The World Gold Council (WGC) has announced six key gold trends for 2011, as seen at Vicenza Fair in Italy last month.
The six trends focus on styles which were popular across gold jewellery at Vicenza, including a focus on gold as a ‘jewel’, delicate gold accents and popular shapes and themes.
Gold – the New Jewel
Gold prices have seen gold accents become a popular way to add a luxurious edge to jewellery designs, with gold becoming a ‘jewel’ to elevate a design. The incorporation of gold into wood or ceramic designs is both eye-catching and modern. Gold chains were nestled amongst silver in designs by SuperOro.Precious & Delicate
The preciousness of gold was exemplified at Vicenza in delicate and detailed jewellery. High carat, slim chains were shown, combining elegance with classic style. Nanis’ Petites collection presented tiny gold charms on necklaces and rings. Gold detailing had been designed to imitate gemstones, using diamond-cut techniques to catch the light and the eye.Openwork& Weaving
Expert craftsmanship on show at Vicenza showed how gold electroforming has been taken to a new level. Designers including Tre Spighe and Graziella showed bracelets, necklaces, earrings and rings that demonstrated a level of detail in gold jewellery which previously was only possible to achieve through hand-carving. Delicate, spidery, skeletal structures weaved through designs – pieces that expressed the beauty of the gold in the most intricate designs.Texture & Colour
Hammered, diamond-cut and silk finishes were popular textures, creating much interest. A mix of textures were often combined in one piece to create eye-catching effects. Yellow, white and rose gold were combined by designers including Damiani.Shapes of the Season
Gold hearts, pebbles, stars, seashells and flowers peppered pieces by Il Giglio, Sade and others. Gold Expressions’ Opulent Organics theme was seen throughout the industry at Vicenza Fair. Smaller details were complemented with bolder shapes alongside organic, free-form designs including corals.Personal Expression
Expert gold craftsmanship found was shown through a trend for versatile jewellery, such as reversible designs; pieces that work with or without charms or those designed to lengthen or shorten chains. Customisable gold by designers including Neri Romualdo, Chimento and Mattioli offered versatility, modernity and the power of personal expression, something seen last year in the popular bead charm trend.
Brilliantly detailed trend report by Professional Jeweller – as always they are really helping to support and inform the industry. Trends have never been a huge influence with our work as we concentrate on creating more Timeless than Fashionable. Especially when it comes to our unusual engagement rings. Saying that, it is good to know that we are on trend with Expert Gold Craftmanship which is something we have shouted about for a long while. The combination of white, yellow and rose gold by Damiani sounds delicious – we have seen an excellent response to Rose gold of late championed by our Celestial Rose Cocktail Ring.