BOHO meets bling bling style-wise one thing was obvious at this year’s Baselworld, it’s everything and anything. Rough diamonds in vibrant pendants, mixtures of precious stones, wood, silk and rock crystals - 2005 jewelry lines are urban chic meets haute couture.

 

Color-wise it’s still a mosaic of anything goes. Color-clusters in every shade clash to provide a slash of disruption, a touch of individuality to jewels. Italian based Vhernier’s new line is a mosaic of stones. A layer of sugelite, overlaid with a layer of mother of pearl, topped with rock crystal to produce a multi-hued purple ring that turns from transparent to vivid violet with the slightest twist of light.

 

On the flip-side of color, the stark black and white contrast is providing those with less of a statement to make an alternative. But again, it’s back to urban-land with diamonds, steel, wood and rubber reminding wearers that even if the piece costs five-figures or more, it’s still a street-wear piece, albeit that street may be Madison Ave.

This mosaic look is carried through all lines and price points. H.Stern’s 60th anniversary celebration is a mosaic of street-wear and traditionalism with a couture-style feel. “It’s urban versus high-chic,” they state. H.Stern, along with many designers, is staying true to this past year’s turn towards multi-layers. Christian Lacroix takes a multitude of stones to form a mosaic type cross hanging from a long chain. Long chains of pearls, multiple gold threads and pendants dripping from navel reaching links remain popular, with the bohemian hippy-chick look moving up the scale and hitting the designers in Paris, Tokyo, London and New York. It’s boho meets bling-bling this year.

 

Earrings - Although we keep hearing reports that chandelier earrings are ‘out’ or simply ‘so last year’- consumers have yet to pick up on that fact, with retailers buying the item in force.  Jewelry manufacturers are obviously heeding the call of the order sheet with many featuring the chandeliers in a variety of price points, stones and colors.

 

THE ANNUAL EIGHT-DAY JEWEL AND WATCH-FEST in Basel, Switzerland, opened with show management predicting a record-breaking year. Some 90,000 visitors from 100 countries were expected to attend but it didn’t seem like the record would be broken. Certainly the first three days of the show were quieter than the previous year, with exhibitors noting somewhat of a dearth of U.S. buyers. Those U.S. buyers who did make it noted one major issue affecting their buying - the weak U.S. dollar. For exhibitors, this translates into pressure on pricing if they hope to sell to U.S. destinations. “They [U.S. buyers] are not as interested as last year in the smaller manufacturers and artisan type goods. It's price, price, price - not much else,” noted one Italian jeweler.

 

The big brand names faired better, although several we spoke to also noted that if they want to sell to U.S. retailers they were being either forced to take a hit or else look at other markets. On the very up-scale side of things it was business as usual for those whose pieces started in the five-digit price range. “At this end of the market, consumers aren’t going to be put off by a slight increase. This isn’t the niche where price is paramount,” expressed one top-end diamond jeweler as he put away a diamond necklace of $120,000 that had just been bought.

 

WATCH-WISE

A WATCH:  a small, portable timepiece providing the purely utilitarian service of telling the time? You must be joking. Every year, the vast range of watches on show at the Basel Watch and Jewellery Fair gives attendees a chance to see the most extraordinary timepieces and this year, naturally, was no different.

 

The watches we wear say a great deal about us: do you go for classic designs, retro or hip-hop? Some people are looking for attention with chunky watches while others are far more understated in their approach, looking for classically designed and exquisitely-manufactured pieces.

 

There are watches with diamonds and colored gemstones, while vintage styles both in movements and exteriors are always popular. There are timepieces in bright colors and mother-of-pearl dials, or with dials showing two or even three time zones. Then there is the renewed attraction for watches with mechanical movements - a backlash against our high-tech age, perhaps.

 

For the rough and rugged, there are watches, with sports-inspired materials such as silicone, rubber and titanium, and even camouflage straps for guys who want to pretend they are off-duty commandos.

 

For the more delicate customers, there are timepieces decorated in the most subtle fashion, with parts made of pink or yellow gold, and a trend toward yellow gold in cases and bracelets and larger windows for showing the date.

 

DIAMOND WATCHES

Say it with diamonds, maybe. But tell the time with diamonds? There’s nothing new, of course, in diamond-studded watches but the range on show at Basel was truly breathtaking.

 

From the overstated to the exquisite, there was no shortage of diamond-covered timepieces.

 

As a starting point, there is the Golden Stones Collection by H.Stern offering an 18 karat white gold pave set with diamonds or 18 karat texturized yellow gold case with satin straps.

 

For a delicate pinky-red watch, there is Chanel’s ever-popular Camelia collection in which the petals are set with 99 pink sapphires and 48 diamonds while the mother-of-pearl dial is set with four pink sapphire indicators on a pink satin bracelet.

