional materials & tex-tures worked seamlessly with fi ne mate-rials, and necklaces that feel armor-like.

I’m on board with all of the above, and defi nitely see the move towards jewelry that is an extension of the body, that has a story to it, that helps establish meaningful individuality for the wearer. Color won’t disappear completely, but will tend to be more of an accent than the focus of the design. It also makes sense that the evolution of high/low mix & match includes pairing precious and non-precious, that the value is in the essence and effect of the material rather than its market rate.

Perhaps counterintuitive to traditional jewelry industry wisdom, these concepts mean we have to look at Market Week a bit differently than we have in the past. Sure, stock up on some ear jackets, hand jewelry and stackable, layerable pieces, as there will still be demand for these trends through Holiday 2015. Just make sure to supplement your micro-trend pieces with designs that reference the ancient past, which will feel fresh and inspired for many years to come.

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“Edgy” Necklace in 18K Yellow Gold and Diamonds, Jack Vartanian.

Rivulet Hinged Cuff in Sterling Silver with emeralds, sapphires and aquamarine, Babette Shennan.

18K Gold and Ruby Ring, Amrapali.

Slice Diamond Earrings with Green Diamond accents in 18K White Gold, Sethi Couture.

Bangle bracelets with pave diamonds in 18K Yellow or Rose Gold, Palladium and Sterling Silver with black, white or autumn brilliant cut diamonds, Todd Reed.

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Handmade Sterling Silver and 18K Gold Scarab Ring, Featherstone Design.

ALLYSON BAINBRIDGE RICCARDI