Jewelry Trends 2014

07 January 2014 | Esther Ligthart | 2014

Would you agree that the idea of fine jewelry has not changed much over the past decades? It has to be made from gold, platinum and maybe sometimes; silver. It should contain precious gemstones and if designed by a famous jewelry house, it’s even better. There is nothing wrong with this of course, but let’s face it; it is just a small amount of people in the world who can easily afford this desire. And desire is what has driven us for so long. Desire for status, desire to simply possess. Desire to stand out in the crowd.

Dario Scapitta, 3D designs from a hot young Italian designer with beautiful ideas

Creating a better world

Something might be changing though. Is it the crisis that makes us more conscious that we should maybe leave that ‘’me, me and me celebration’’ behind in order to create a better world? Is it the internet and all those bloggers, some of them just 12 years old, that showed their peers the fun of make-up (taught by them instead of some famous make-up artist that is sponsored by some equally famous make-up brand). Think of it; there are all these young women who love to share on all kinds of social media their opinion about fashion and guess what, their peers take them much more seriously than they do with designers, fashion magazines and editors. And do not forget that it is not men anymore that are solely responsible for the acquisition of jewelry for their wives, lovers and daughters. Women do often not depend on their spouses financially and the biggest growing population is singles and this is a phenomenon around the globe. These women buy their own jewelry.

Michelle Obama seems to get more beautiful whilst growing older. She knows how to wear clothes and jewelry so well. I bet she can get away with just about anything. This necklace is custom jewelry and made by Tom Binns. You cannot get better publicity than the first Lady wearing your jewelry of course.

The power of creating your own style, bloggers increase their influence...

Women, fashionistas and other, are rather seeking pieces that match their personality, that speak of a sense of self, rather than the standard definition of what is prized and rare. So, what we notice is a huge shift from being told what women should wear ( this goes for fashion as well) to creating their own style, inspired much more by peers and bloggers than companies and media telling them what is hot and what is not. You can notice this too by the huge revival of couture costume jewelry, often made from materials such as bronze, resin, glass and wood. These less expensive materials allow designers to break free from anything traditional and it gives them the wings to create and explore different eras, cultures, sensitivities, signs of the times. And I loved this phrase: By merging unlimited creativity with old world (omg, I feel a little antique when writing this, haha) construction techniques, a new category of accessories is born: those not valued just for the intrinsic purposes, but for the art of quality and design.

Fabio Salini, a jewelry designer from Rome, loves to combine precious stones and pearls with lace, leather and other materials. Playing with creativity and design. These items have a bit of a bridal look, very pretty!

Mix and Match materials, precious and less precious...

And although we might speak about an old world and thus maybe about old fashioned companies, one should not forget that even in the most classical companies there is just a huge flow of creativity. And creativity is always inspired by culture and nature and well, just the things that are happening in the world. They too are not blind to the changes that are happening right underneath our eyes. And to be honest, companies exist because they offer something we want. So companies that survive always keep their eyes and ears open to what is happening in the market. Fine jewelry makers are starting to create pieces alongside their precious ones, to allow women the freedom to mix and match. Wooden bracelets next to a precious tennis bracelet, rubber and textile, resin or glass, mixed with gold, silver or precious stones. And couture custom jewelry next to a diamond ring. Why not?

This piece is by Hemmerle. This company dates back to the 19th century and is situated in Munchen, Germany. It's made of Olive wood, copper and diamonds. How can I describe it? It really speaks for itself. Simplicity, elegant and not pretentious at all, for the very sophisticated woman who really doesn't want to show off

Limited editions and costumizing jewelry

As a result, this style creates also some new doors, where limited editions and customized pieces are finding their ways to women’s hearts. Companies should embrace this; it allows them to be even more creative than ever before. And the fact that the market shifted to relying on women wanting just what everyone else had makes it a wonderful challenge!

Transparant, but with the logo playfully on the bracelet like in a merry-go-round. Nonchelant chique by Louis Vuitton

New revolution?

I personally love my custom jewelry pieces and mix them easily with more precious items. It depends on the occasion, my mood, my clothes and the people I am going to be with. Although I love to wear jewelry and especially bigger pieces, I just always think about all these circumstances. And I think a lot of woman in their daily lives with their many different roles, think that way. I am glad that jewelry is evolving en involving more and more women, not just the wealthier ones! Is it a new revolution? Some trend forecasters claim it is. We will see, but I just love to see how the world goes with the flow. A little less driven by what everyone else wants, a little more humble and real, and a lot more free and creative!

Lady Gaga wearing a very important piece, still though custom jewelry, by Rodrigo Otazu. Otazu is originally from Argentina but came to Amsterdam and started designing jewelry in the early 90's of last century. He became a huge succes in the Netherlands and there seemed no end to his popularity. Later he went to New York and I believe that he went back to his real love: designing extraordinary pieces for the famous and daring women. Lady Gaga was world news when she wore the meat suit, Rodrigo was responsible for her accessories and I had the great pleasure to go to a concert and backstage here in Amsterdam, of Kelis. Another very strong woman who loves to work with him.

For the rich and famous of this world

There will always be a world of exclusive and extremely rich people and of course: a world where endlessly beautiful and precious (and expensive) pieces of jewelry will be worn. And I am glad that too exists. Because in the end; I love beauty, passion, art, creativity and craftsmanship. And price is irrelevant in this.

Let’s all enjoy what is happening! Let’s just desire that: beauty and freedom!

Coloured Gold by Carolina Bucci. How pretty is this?!

Fabio Salini, Rome....what a strong piece!

Carolina Bucci, again colourful, playful, young and so different.....amazing!

De Grisogono, orange leather, this is from the Allegra Collection

Kara Ross, using Crystals in its purest form. I think it looks like snow :-)

Neuhaus is a Jeruzalem based jewelry house. One of their collections is made of shells. The other pieces underneath are also made by them. Don't you think they look gorgeous?

Tabbah from Lebanon. Gold and diamonds playfully combined with coloured leather.

Jacqueline Cullen designed this ring. Unusual and artistic. It's made with Whitby Jet wich is a prehistoric black fossil that was formed around 180 million years ago and is very rare. The supplier has to go abseiling down the rocks to sort of harvest this fossil. An additional value, making it rare and precious in a completely different way than classical fine jewelry

Kara Ross designed these wooden bracelets, the feel of wood on the skin is actually very pleasant. It seems to adapt to your temperature and is very soft and light. So elegant to wear, I am sure that many women will absolutely love to wear this. And it appeals too to all those women who do not like *bling bling* or jewelry that looks either too girly or too important

Tom Binns is a big name in America. As you can see above in the text area, even Michelle Obama is a fan and she looks amazing with it. Colorful, playful, still with an important look and feel to it. How much fun is it to wear something like this. A night out will get a different glow wearing something special like this. The whole piece is couture custom jewelry

Fun with Swarowski. This colourful necklace isn't a small piece although it's difficult to guess the actual size. A stunning piece that would look great on a simple outfit, either a business suit or just plain jeans and a white blouse. But of course; one can play!

Otazu silver bracelet. I have been working with this collection and wore this bracelet myself. Beautiful, stunning and in my humble opinion: the absolute best piece of the silver collection. It is in silver and made to look precious with a special treatment, it seems dazzling with diamonds, but that's really just an optical illusion. There is not one stone set in this bracelet

So big no one would take it for a diamond, which makes it extra fun. These rings are by Baccarat. Known for it's crystal homewear. The advertisement itself is already so beautiful