 

STRAPS AND BRACELETS

If your attention is naturally attracted to the watch dial and all the fancy work around it, then cast your eyes a little wider and take in the intricate straps and extremely creative bracelets being created by watch designers.

 

Straps and bracelets are no longer simply a way of attaching the timepiece to the wrist, but an extension of the overall image the watch creates for its wearer. From rugged leather and rubber to delicate satin - and much more.

 

If it’s a splash of color that you are looking for, then as with other components and design features, watchmakers have created a vast range of timepieces aimed at attracting attention by boldly putting a range of colors into their watches.

 

Versace Deauville straps range from azure to coral red. For the ultimate luxury experience, the Deauville is also available with a case sprinkled with diamonds, a python-skin strap and mother-of-pearl dial.

 

And for the even more extroverted, there’s Versace’s Character timepiece.

 

Everlast has also set itself the target of brightening up a dull world as has Alessi Watches with its Calumet range.

 

UNFORGETTABLE FACES

Are you one of those people who can never put a name to a face? You are unlikely to face that problem with some of the extraordinary designs on offer that show an extraordinary degree of creativity.

 

Among such watches is the Opus V created by jeweler to the stars Harry Winston in conjunction with Felix Baumgartner with three small blocks arranged like satellites within a three-dimensional system permanently displaying three hours on the dial. High-tech or high-falutin? You decide.

 

From Corum and Walt Disney/SII Marketing International come a range of faces from the comic to the slightly scary.

 

Harry Winston has also created the Excenter Bireto. The dials are made of white mother-of-pearl with 18-karat white gold appliqu?s set with 68 white diamonds. In similar vein, are watches from Frey Wille.

 

Or there’s the futuristic CV Flash from Calvin Klein, and unusual designs from Chatila. 

 

Gold Springs Ahead

The World Gold Council (WGC) in partnership with Vicu?a Fair has launched Gold Expressions 2005, a collection of 430 gold jewelry pieces designed and produced by 69 Italian goldsmiths. The campaign, ‘The Language of Italian Designs’ aims to reignite desire amongst jewelry consumers for gold pieces, a desire which has been somewhat on the wane in the past few years.

 

According to a study carried out by the WGC, gold consumers in key world markets complained that contemporary designs and styles of gold jewelry were lacking at point-of-sale, with sales suffering especially when faced with emerging competition for discretionary income from other lifestyle branded goods. ‘Gold Expressions’ hopes to answer consumer demand with a collection of products that not only express emotion through their design but also appeal to a wide market range with price points ranging from double digits to the thousand dollar mark.

“As in 2004, we expect these highly innovative and relevant collections to determine what will be in vogue in gold jewelry in the coming year. Many new chains, which have strong sales potential, are featured in this year’s collection. We are confident that the designs promoted in the 2005 collection will help fuel consumer demand within the global gold jewelry industry, as well as help to boost Italian exports of gold jewelry,” commented James Burton, Wag’s CEO during the launch of the campaign earlier this year.

 

This year, the WGC plans to spend some $5 million on advertising, aiming to convince consumers worldwide that gold jewelry is the ultimate way to express love, friendship and, they note, ‘the eternal connection between generations’. The campaign breaks down the designs into five style categories: Fun Gold; Glowing Gold; Links of Gold; Textile Gold and Young Gold.

 

Fun Gold

Definitely not the pieces you’d find in Great Aunt Mabel’s jewelry box. These designs bring out the lighter side of any wearer with a fusion of material, colors, forms and texture that break from tradition with a grin. Charm bracelets lead the way, spiced up with a cacophony of colors and ornaments. The sharp colors of spring - oranges that set your teeth on edge, greens that make your eyes water - were the inspiration for the yellow gold bracelet hung with fruit pendants. A necklace becomes a bracelet, pins attach to chokers and charms can be added as whimsy desires, making a piece that is forever changing and renewing itself.

 

Glowing Gold

“Twisted spirals, bright flowers, and magnificent jewels of chiseled gold hung beautifully around her delicate neck...” is how Homer described Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Well, Homer would be pleased to know that gold chains are back in style long, short and shapes are all geometric, setting the mood for the comeback of the urban hippie look. The harmonious influence of Art Deco is seen in the geometric shapes of thick bracelets and in the cubic forms of necklaces featured in this year’s collections.

 

Links of Gold

Gold chains worn around the neck, long and hippie styles or fixed around the waist like a belt, slipped onto a wrist, or gold chains draped across the hips in three or four strands is sixties retro with a noughties nod. In the 1930s, pioneering fashion icon, Coco Chanel once proclaimed to a friend who had come into her store in search of a gift, “I know women, buy her the chain. Women love chain,” a statement which stands the test of time. Chains with different links are being mixed and matched, and worn as one look: well rounded belcher chains paired with the geometric forms of box chains, or the classic elongated links of the figaro chain matched with a profusion of intricate links reminiscent of tulle.

