Stylist Michael O'Connor Predicts Award Trends
January 09, 14
(IDEX Online News) – Awards season 2014 is almost upon us and while the main focus is the movies, everyone’s eyes will be on the celebs coming down the red carpet. Celebrity stylist and jewelry expert Michael O’Connor predicts that this season will see more edgy, statement styles with colored gemstones and, of course, diamonds featuring heavily.
Every season, O'Connor curates a selection of one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces from world-renowned designers for celebrities to borrow for the red carpet.
According to O’Connor, who will host StyleLab's styling event for Golden Globe Award nominees, presenters and stylists, emeralds will be big news this year. As Pantone’s color of the year for 2013, emerald is continuing to attract attention. One such design sure to turn heads is Just Jules' ethereal earrings, which feature 12.93-carats of natural emerald slices, mixed with 2.45-carats of grey rose-cut and pavé diamonds, priced at $81,140.
He also sees blackened metal and deep black gemstones being incredibly popular. Gemstone possibilities include black Burmese jade and black diamonds. Designer Paula Crevoshay will debut a pair of black diamond earrings, priced at $37,000, that have a vintage-inspired aesthetic.
You might not have known they had gone away, but statement earrings are due to make a big, big reappearance this year. According to O’Connor, designers are reinterpreting traditional chandelier earrings by adding bold gemstones, mixing metals and creating unique shapes. These include Kallati’s white diamond chandelier-style "Teardrop" earrings, featuring 4-carats of brilliant white pave diamonds shaped like teardrops, priced at $25,000.
There’s nothing like old Hollywood style when it comes to modern Hollywood and historical pieces will continue to remain a staple on the red carpet. O’Connor says this is especially true of jewelry designs with historical significance, such as the Jewelry by Gail collection, which features vintage hair combs/pins once owned by Marilyn Monroe and priced at $55,000.
Finally, responsible sourcing is also gaining traction. One collection O’Connor highlights is the “Nature’s Beauty Collection of Sustainable Jewelry” from Diamonds With a Story. The collection is made of gold from the Kennecott Utah Copper mine in the US and set with white and champagne diamonds from the Argyle diamond mine in Australia.