Jewelry Gone Wild
By Lindsey Romain - CTW Features | posted on November 18, 2011 at 8:00am
Funky pieces add personality to the bridal party
Diamonds and pearls be gone!
For a modern bride looking for a twist on typical wedding day accessories for herself and her bridal party, color is key.
“A big trend with weddings is personalization,” says Amanda Gizzi, spokesperson for the Jewelry Information Center, the consumer education arm of Jewelers of America. “Colored gemstone jewelry allows brides to truly personalize their wedding day attire.”
Plenty of jewelers offer bold color options on items like earrings and bracelets, such as Lika Behar’s yellow gold and peridot earrings, or Mary Esses’s peridot multi-strand bracelet.
Pink gemstones, like rose quartz, also are popular for their soft, romantic quality.
“Brides are also turning to blue gemstones, like aquamarine and sapphire, to be their something blue,” says Gizzi. Pieces like Perfect Details’ Sorrelli Ocean necklace and drop earrings are the elaborate blue highlights that make that possible.
Another noteworthy color trend according to Gizzi is orange, like carnelian and citrine. SYNA features citrine and rubellite Mogul earrings in this vein.
Many top-notch lines are easing into a-typical jewelry design to accommodate a growing desire to branch away from tradition and focus on stronger statement pieces. This is a prime venue for designers like Mimi So, who credits her background in graphic design as an inspiration for the unique blend of colors and shapes seen in her pieces.
“My work reflects not only my appreciation of beautiful stones but also my love for unique geometric shapes and asymmetrical facets, which are signature design elements throughout all of my collections,” says So, who became well known after designing a custom wedding bands for David Bowie and his wife Iman.
Even major brands are featuring collections. Kwiat’s Star Collection and Butterfly Collection are composed of an array of non-traditional colors and shapes.
The best thing about versatile wedding day jewelry is that it doesn’t have to be a one-time wear.
“When the flowers die and the party decorations get put away, colored gemstone jewelry will continue to be a wearable reminder of a bride’s big day,” says Gizzi.
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Image courtesy Kwiat