 

Textile Gold

Gold thread necklaces with fine angel hair thread and woven into a knit create a silk-look finish which whispers sensuality. Adding the pizzaz are gold knit ruffles reminiscent of tulle in shades of yellow, white and pink, with romantic bracelets and rings dressed up with elegant roses of yellow and pink gold.

The gold foil technique was developed alongside the wire technique, when goldsmiths started cutting strips from hammered gold sheets and then rolled them into wire. The first signs of metallurgical crafting can be traced back to 7000BCE, with the first gold threads produced in 4000BCE.

 

Young Gold

Dangling rope earrings in shocking pink or with patterns of tiny faceted balls, a bracelet with cut-out hearts and a sequence of yellow and white gold tones. Designs that tell a story, break barriers and rebel against the conventional, this is the fun, funky and gold jewelry for the young (and young at heart).

 

 

White gold with its abstract purity and its rebellion against a more classic look, is one of the favorites in the teen-market. Delicate threads interface to become an eccentric jewel, while the elaborate laser-etched lines on rings become encrypted messages - alluding to intimacy and emotions shared by a youthful couple or high-school friends.

 

NEW OYSTER CULT

RETAILERS AND MANUFACTURERS MAKE A POWERFUL NEW PUSH FOR PEARLS

Pearls, some say, come into style in seven-year cycles. If that is true, then the jewelry industry must be reaching a new peak in the circle of pearl popularity. Designers such as David Yurman are embracing these shiny orbs with renewed interest, long-time pearl designers such as Erica Courtney are dressing celebrities from Sheryl Crow to Sandra Bullock for red-carpet events and magazine covers, while pearl leader Golay Group recently released a dynamic pearl jewelry collection from designer Karim Rashid. Think the Bush twins, not Barbara Bush, one U.S. newspaper recently quipped.

 

And in terms of retail, Tiffany & Co. founded a pearl-only chain last year, with three stores currently open in Short Hills, New Jersey, Mclean, Virginia and a new location that just opened in Schaumberg, Illinois, an affluent suburb of Chicago. Within the next five years, at least 20 stores are planned nationwide.

 

According to March’s In Style Magazine, pearls are undergoing a ‘creative transformation, strand by strand’. And industry experts seem to agree: “There is definitely an increased interest and appetite for pearls,” says Brigitte Sheung, public relations director for the Golay Group. “Pearls are no longer limited to mature ladies with a classic preference, but have taken on a contemporary fashion look and are perceived as top accessories.” The increased availability of high-quality cultured pearls from pearl-producing regions, creative designs using cultured pearls and active promotions by pearl houses and media outlets are also what is driving the resurgence, she adds.

In Iridesse, Tiffany & Co. was confident it could fill a niche by focusing exclusively on pearls in a retail environment: “There are plenty of reasons to carry only pearls,” says Robert L. Cepek, president of Iridesse and industry veteran. “First, it’s an incredibly versatile and beautiful gem, and today cultured pearl farms harvest many different types of pearls, from the traditional round akoya to the large Tahitian pearl with rich color hues to the very large and rare South Sea pearl. This variety allows us to create a broad range of designs spanning from casual to contemporary to classic.”

 

With price points spanning $100 to $40,000, Iridesse clearly wants to appeal to a broad range of women with a segment of the market that many feel has been fragmented and under-exploited. The stores will feature their own original designs and store appearance, there will be no  evidence of Tiffany in either the style, the packaging (no blue boxes) or designs. Designers such as Erica Courtney, Christian Tse, Gabrielle Sanchez, Anthony Nak and Chrissie Coleman Douglas will also have some designs featured in the stores.

 

David Yurman has displayed his new pearl designs in over 200 locations since last fall, with over two-dozen necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings featuring South Sea and Tahitian pearls matched with 18k gold, silver and diamonds. Karim Rashid launched the Louis Golay collection exactly a year ago, but this year is expanding the line with modern, clean, yellow and white gold pieces ranging from around $1,500 to $45,000. 

 

But just in case anyone has forgotten the long and lustrous history and powerful pedigree

of the pearl, a new exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History featuring highlights such as the Hope Pearl and La Peregrina should change that. Of course, sponsorship of the exhibit by Iridesse offers an idea of how retailers and manufacturers are looking to take from the pearl’s illustrious past and bring it into the modern jewelry industry.

 

Cepek is confident about his company’s future fortunes: “Our vision was to create a cultured pearl jewelry store with designs for every woman for every occasion, and we believe that Iridesse is fulfilling this vision”.