2005

Designers Embraces Non-Traditional Diamond Looks

August 2005

With fashion dictating yet another season of color on the runways, jewelry design is following suit and pumping up the already extensive use of colored gemstones. As a result, white diamonds are, to some extent, taking second place to colored gems of all variety.

The good news for diamonds, however, is a shift toward more neutral tones in the fall and winter collections. While not minimal, the neutral, embellished clothes--expected to continue for spring and summer next year--will lend itself toward diamond pieces that complement these more neutral-toned outfits.
In diamond jewelry this season, designers, urged by women looking for fashion pieces, are taking several approaches:

First, small diamonds are being combined with alternative materials. Suddenly, the stigma against combining these most precious stones with non-precious materials has been erased. Small, full-cut diamonds are found bezel-set into wood cuffs or pendants, for example. Diamond pendants--whether they be simple solitaires or pave-set stylized pieces--are worn on interchangeable rubber or silk cords.
Second, the Right Hand Ring, which was, in its first incarnation, not terribly well-received, has nevertheless spawned an interest in diamond fashion rings in general. The most popular styles feature pave or small stones set in open, airy designs. Affordability is key, leading to the third trend in diamond fashion jewelry--the use of either small, high-quality stones or larger poorer-quality stones to provide the look without the price.

To include diamonds without bumping up price points, designers are exploring everything from rough stones to old-school rose cuts. This
jewelry is focused and sold on style, rather than stone descriptions.
In bridal, however, the focus continues to be on quality, with the trend toward larger stones--1.5 ct. to 2 ct. stones--growing. Stones are frequently set high, or with minimal embellishment to highlight the stone itself.

While round and princess cuts are constants, once-exotic cuts like cushion and Assher have suddenly become mainstream thanks in part to both brides' quest for "something different" and to the extensive exposure of these cuts in the fashion media.
Finally, at the high end of the market, several years of celebrities and fashion editors' obsession with colored diamonds, along with fashion's embrace of all things color, has increased demand for fancy-colored stones, especially in the second time bridal category. In fashion, however, colored diamond pave is an increasing category, with designers using the stones to enhance two-tone or tri-color pieces, like the classic rolling ring in pink, yellow and white gold.

“Butterfly” Evening Dress Worth $1 Million

A fashion model in Hong Kong on August 5 displayed the kind of glittering dress any woman could envy.

The eye-popping “Butterfly” dress contained over 2,000 diamonds. All told, the dress is worth over $1 million, according to a recent report in ChinaView.