The jewelry and gemstone industries gathered last week for Las Vegas Jewelry Week, the largest jewelry trade event in the U.S (JCK Las Vegas and Couture are the week's biggest shows). And for the 12th consecutive year, I was on the hunt for extraordinary new jewels to feature in future articles and photographic features. .
Every jewelry editor has his or her own methods for taking on a giant jewelry show, but when I'm wandering the various shows, I'm trying on hundreds of pieces of jewelry and looking for though-lines—trends that are brewing, morphing, or continuing. Some years, particular styles stick out (i.e., hoop earrings, heart motifs). In others, it's a hot color or gem that suddenly every designer is using (see 2023's Barbie pink).
This year proved to be a little bit of both. And after four days of gorging on glorious jewelry from some of the world's most innovative jewelry brands, I compiled a list of trends that are not only eye-catching and exciting, but also highly collectible. Enjoy, fellow jewelry lovers.
Green is Good
It was very easy seeing green this year. Emeralds, tourmalines, malachite, and other verdant gemstones were ubiquitous at both major shows. Green is always a favorite with jewelry lovers, but this year the brands got the message: we love to wear richly pigmented, real-deal grassy green. Retrovai, Jenna Blake, HOWL, Gurhan, Ara Vartanian and Stuller were among the brands that folded emerald, green tourmaline, and malachite into their creations.
Modern Toi et Mois
The famed toi et moi (French for "you and me") ring featuring two stones representing the meeting of a pair of hearts/souls has been a hot bridal style for a few years now, even since Machine Gun Kelly proposed to Megan Fox with a custom emerald and diamond Stephen Webster toi et moi ring (the engagement didn't last, but I hope she kept the jewel). Now the style has gone global: Italian heritage brand Pomellato's latest Nudo rings are toi et mois with facted gems on one side and puzzle-set diamonds on the other.
Horses and Unicorns
Horses, unicorns, and pegasus are a motif to watch in fine jewelry. At the Vegas shows, we kept running into the leggy creatures: Gurhan set an intalgio horse-head into a bold gold cocktail ring, while jeweler designer Karina Brez specializes in horse-bit jewelry styles and horse and unicorn coin charms encrusted with gems. Francesca Villa used a couple of unicorn cameos in her reversible statement rings (the other side being enamal-and-gem fruit and veggies, naturally). And a rep at Stuller, a staple jewelry store brand that debuted a series of dragon-themed pieces, told me "mythical and fantasy jewelry is a trend we're seeing emerge."
Mexican Fire Opals
The universe of opal types is truly vast. In recent years, we've seen rafts of beautiful jewelry featuring Boulder opal, Ethiopian opal, and pink opal, among other types. This year, a new opal made its mark on the show floors: Mexican fire opals. While the gem (a mineraloid, not a mineral), has been used by silver designers for decades, fine jewelry designers working in real gold have discovered its charms. Suzanne Kalan and Gurhan were among the brands that set beautiful fire opals into incredible yellow gold jewels. In the parlance of Gen-Z, they were total fire.
Playful Rules
Fine jewelry is getting more playful, and proof of that was everywhere you looked at the Las Vegas shows. Why? "Classic" jewelry styles are losing steam in the market. As jewelry collectors, we want unique designs and gemstones we can tell fun stories about. Personifying "playful" at the show was a necklace by New York City-based brand Sorellina that cleverly riffed on the cassette player in a necklace. A gold chain that echoed the PLAY, STOP, and REWIND shapes of old players anchored a gold and diamond cassette and a pencil (to rewind the diamond "tape!"). The piece won the Couture Show's "Innovation Award" this year, and it was absolutely deserving. Encased in a hallway glass vitrine, it literally stopped us in our tracks.
