The Brand Fashion Girls Will Buy All Their Jewellery From This Season

Many of our fashion rituals have fallen by the wayside this year; our collection of high heels has entered semi-retirement, and our fancy dresses have barely left their wardrobe sanctums. There is. However, one sartorial practice that we’ve outright refused to give up, even amid lockdown, and that’s wearing beautiful jewellery.

Jewellery has the power to make you feel elevated, instantly pulled together in a few seconds flat. And never before has this been so important. While we may not have gotten to wear the clothing we perhaps would have liked over the last few months; jewellery provided us with some comfort. Even when we found ourselves repeatedly donning our (albeit chic) loungewear, we relied on our jewellery to give our daily wares some much-needed polish. It’s amazing what wearing a pair of chic hoops, or a cherished necklace can do for your self-esteem. As such, we’ve found ourselves looking for new pieces to add to our jewellery repertoire; pieces we know we’ll love and wear for years to come. Thankfully we’ve found the perfect edit of jewels in Astrid & Miyu’s new Gaea collection. 

At a time when we’ve all come to appreciate nature in a more poignant way, Astrid & Miyu has created a celebration of all things outdoorsy, channelling it into its latest jewellery offering. Drawing divine inspiration from Gaea, the Greek goddess of earth and nature, Astrid & Miyu’s capsule of timeless treasures features ornate flora detailing. Petals adorn necklaces, delicate buds hang delicately from earrings, and botanicals are pressed into coin medallions, much like you would in a well-leafed book to preserve their beauty.

Designed to blend seamlessly with your existing jewellery archive, the Gaea collection is to layer in a multitude of ways. Chunkier chains are softened with fine strands, ears can be curated with an array of studs, cuffs, hoops, and barbells, and rings can be positioned atop or next to one another without looking too bulky. 

Rio’s ‘special’ diamonds up for tender

Diversified miner Rio Tinto has announced that a selection of rough diamonds from the company’s Canadian and Australian mines will be tendered to diamond specialists in October and November.

Headlining Rio’s forthcoming “specials” tender, which showcases rough diamonds greater than 10.8 ct, is Lot number 1, Diavik Helios, a 74.48 ct Fancy yellow diamond. The Diavik Helios takes its name from the pure yellow sunlight emitted by the mythical Greek God of the Sun.

Fancy yellow diamonds are rare finds from the Diavik diamond mine in Canada, which primarily produces high quality white diamonds.

“Since the Diavik mine began production in 2003 it has produced on average only five large yellow diamonds each year, in effect less than 0.001% of Diavik’s annual production,” said GM of sales snd marketing for the diamond division, Patrick Coppens.

“The Diavik Helios is an exceptional diamond in terms of its colour saturation and clarity and will be in strong demand from coloured diamond specialists around the world.”

The specials tender is also notable for including the last of the rough diamonds in this category from the Argyle mine in the East Kimberley region of Australia.

Rio noted that 28 399 ct of rough Argyle diamonds are included, showcasing the famed Argyle coloured diamonds, together with a beautiful 26 ct white gem quality rough Argyle diamond.

“Since it began production in 1983, the Argyle mine has produced more than 865-million carats of rough diamonds. With the mine closing at the end of 2020 the Argyle rough diamonds presented at this tender are a final rare and collectible offering from one of the world’s greatest diamond mines,” Andrew Wilson, GM of the Argyle mine said.

The tender will be physically showcased in both Antwerp and Tel Aviv, together with virtual and online viewings to cater for Covid-19 restrictions. Bids close on November 9. 

Jewelers Predict Next Trends in Jewelry

WE ASKED 800-PLUS retail jewelers to take an educated guess at the next breakout category in jewelry. Here are their top 10 responses:

1. By far the largest number of jewelers responded to this question by citing the continuing popularity of laboratory-grown diamonds and fashion jewelry, specifically mentioning lab-grown diamonds set in metals ranging from silver and 10K gold to platinum. This was also considered the top trend in the 2019 survey.

2. Jewelers believe custom jewelry will continue to drive sales. “During the COVID-19 shutdowns our foot traffic diminished to a crawl, however our custom jewelry items took off,” said one respondent. “We had a customer stationed overseas contact us for a very unique and beautiful piece.” Another said custom clients and not industry trends will drive business: “That’s the thing about custom. Our clients will let us know.”

3. Yellow gold jewelry in any and every style from bold to delicate and layered. Advertisement

4. Earrings of all types were mentioned, driven in part by the fact women are looking for jewelry that looks goods in the virtual world. “Something that has great movement and is good to wear during Zoom meetings.” Some of the specific types mentioned include: Statement earrings, large diamond stud earrings, dangle earrings with diamonds or color as well as smaller earring that do not catch on masks.

5. Female self-purchase trends. Dainty bracelets and smaller necklaces, often worn layered, are predicted to become even more popular as are bezel-set solitaire pendants set in yellow gold. “Thin rings and delicate pendants in yellow gold with precious stones, turquoise, diamond beads and sapphires.” Stackable rings and bracelets, too.

6. Chains. “It’s already happening. Gold chains a la ‘80s style,” said one respondent. Also mentioned: paperclip chains with diamond accents, heavy curb and Cuban-link necklaces and all styles of link bracelets and necklaces for both men and women.

7. Organic, rustic and rough-cut diamonds were mentioned frequently in the bridal category, as was almost the polar opposite: a return to simple, traditional solitaires. Also mentioned more than once: colored gemstones, an emphasis on wedding bands, yellow gold, fancy shapes, bigger diamonds, estate diamonds and ethically sourced diamonds and gold.

8. Affordable options. Survey respondents believe that gold-plated jewelry, lower carat gold, vermeil and mixed metals will increasingly be in demand as the price of gold has risen. That includes sterling silver set with precious gemstones. Advertisement

9. Personalized jewelry. This included emotionally inspired uplifting pieces and women’s empowerment jewelry, as well as push jewelry, family jewelry and commemorative jewelry. “I recently sold a Covid cuff to a woman. A 30 mm cuff bracelet engraved with the initials of all the people who weren’t able to attend her wedding because of the coronavirus,” one respondent said.

10. Tech jewelry. Men and women will increasingly look for smart wearable jewelry and seek out smart watch bands that look more like jewelry. They will also seek out jewelry related to personal electronics, such as Fitbit covers and thumb-drive pendants.