Le Vian and Swarovski's prediction on jewelry trends for 2010

by Sweet Tooth - January 02, 2010

At the end of May of last year, jewelry manufacturers Le Vian and Swarovski held events in Las Vegas to announce their predictions for this year.

While Le Vian's two main focuses were "green" jewelry and "chocolate diamonds", Swarovski'd Gem Visions, the brand's own forecasting service for design trends, came up with four distinct "mega trends" they believed are most likely to influence this year's fine jewelry trends, these being false nudity, oversized games, pure chaos and divine chimeras.

The first features ultra-light, airy designs focusing on light and transparency yet counterbalanced by minute details and rendered in milky pastel colors such as pale olive green, sugar-almond tones, salmon pink and deep powder blue.

Designs in the "oversized games" category feature a theatrical stylization of nature with extravagantly sculptural, playful forms in shocking and acidic colors juxtaposed with cold, concrete neutrals.

Draped materials, layers and random imperfections in stones and metals will be some of the design characteristics for pieces that fall under the "pure chaos" category. A mix of multicolors and monotones will make up the color palette.

Finally, "divine chimera" designs will be expressed through mismatched materials and hot oranges, reds and corals complemented by opaque shades of anthracite and brown. Pieces within the category are meant to unveil personal identity and express fantasy and escapism.

Here you can find out more about what the Enlightened--Swarovski Elements vision is all about : link

This ring from Stephan Borolos Karnakarian is one that Enlightened--Swarovski Elements says falls under the "false nudity" category, one of four "mega trends" the brand's trends-forecasting service has identified for 2010.

If the Swarovski prediction for design is very theatrical, imaginative and playful, Le Vian is about more nature-inspired designs that incorporate butterfly or snake motifs, or designs featuring green-toned gemstones such as quartz, beryl, tsavorite or alexandrite juxtaposed with earthy hues such as brown and yellow. Their initiative is about creating designs that reduce the usage of gold and also about manufacturing and administrative practices that reduce, reuse and recycle, while still creating big and bold designs.

Another major trend for Le Vian in 2010 will be its use of "chocolate diamonds," a term the company recently won legal rights to use, according to LeVian. The brown-toned diamonds will be seen in the "Eddie LeVian Signature" collection of nature-inspired, cutout designs, as well as in additional pieces that the company says exemplify upcoming trends: chunky chocolate diamond pieces combining natural fancy color rough diamonds and pave-set diamonds, "gladiator-style" rings and bangles featuring crossover styling, medallions, double-hoop earrings, stacking pieces and motifs such as logos, hearts, knots and paisleys.